Even as I open the door to the diner and step in, I wonder what I am doing here, agreeing to meet this near-stranger who only dredges up memories I'd rather not think of. I almost turn around and leave, but then he is there, approaching me from inside the diner.
"Thank you for coming." A warm smile lights his whole face. "I have a booth over here."
I follow him to the booth; like a gentleman, he waits until I sit before seating himself across from me. We sit in silence for a few moments. I don't know what to say. I notice his tongue dart out, wetting his lips, and I realize he's just as unsure as I am.
"Did you get a sitter?"
"My mom."
He nods. "Mothers are good for that. Or so I've heard." He gives a bit of a lopsided smile.
A waitress interrupts the awkward moment. He orders iced tea. I order water. I catch a hint of a frown, concern in his eyes, but I just shrug. I've gotten used to drinking water.
"I wanted to see how you're doing." The sentence sounds unfinished - there's more to it than just that - but he pauses, waiting for me to respond.
"We're doing alright." I try not to feel defensive, but his eyes seem to see right through me and I feel compelled to continue. "It's not easy being a single mother, but we're managing. I cut back my hours at work. Daycare costs too much, and I'd rather be with him myself anyway. My mother helps, but she works too."
I wonder if this is how he gets suspects to confess - just looking at them with those understanding eyes.
He nods, apparently satisfied enough. "And I wanted to give you this."
He reaches into his jacket pocket, and pulls out a piece of paper. He slides it across the table to me, then takes a sip of his iced tea, giving me some time. I unfold the paper - it's a bank statement; an education fund. While not extravagant, the amount is more than generous. I stare at it for a moment, then back up at him.
"I can't- You hardly know us." I'm stuttering; I don't know how to respond to this generosity from someone I barely know.
"He was my friend." His brown eyes shine with emotion. He takes another drink of iced tea, and continues. "He was part of our family, and family takes care of each other." I realize that he didn't do this alone. Others, how many I can't imagine, had also contributed to this. I take a drink, a distraction from the tears I feel building in my eyes. I find it hard to believe how the man I had come to despise could have evoked such caring in others.
Once again, those eyes seem to see right through me, reading my thoughts. He reaches across the table, laying his hand over mine. "Everything in the past - the arguing, the divorce, even the.. death. It'll just drag you down. Let it go."
A/N: The narrator is Tina, Warrick's ex-wife.