Tad sat on the edge of his sofa, trying to pull up some files on his
laptop as the front door opened and Jamie entered, dropping his backpack on
the floor. Tad looked up. "James." he said. "I would have gone to Mom's to
pick you up."
"It's 4:30, Dad," Jamie said. Tad looked at his watch. "Mom just dropped me off."
"Jamie." Tad stood. "I'm so sorry. Liza has me working double..."
"Dad... Dad. It's alright. Really, it's OK."
"Your Mom's not still out there, is she?"
"No, she just dropped me off and left."
"Oh," Tad said, sitting back down.
Jamie stood motionless for a moment in thought before walking over to the sofa and taking a seat next to Tad. He didn't say a word.
Tad looked over at him. "Is there something on your mind, James?"
"I uh..." Jamie thought. "Can I ask you something?"
Tad stopped what he was doing. "Sure, anything."
"It's kind of personal..." Jamie warned him. Tad nodded. "Are you and Mom getting back together?" Tad was speechless. "Are you?"
"What makes you ask that?" Tad said.
"I'm just... You guys have been spending a lot of time together lately. I was just wondering if there was a chance..."
Tad leaned back in his seat. "Your Mom's been going through a lot."
"So you're not?"
"As soon as I figure out what's going on, I'll let you know, OK?"
"Is this a possibility at least?"
"Jamie." Tad said. "I know how hard you were trying to get your Mom and me back together, before she married Edmund."
"It didn't do much, did it?" Jamie asked.
"She loved him."
"No, Dad. She loved you. She always loved you. She never stopped loving you."
"Jamie, come on now..."
"You don't think it's true?" Jamie said. "I could only imagine what happened that day that me and JR ran into you at Mom's... But after you left... she just wasn't the same. It was like her life was falling apart again... like when Maria came back. I'll never forget that look for as long as I live. It's almost like she thinks it's happening again. Like she's going to get hurt..."
"You know that I would never hurt her," Tad said. "I wouldn't do that."
Jamie paused. "Can I ask you one more thing?" he looked at Tad. "Do you love her?"
"Well do you?" Lysistrata asked. Tad stood and began pacing the room. She leaned back in her seat. "Do you realize that you still haven't mentioned her name?" Tad didn't answer her. "Is there a reason you haven't mentioned her name?"
"No," Tad said.
"I think there is."
Tad shook his head and sat back down. "If you already knew the answer, then why did you ask?"
"That's what you're paying me for, isn't it?" Lysistrata asked. "So, what's her name?"
"I don't see why her name is so important," Tad said, putting his feet up.
"You do know her name?"
"Of course I do. It's not like I spend my evenings standing on a street corner looking for any warm body to take to bed at night."
"So it's a security thing?" Lysistrata said. "A form of protection."
"Just because I don't mention her name, I'm protecting myself?"
"Wake up, Tad! She's the one you think needs protection! Why does she need to be shielded from the world?" Tad was silent as he shook his head. "You're trying to protect her from something. What is it? Think!"
"Uh, I don't know. Heartbreak, self destruction..."
"And you think that it's your responsibility to protect her from these things. Why?"
"I owe it to her to..."
"Why?"
"She's been there for..."
"Why?"
"Because I love her!" Tad said, standing from his seat. Lysistrata looked at him silently, a strange smirk on her face. Tad lowered his tone drastically as he sat again. "I'm in love with her."
"You're in love with her... but you still think she needs to be protected from a broken heart. You think you're going to break her heart?"
"I don't think she's ready to trust anyone again yet."
"Can she trust you?" she asked. "Or are you afraid of the same thing?"
"Afraid of what?" Tad leaned forward.
"Are you afraid of heartbreak?" Tad was silent. "You see, the way these sessions usually work is, I ask the question and you answer it."
"I feel like I'm jumping the gun with this. Opening her up to all types of things."
"Like comparing her to Dixie?"
"I don't..." Tad said.
"I don't think you're just worried about her being able to move forward," Lysistrata said. "You still haven't let go of Dixie. And until you do that, she's not the one who's going to have to deal with heartache. You are." She paused. "You said that Dixie died in May."
Tad nodded. "Brooke knows how I felt about Dixie."
"Alright, we have a name," Lysistrata cheered. "So is Brooke urging you to hold onto Dixie?"
"No," Tad said.
"But Dixie is holding you back." Tad bit his bottom lip. "Try taking a page from her book. She seemed to be a free spirit. She lived her life... don't let her hold you back. Until you do that," Lysistrata stood. "I can't do anything else for you."
"It's 4:30, Dad," Jamie said. Tad looked at his watch. "Mom just dropped me off."
"Jamie." Tad stood. "I'm so sorry. Liza has me working double..."
"Dad... Dad. It's alright. Really, it's OK."
"Your Mom's not still out there, is she?"
"No, she just dropped me off and left."
"Oh," Tad said, sitting back down.
Jamie stood motionless for a moment in thought before walking over to the sofa and taking a seat next to Tad. He didn't say a word.
Tad looked over at him. "Is there something on your mind, James?"
"I uh..." Jamie thought. "Can I ask you something?"
Tad stopped what he was doing. "Sure, anything."
"It's kind of personal..." Jamie warned him. Tad nodded. "Are you and Mom getting back together?" Tad was speechless. "Are you?"
"What makes you ask that?" Tad said.
"I'm just... You guys have been spending a lot of time together lately. I was just wondering if there was a chance..."
Tad leaned back in his seat. "Your Mom's been going through a lot."
"So you're not?"
"As soon as I figure out what's going on, I'll let you know, OK?"
"Is this a possibility at least?"
"Jamie." Tad said. "I know how hard you were trying to get your Mom and me back together, before she married Edmund."
"It didn't do much, did it?" Jamie asked.
"She loved him."
"No, Dad. She loved you. She always loved you. She never stopped loving you."
"Jamie, come on now..."
"You don't think it's true?" Jamie said. "I could only imagine what happened that day that me and JR ran into you at Mom's... But after you left... she just wasn't the same. It was like her life was falling apart again... like when Maria came back. I'll never forget that look for as long as I live. It's almost like she thinks it's happening again. Like she's going to get hurt..."
"You know that I would never hurt her," Tad said. "I wouldn't do that."
Jamie paused. "Can I ask you one more thing?" he looked at Tad. "Do you love her?"
"Well do you?" Lysistrata asked. Tad stood and began pacing the room. She leaned back in her seat. "Do you realize that you still haven't mentioned her name?" Tad didn't answer her. "Is there a reason you haven't mentioned her name?"
"No," Tad said.
"I think there is."
Tad shook his head and sat back down. "If you already knew the answer, then why did you ask?"
"That's what you're paying me for, isn't it?" Lysistrata asked. "So, what's her name?"
"I don't see why her name is so important," Tad said, putting his feet up.
"You do know her name?"
"Of course I do. It's not like I spend my evenings standing on a street corner looking for any warm body to take to bed at night."
"So it's a security thing?" Lysistrata said. "A form of protection."
"Just because I don't mention her name, I'm protecting myself?"
"Wake up, Tad! She's the one you think needs protection! Why does she need to be shielded from the world?" Tad was silent as he shook his head. "You're trying to protect her from something. What is it? Think!"
"Uh, I don't know. Heartbreak, self destruction..."
"And you think that it's your responsibility to protect her from these things. Why?"
"I owe it to her to..."
"Why?"
"She's been there for..."
"Why?"
"Because I love her!" Tad said, standing from his seat. Lysistrata looked at him silently, a strange smirk on her face. Tad lowered his tone drastically as he sat again. "I'm in love with her."
"You're in love with her... but you still think she needs to be protected from a broken heart. You think you're going to break her heart?"
"I don't think she's ready to trust anyone again yet."
"Can she trust you?" she asked. "Or are you afraid of the same thing?"
"Afraid of what?" Tad leaned forward.
"Are you afraid of heartbreak?" Tad was silent. "You see, the way these sessions usually work is, I ask the question and you answer it."
"I feel like I'm jumping the gun with this. Opening her up to all types of things."
"Like comparing her to Dixie?"
"I don't..." Tad said.
"I don't think you're just worried about her being able to move forward," Lysistrata said. "You still haven't let go of Dixie. And until you do that, she's not the one who's going to have to deal with heartache. You are." She paused. "You said that Dixie died in May."
Tad nodded. "Brooke knows how I felt about Dixie."
"Alright, we have a name," Lysistrata cheered. "So is Brooke urging you to hold onto Dixie?"
"No," Tad said.
"But Dixie is holding you back." Tad bit his bottom lip. "Try taking a page from her book. She seemed to be a free spirit. She lived her life... don't let her hold you back. Until you do that," Lysistrata stood. "I can't do anything else for you."