She didn’t want to act like it was no issue or not a problem.
There was no point in pretending that hard things weren’t hard, because when he tried them, he might quit because he wouldn’t be expecting them to be so difficult.
“The man wasn’t very nice to me when I went out, and he didn’t act like he wanted someone in his library. I... I guess I must have lost my temper a little bit? And maybe I told him he could find someone else to do his library? And maybe I stomped away, although I didn’t squeal the tires,” she added quickly, like that meant something.
It was a little awkward, with the glove on his hand, but he crossed his arms over his chest and tapped his foot on the ground. “Mother, be serious.”
“I was being serious. But... Please? Please don’t make me go back out there and apologize.”
“Are you going to do what you always tell me to do, or are you gonna take the easy way out?”
Another one of the things she always said.
She sighed again. Louder.
She really didn’t want to. Really didn’t.
In fact, she’d almost rather become a snake charmer, and wear one of those skinny little bikini tops with the big pants, and play a flute and stare deadly cobras in the eyes.
“Do you think I’d make a good snake charmer?” she asked Owen.
“Mother.”
She sighed, exaggerated and long. A sigh that could rival any teenager’s. Telling him exactly how put out she was. “Fine. Fine. It’s fine. I’ll go out tomorrow, and I’ll apologize.”
“Isn’t there a verse in the Bible about not letting the sun go down on your anger?”
“Tonight? You want me to do it tonight?” she said, her voice incredulous.
“Hey. I didn’t write the Bible. God did. If you want to follow it, that’s your choice.”
Well. Had she said that? “I don’t think I ever said that.”
“No. I made that up myself. Pretty good, wasn’t it?”
She nodded, her lips pursed, really not wanting to do what she knew she was going to have to do.
“You want me to go with you? I can hold your hand.”
“I’m not a child anymore,” she said, mimicking him.
“Someday, I’m gonna say wise things, and you’re going to quote me,” he said, a little bit like he was lording it over her.
“You don’t have to wait for someday, honey. You were pretty wise tonight. And you’re right. I need to go back out. I need to apologize. I’ll also ask him if I can still do the job.”
“And you’ll offer to do it for free, since you weren’t nice earlier today.”
“Wait. What?”
“Give and it shall be given unto—”
“Whoa. That verse does not apply to jobs.”
“You can’t cherry-pick what you want to believe.”
“Stop. I’ll apologize. I’ll ask for my job back. But then there had better be an awful lot of ice cream waiting for me when I get home.”
“I think I might be able to manage that,” he said. “I’ll see what I have in my piggy bank and get back to you.”