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The Gate House :: Demille Nelson
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She shook her head again, then said in a barely audible voice, “No… John… I will not let you go.”
“You – we – have no choice. Look, Susan… maybe in a year or so, after we’ve had a chance to think about this, and see how we feel-”
“No!”
“Okay, then I’ll speak to him now. Send him in here.”
“No.”
“Then I’ll go out there-”
“No… no… let me… I just need a minute…” She started to sit again, but I took her arm and moved her toward the door. I said, “It’s okay. You’re brave and you know what you have to do.”
“No… I won’t…”
I got very stern and said, “We will not sacrifice our children’s future for our own selfish-”
She pulled away from me and said, “I will not let you leave again.”
I took her by the shoulders and said, “I am leaving. But not until I put things in order here, for the children, which is what I should have done ten or twenty years ago-”
“No. John, please…”
“But I promise you, Susan… I promise that we will be together again.”
She looked at me, and tears were still running down her cheeks. She sobbed, then put her head on my shoulder and asked, “Do you promise…?”
“I do. Okay…” I moved her toward the door, and walked her out to the foyer. She turned and looked at me. I smiled and said, “Tell your father that your lawyer wants to speak to him.”
She didn’t smile, but she nodded, and I went back to the office and closed the door.
I stood there for a full minute, then sat at the desk.
I picked up a pencil and made a few notes about what I needed to cover with William. But my mind, and my heart, was not in it. Basically, I was going to negotiate a deal with him that ensured that Susan and I would never see each other again.
It was possible, I suppose, that William would reject the idea of giving up control of his money, and thus of his daughter – because what was he getting out of the deal? Certainly not Susan’s love and companionship, or the love of his grandchildren. All he was getting out of this deal was the guarantee that John and Susan Sutter would never again see each other, and I wondered if that was enough for him. Well, I guess that depended on how honest he was about his motives for ending this engagement.
She shook her head again, then said in a barely audible voice, “No… John… I will not let you go.”
“You – we – have no choice. Look, Susan… maybe in a year or so, after we’ve had a chance to think about this, and see how we feel-”
“No!”
“Okay, then I’ll speak to him now. Send him in here.”
“No.”
“Then I’ll go out there-”
“No… no… let me… I just need a minute…” She started to sit again, but I took her arm and moved her toward the door. I said, “It’s okay. You’re brave and you know what you have to do.”
“No… I won’t…”
I got very stern and said, “We will not sacrifice our children’s future for our own selfish-”
She pulled away from me and said, “I will not let you leave again.”
I took her by the shoulders and said, “I am leaving. But not until I put things in order here, for the children, which is what I should have done ten or twenty years ago-”
“No. John, please…”
“But I promise you, Susan… I promise that we will be together again.”
She looked at me, and tears were still running down her cheeks. She sobbed, then put her head on my shoulder and asked, “Do you promise…?”
“I do. Okay…” I moved her toward the door, and walked her out to the foyer. She turned and looked at me. I smiled and said, “Tell your father that your lawyer wants to speak to him.”
She didn’t smile, but she nodded, and I went back to the office and closed the door.
I stood there for a full minute, then sat at the desk.
I picked up a pencil and made a few notes about what I needed to cover with William. But my mind, and my heart, was not in it. Basically, I was going to negotiate a deal with him that ensured that Susan and I would never see each other again.
It was possible, I suppose, that William would reject the idea of giving up control of his money, and thus of his daughter – because what was he getting out of the deal? Certainly not Susan’s love and companionship, or the love of his grandchildren. All he was getting out of this deal was the guarantee that John and Susan Sutter would never again see each other, and I wondered if that was enough for him. Well, I guess that depended on how honest he was about his motives for ending this engagement.