@elderminded.
“ is that ... really true, what you said back there? you weren’t exaggerating ? “ an innocent question as dave settles cautiously next to the other at the bar, all too knowing of five’s wariness of him & respectful of it. yet dave’s caring , worrisome, and altogether empathetic nature conquers all : his eyes transfixed on five’s young face, his own expression written with muted concern, simply dying to break the barrier between them -- for the sake of healing. everyone deserved to talk about what was going on within that head of theirs, dave thought : and he simply couldn’t comprehend five flippantly mentioning nearly five decades of solitude without a twinge of horror at the remembrance.
as a peace offering, he reaches over the bar for the bottle of cognac. sorry , five : you’re about to be trapped . “ -- forty five years? “
