Diane did not cry in front of Emily.
At the time, Emily thought that was shock.
Later, she would understand that not every dry eye is strength.
Some are calculation.
Nathan and Emily had been together for four years.
They met at a neighborhood fundraiser where Emily was helping her mother carry paper plates and Nathan had been drafted into moving folding chairs.
He asked her where the trash bags were.
She told him he had walked past them twice.
He grinned and said, “Then I guess I needed a better reason to come back this way.”
It should have been cheesy.
It was cheesy.
It worked anyway.
Nathan was not dramatic with love.
He showed up.
He brought soup when Emily had the flu and left it on the porch because she did not want him to catch it.
He changed her tire in a grocery store parking lot without making her feel helpless.
