“Dan...”
“Just answer me one thing, Lois. If he hadn't left that night, would we be sitting here now?”
She was silent, her eyes fixed on her plate.
“I see.” He swallowed hard. “I think... I think I'd like my ring back.”
Slowly, she slid the solitaire off her finger and handed it to him. Wrapping his hand around it, for a moment he had to fight back tears.
“Do you care? Did you ever care?”
“Yes, I cared Dan.”
“But not loved.”
“No. I'm sorry, Dan.” She reached out to touch his hand and he jerked it away. He took a deep, albeit shaky breath.
“The Agency wants to reassign me to DC. I'm going to tell them yes.” He gave her a sad half smile. “You'll be rid of me in about a week.”
He tossed a few bills on the table as he turned to walk out.
Poor Dan! My heart goes out to him in a big way.
It is a painful thing to realize that the woman you love only cares about you and is hopelessly in love with someone else. He did the right thing: taking his ring back and walking out. Perhaps when he gets back to DC he can find a beautiful woman who truly cares and loves him.
