Page 76 of Gifted & Talented

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Meredith stepped back in a daze. She seemed to be finished talking. Eilidh looked helplessly at Arthur, who was frowning with a mix of concerned bemusement, one hand tightly clutching the flashlight on his nemesis, the phone.

Then he stepped into the circle, as if it was only natural that he speak next.

“Dad was smart,” said Arthur. “Smart and assertive. And tough. And… cold.”

He stopped.

Behind him, visible only by the edges of light from his phone, Meredith was hugging her arms around herself.

“I don’t really want to speak ill of the dead,” Arthur said lightly, opening his mouth to continue his speech, to choose some levity or lighter fare as he always did, but he looked faintly stunned, as if now that Meredith had spoken, he couldn’t think of anything anymore.

“Well, he didn’t like me, either,” Arthur finally said, helplessly spreading his hands as if to say that was the joke, ha ha. “Which is a shame, I guess, because I’d have really wanted the chance to like him. I imagine it’s difficult, fatherhood, parenthood in general. You just try your best, I guess, but people are people, you know, everyone’s different, sometimes it just doesn’t work.”

Arthur reached up to scrape a hand over his mouth, shaking his head as he seemed to rapidly lose his own thread.

“I guess it’s not his fault he wanted me to be different,” he said. “I wanted him to be different, too.”