“Of course I’m happy.”
“No, but—really?”
“Really. Absolutely. You make me happy.”
“Do I? I’m so glad. You see, when I married you I was afraid I couldn’t. It was so hard to come after your mother.”
He winced.
“How do you mean? You don’t come ‘after’ her.”
“I mean, after all she was to you. After all she did. Your life with her was so perfect.”
“If it’s any consolation to you, Effie, it wasn’t.”
“Wasn’t?”
“No. Anything but.”