41Yes, I thought. Perhaps that was the real message here, that we should all be gentle with each other. Could Sean's wildness be tamed that way? I didn't know. Could gentleness make the lawsuit disappear? Or re-form Roberto's brain into one that functioned? Or come up with a boost for business such that I didn't have to rip my hair out every month, knowing that Bookology had a steady revenue stream and an enviable reputation? Or that the two books I was currently writing would flow out of my fingers and on to the page effortlessly? Or that my marriage would get over the humps and setbacks of the past months? Who knew really? One thing, I didn't think the art of being gentle would tame: Ruth's irascibility. But I was wrong. Dead wrong.
The following Monday, I arrived at the office early an
