51
Damaged
“Good morning, George,” King said as I worked my way across the dining room of the cafe. He was smiling, and there was a glow about him I’d not seen before.
“Good morning King. You are looking pleased with yourself. I guess it went well.”
King smiled warmly. “Yes, though it was scarier than I thought it would be.”
“You? Scared?” It didn’t seem possible.
“Yeah.” King started in on an egg.
The idea of King being afraid of anything seemed absurd. I tried to wrap my head around it as I chewed on my toast. I wanted to ask how. “Why?” is what came out instead.
“I had a lot to lose,” he added.
“Hmm,” I took a sip of orange juice, “must be awful.”
“So…” King broke into a broad smile. “How about you?”
“Me?”
King glanced around quickly, maybe what he was about to say wasn’t al
