Chapter 5“Can I ask a somewhat personal question?” Friedrich asked, carefully selecting a card from his hand and laying on the growing pile on the table between him and Nathan.
Nathan had been coming to him for a handful of weeks now, paying full price for a two-hour slot in Friedrich’s calendar that he only ever used half of, for tea and conversation and, recently, whatever card games Friedrich could remember all of the rules of to teach him.
Friedrich suspected that Nathan had known this one already, as he was winning rather severely.
“Of course,” Nathan said, wiggling a card of his own free and laying it on top of Friedrich’s.
Friedrich swore colorfully and gathered the pile into his own hand. Nathan grinned triumphantly, all pretense at beginner’s luck gone. Friedrich stuck out his
