” I don’t know what happened?” I crisply stated. ‘ Why were they angry at me? ! ‘ I groused silently. I slumped, ‘the day had been so nice! ‘ ” He said that you and Joy had asked him to help me. ” My eyebrows gathered tightly. ” who was he anyway.? I shifted sideways, looking at Marie, who eyes were a deep, dark blue. she clasped my hand ” I forget his name, he’s Joy’s sister’s other half. ” Her head cocked slightly to the side. Drawing in a breath, she quietly asked . ” What did he do to you?” squeezing my hands together.

I looked down and then at the table. ” he came in and spread out some coins on the table. He asked me to put the coins in order, which I did. Then he wanted to know how much money would I give him for a coffee and pie.” I stretched my neck all the way around, ending in a frustrated shake. ” How am I to know what the price of coffee and pie, any more than I did the price of lunch?” The frustration stinging my voice, making me sound more critical as my anger reared up, again. ” He frowned at me when I guessed wrong. I didn’t have any pennies and there are no numbers on the coins, even if I did guess the price, itself. ” I looked down at the carpet and at the coin on the floor, as I remembered. how he sounded. ” He said that I didn’t know math and that he didn’t know how whether I could learn . Education was minimal, where I was from. ” The more the memory came back the angrier I steamed. ” He said ” like it was in all those out lying areas .” I withdrew my hands firmly and got up.

” I am so sick of people like him, all high and mighty, looking down on my home area. Ok, so yes , we lost . So no, we weren’t right in every thing. But damnit that was a long time ago, I didn’t do it and neither did anyone else in my home state. We have worked hard and we are smart and accomplished and JUST AS GOOD AS THOSE CARPETBAGGER HOLIER -THAN- THOU ARISTOCRATS! who think they are so much smarter AND successful AND more entitled than anyone else.!! ” My Irish temper was every bit as steely as my mother’s and my grandmother’s . Lost in an angry fog was what my paternal grandfather would call it, when I was so angry, I didn’t know where I had wandered.
I suddenly stopped circling the study area . I licked my lips and let out a huff. I stretched my arms down to my toes and slowly came back up, keeping my eyes closed, I stretched my arms up as far as I could reach , standing on my tiptoes and slowly back . I ended by twisting my waist 90 degrees one way and then the other. ” I am sorry, for yelling at you. I have heard people like him, my entire-re life!” I sank back on the sofa beside her. ” we are good people and several of our families were caught in the middle of both sides, even though we weren’t involved in the business that caused so much misery and greed. ” I rocked my foot back and forth nervously. I rubbed my face and looked up. Marie had a very puzzled frown with one eyebrow tilted high up. I bit my lip, ” I am sorry! I know I shouldn’t have spoken to you like that. Obviously, your town wasn’t in the controversy either. It was just when he said that he wasn’t sure that I could learn.” my shoulders closed in on myself like I was trying to protect my chest. I sat up, angry again. ‘MY FAMILY AND TOWN WERE THE ONES INSULTED’, I fumed. ‘ Why am I apologizing?’ I spoke calmly, struggling to do so. “He said he was there to help me, but all he did was make me feel dumber than I already did. Damn Blue Bloods!” Marie smiled and squeezed my hand. Chuckling she got up and put the paper from her pocket on the desk. ” That is one thing that I agree with, Come on, let’s get some tea!’