"How could you... not know?" Her voice cracked, as if he were a fool. Betty scrubbed at the pan in the sink.
"What?" His back was to her as they bumped butts. His teeth gnashed as he stepped forward to get out of her way, still there was a zing that he knew she was a woman.
Obviously, her kitchen was not big enough for the both of them. They were alone now. Doris went to see her son in Iowa at Christmas, to be with their new baby. Then a friend came down from upstate New York to drive down to Florida with her for the winter months.
Betty turned to him and swelled a frown.
"He goes out. Late. After midnight." She made Ollie sound like a vampire of some kind, who needed a fix of some kind.
Ed looked at her as if it were only her imagination.
"I can hear him." She told him.
Ed liked being in his basement of a man cave, especially at night. He liked to do crossword puzzles and suduko in the wee hours of the morning. He hadn't heard, anything.
"Look, I suppose..I suppose he's been like this, before." He knew bad habits were hard to break. Yes, he'd met him late nights on the street, before. What could he say? They were night owls.
"But..but he..he could get hurt." She sounded so grim.
"He said he was out with that college girl. And..and they were just talking." He thought someone like Candy would keep him, in his place. He couldn't imagine his son actually...
Ed blew a breath. He nursed his bottom lip.
"I'll.." he cleared his throat. "I'll talk to him." Still, Ed imagined he would make things worse. Ollie would start questioning him about his past, about his mother. He really didn't want to go there.
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