“We are good, Mel, but I suspect you are lying about taking care of yourself.”
“Doing the best I can,” Mel responded. “How does Lelia feel about your calls to me?” she asked in an effort to change the subject.
“She’s a little uncomfortable, but she understands.” Zadab gave a sigh. “One day you two will be friends.”
“I’m not there yet, Zadab.”
“I know. Neither is she. Give it time.”
The pause was comfortable. The two women had learned long ago to be comfortable with each other’s silence. Their complicated relationship had survived largely because each understood the complexity of the other’s life, the weight of their responsibilities, and never resented the times when they each escaped into the world inside themselves. During that pause, Mel processed for the thousandth time how the en
