ween
verb, intransitive. (archaic) To be of the opinion; to think or to suppose.
“Sara?”
Sara looked up from her script at the portly young man on the stage. “Yes, King Henry?”
“There appears to be a misspelling in the script. It says ‘w-e-e-n.’ Shouldn’t that be ‘w-e-a-n?’”
Sara sat back and regarded the actor, suppressing a sigh. She had already had reason to regret casting the role of Henry VIII to resemble the portraits of the monarch during his reign. The costume mistress harangued her about the extra fabric and trim daily. After four days of rehearsal, Sara was learning that her Henry possessed only moderate intelligence, and that these rehearsals were evidently his first exposure to Shakespeare’s work.
“No, King Henry. W-e-e-n is correct. No doubt you have noticed that the language of Shakespeare’s time includes numerous words and phrases that people don’t use anymore. ‘Ween’ is one of those.”
The young man stood staring at his script, frowning.
“Are you having trouble figuring out what he’s talking about?” she prompted. The actor nodded, looking up at her hopefully. “You are referring to the sentence ‘Ween you of better luck,
I mean, in perjur'd witness, than your Master,
Whose minister you are, whiles here He liv'd
Upon this naughty earth?’ The word ‘ween’ means to think or to imagine. The king is asking the Archbishop of Canterbury if he thinks that he is luckier than Christ was during His time as a mortal man. It’s a veiled threat you’re making, King Henry.”
That seemed to get through. The actor nodded at his script and smiled a little. Sara glanced at the actor who was playing Cranmer and gestured that the scene should continue.
Definitions adapted from The New Oxford American Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Inc., 2005 (eBook Edition, copyright 2008), and from Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam Company, Publishers, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, 1965, depending on which is more convenient to hand.
Sunday, June 3, 2018
Wednesday, May 30, 2018
Wean
wean
verb, transitive. To accustom an infant or other young mammal to food other than its mother’s milk. To accustom someone to managing without something upon which he has become dependent or of which he has become excessively fond. As “be weaned on”, to be strongly influenced by something, especially from an early age.
When Nancy learned that the neighbors’ cat had had kittens, she put dibs on two. She and Steve had noticed a bad rodent problem in and around their new house, and they knew that a pair of yard cats would solve it. They were delighted when Helen and her two children arrived about two weeks later, carrying two little cats. They were adorable, but it wasn’t long before Helen’s dishonesty became apparent. The kittens quickly latched onto Steve and Nancy’s dog, who was still nursing a litter of puppies, and joined the puppies in their meals.
“Their mother hadn’t weaned them yet,” Nancy told Steve as they stood and watched.
“Evidently not,” Steve agreed. “I guess Helen didn’t want to have to buy any more cat food than necessary.”
The fosterlings of a different species didn’t seem to cause the dog any anxiety. It wasn’t long before she weaned the puppies, and homes were found for them. The kittens continued to benefit from the dog’s condition and generosity, for although they continued to grow, they stopped doing so before they reached the size at which the puppies had been weaned. After a few weeks, the dog’s milk stopped, or the cats developed a taste for solid food, or both. It seemed a natural occurance and none of the three appeared to be unhappy.
Definitions adapted from The New Oxford American Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Inc., 2005 (eBook Edition, copyright 2008), and from Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam Company, Publishers, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, 1965, depending on which is more convenient to hand.
verb, transitive. To accustom an infant or other young mammal to food other than its mother’s milk. To accustom someone to managing without something upon which he has become dependent or of which he has become excessively fond. As “be weaned on”, to be strongly influenced by something, especially from an early age.
When Nancy learned that the neighbors’ cat had had kittens, she put dibs on two. She and Steve had noticed a bad rodent problem in and around their new house, and they knew that a pair of yard cats would solve it. They were delighted when Helen and her two children arrived about two weeks later, carrying two little cats. They were adorable, but it wasn’t long before Helen’s dishonesty became apparent. The kittens quickly latched onto Steve and Nancy’s dog, who was still nursing a litter of puppies, and joined the puppies in their meals.
“Their mother hadn’t weaned them yet,” Nancy told Steve as they stood and watched.
“Evidently not,” Steve agreed. “I guess Helen didn’t want to have to buy any more cat food than necessary.”
The fosterlings of a different species didn’t seem to cause the dog any anxiety. It wasn’t long before she weaned the puppies, and homes were found for them. The kittens continued to benefit from the dog’s condition and generosity, for although they continued to grow, they stopped doing so before they reached the size at which the puppies had been weaned. After a few weeks, the dog’s milk stopped, or the cats developed a taste for solid food, or both. It seemed a natural occurance and none of the three appeared to be unhappy.
Definitions adapted from The New Oxford American Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Inc., 2005 (eBook Edition, copyright 2008), and from Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam Company, Publishers, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, 1965, depending on which is more convenient to hand.
Sunday, May 27, 2018
Validate
validate
verb, transitive. To make legally valid; to grant official sanction to by marking; to confirm the validity of an election; to declare a person elected; to verify, substantiate or confirm.
Her experiment had only taken a couple of weeks to convince Leah that she was onto something. Although she hated to admit it, flossing her teeth every day was one of the best habits she had ever acquired, especially now that she was well into her middle years. By the time she was 40, her joints had begun to ache, especially in cold weather. Daily flossing reduced that discomfort, and now that she was flossing twice a day--after breakfast and before bedtime--the effect was even more pronounced.
She sat in the chair in her dentist’s examination room and smiled to herself. Keeping her teeth cleaner herself made the hygienist’s cleanings quick and almost pain-free. She was certain that the dentist would pronounce her good to go for the next six months, with no further work needed.
“Hi, Leah,” Dr. Roberts said as he entered at her back. “How are you doing?”
“Very well, Dr. Roberts,” she replied, “how about you?”
“Can’t complain.” He sat and pulled her chart close. A minute or two passed as he read the hygienist’s notes. “Open, please,” he told Leah as he picked up an instrument.
She closed her eyes and opened her mouth into an extended yawn. She could feel gentle poking and pressure as Dr. Roberts checked a few places among her teeth and on her gums. It wasn’t long before he sat up and told her that she appeared to need no more work today or in the near future.
As he moved the chair so that Leah was sitting up again, she announced her discovery: “I have learned something during the past few weeks, Dr. Roberts. I found out that the cleaner I keep my teeth, the less joint pain I have to put up with.”
To her astonishment, he sat up even straighter and gasped. “I’ve noticed that myself,” he told her, “but you’re the first patient I’ve had validate that!”
As Leah stood up and gathered her belongings, she suggested, “You could do a survey and write a paper.” She was rewarded when he smiled and nodded.
Definitions adapted from The New Oxford American Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Inc., 2005 (eBook Edition, copyright 2008), and from Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam Company, Publishers, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, 1965, depending on which is more convenient to hand.
verb, transitive. To make legally valid; to grant official sanction to by marking; to confirm the validity of an election; to declare a person elected; to verify, substantiate or confirm.
Her experiment had only taken a couple of weeks to convince Leah that she was onto something. Although she hated to admit it, flossing her teeth every day was one of the best habits she had ever acquired, especially now that she was well into her middle years. By the time she was 40, her joints had begun to ache, especially in cold weather. Daily flossing reduced that discomfort, and now that she was flossing twice a day--after breakfast and before bedtime--the effect was even more pronounced.
She sat in the chair in her dentist’s examination room and smiled to herself. Keeping her teeth cleaner herself made the hygienist’s cleanings quick and almost pain-free. She was certain that the dentist would pronounce her good to go for the next six months, with no further work needed.
“Hi, Leah,” Dr. Roberts said as he entered at her back. “How are you doing?”
“Very well, Dr. Roberts,” she replied, “how about you?”
“Can’t complain.” He sat and pulled her chart close. A minute or two passed as he read the hygienist’s notes. “Open, please,” he told Leah as he picked up an instrument.
She closed her eyes and opened her mouth into an extended yawn. She could feel gentle poking and pressure as Dr. Roberts checked a few places among her teeth and on her gums. It wasn’t long before he sat up and told her that she appeared to need no more work today or in the near future.
As he moved the chair so that Leah was sitting up again, she announced her discovery: “I have learned something during the past few weeks, Dr. Roberts. I found out that the cleaner I keep my teeth, the less joint pain I have to put up with.”
To her astonishment, he sat up even straighter and gasped. “I’ve noticed that myself,” he told her, “but you’re the first patient I’ve had validate that!”
As Leah stood up and gathered her belongings, she suggested, “You could do a survey and write a paper.” She was rewarded when he smiled and nodded.
Definitions adapted from The New Oxford American Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Inc., 2005 (eBook Edition, copyright 2008), and from Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam Company, Publishers, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, 1965, depending on which is more convenient to hand.
Thursday, May 24, 2018
Unbalance
unbalance
verb, transitive. To put out of balance, specifically to derange mentally.
John raised the garage door and squinted into the gloom. His son’s bicycle was in the back, in a corner, suspended from a hook in the ceiling. Ruefully, he looked over the row of items between it and him. He briefly considered giving up on the plan to cycle for exercise this morning, then thought of what his doctor had told him two months ago and stiffened his resolve. He needed to do this, in order to keep high blood pressure and diabetes at bay. Besides, Rick was waiting for him.
After backing the car out of the garage, John had little trouble reaching the bike, lifting it down and wheeling it out onto the driveway. He straddled the seat and lifted his feet while examining the tires. They bulged outward a little; not enough to indicate a need for air. He glanced back into the garage. He would have to rearrange it later, in order to make it easier to get the bike in and out. That was okay. That, too, would be exercise. He faced forward, leaning on the handlebars, and prepared to ride a few doors down the street to Rick’s house.
He felt paralyzed all of a sudden. How long had it been since he rode a bike? Ten years? Twenty? Would he remember what to do? He stared at the pavement before him, breathing long and deeply. It would be okay. They said that you never forget how to ride a bicycle, and he recalled that there were summers when he was a child when he must have spent as much time riding one as he spent on foot. The thought was reassuring. A quick check left and right to make sure no traffic was coming, and he pushed off.
He took the turn from the drive onto the street so slowly that he unbalanced for a moment, then he was going straight again and stopped wobbling. Speed was part of the trick, he remembered. A little more momentum would stabilize you on a bike.
There was a slight uphill grade between his driveway and Rick’s. John pedalled more confidently, shifting up one gear. Down the street, he saw Rick coast down his driveway and stop at the street. Then, Rick leaned over and appeared to be looking at the rear derailleur on his bike. John continued up the gentle slope until he was next to Rick and halted. “What--did you leave it in the top gear?” he asked.
Definitions adapted from The New Oxford American Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Inc., 2005 (eBook Edition, copyright 2008), and from Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam Company, Publishers, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, 1965, depending on which is more convenient to hand.
verb, transitive. To put out of balance, specifically to derange mentally.
John raised the garage door and squinted into the gloom. His son’s bicycle was in the back, in a corner, suspended from a hook in the ceiling. Ruefully, he looked over the row of items between it and him. He briefly considered giving up on the plan to cycle for exercise this morning, then thought of what his doctor had told him two months ago and stiffened his resolve. He needed to do this, in order to keep high blood pressure and diabetes at bay. Besides, Rick was waiting for him.
After backing the car out of the garage, John had little trouble reaching the bike, lifting it down and wheeling it out onto the driveway. He straddled the seat and lifted his feet while examining the tires. They bulged outward a little; not enough to indicate a need for air. He glanced back into the garage. He would have to rearrange it later, in order to make it easier to get the bike in and out. That was okay. That, too, would be exercise. He faced forward, leaning on the handlebars, and prepared to ride a few doors down the street to Rick’s house.
He felt paralyzed all of a sudden. How long had it been since he rode a bike? Ten years? Twenty? Would he remember what to do? He stared at the pavement before him, breathing long and deeply. It would be okay. They said that you never forget how to ride a bicycle, and he recalled that there were summers when he was a child when he must have spent as much time riding one as he spent on foot. The thought was reassuring. A quick check left and right to make sure no traffic was coming, and he pushed off.
He took the turn from the drive onto the street so slowly that he unbalanced for a moment, then he was going straight again and stopped wobbling. Speed was part of the trick, he remembered. A little more momentum would stabilize you on a bike.
There was a slight uphill grade between his driveway and Rick’s. John pedalled more confidently, shifting up one gear. Down the street, he saw Rick coast down his driveway and stop at the street. Then, Rick leaned over and appeared to be looking at the rear derailleur on his bike. John continued up the gentle slope until he was next to Rick and halted. “What--did you leave it in the top gear?” he asked.
Definitions adapted from The New Oxford American Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Inc., 2005 (eBook Edition, copyright 2008), and from Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam Company, Publishers, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, 1965, depending on which is more convenient to hand.
Monday, May 21, 2018
Tutor
tutor
verb, transitive. To have the guardianship, tutelage, or care of; to teach or guide, usually individually in a special subject or for a particular purpose.
verb, intransitive. To do the work of a tutor; to receive instruction, especially privately.
Also a noun.
The phone interrupted Ruth just before she was about to save the business card she had just finished as a PDF and email it to the client. Compressing her lips, she continued with the steps, thinking that it was probably another telemarketing call. She would let the answering machine pick up.
“Ruth? Are you there? This is May Coolidge.”
Ruth was shocked at how much her anger flared at the sound of that voice. May was a customer of the printing company that had laid Ruth off a couple of months previously, and not a good customer, either. May dabbled in design and layout and was constantly calling the office to ask Ruth’s advice on how to use the software necessary to produce high-quality work. Once May finished one of her little projects, she would bring the files to Ruth’s company and do her best to coerce Ruth’s boss into printing it for free or at a deep discount. She had used up Ruth’s reservoir of patience long ago.
“Hello,” she spoke into the phone, wondering how May had tracked her down at home. She knew that no one at her former office would have given out her number.
“Oh, you’re there! Listen, I’m putting together a newsletter for my genealogy group, and I have a bunch of JPGs. Is it okay if I use those?”
“It depends. What’s the resolution?”
“Mmm. I haven’t opened them to find out yet.”
“They need to be 300 pixels per inch at the size they’re going to print. If they are, it would be better if you convert them to TIFs before you place them in the document.”
“Aww! TIFs take up so much memory...”
Ruth could hear the familiar whining tone in May’s voice. The woman insisted on doing everything on the cheap. Ruth was certain that May’s hard drive was already strained nearly to its limit by the software alone. She was surprised that the other woman wasn’t always complaining about it crashing. “There’s a good reason for that,” she remarked, but didn’t elaborate. Instead, she decided that it was high time she told May some unwelcome facts. “If you’re not going to set up the files properly, you shouldn’t do it at all, May. You will only cause problems on the press. That will cause delays and cost money, and if it costs you money, it will serve you right.” She heard May sputter on the other end of the line and went on: “You keep asking me pretty basic questions. You need to devote time to learning how to use your software to do your projects. There are thousands of free tutorials online that will teach you almost everything you need to know. You can also spend time reading discussions on the software users’ groups. That’s how I learned everything I know. If you want to continue calling me so I can tutor you over the phone--long distance--I’m going to have to bill you forty-five dollars an hour.”
“What?!?!” May shouted into her ear. “That’s outrageous!”
“That’s what I charge my freelance clients. You interrupted me while I was working on a project for one of them. It’s only fair that I charge you the same for taking up my time.” Ruth actually charged her clients thirty-five an hour, except for one who annoyed her. She charged him forty-five. May definitely qualified as annoying.
This was met with a long silence. Finally, May replied: “I’ll have to think about that.” She sounded defeated. Ruth smiled, but said nothing. After another moment, May said goodbye and hung up. Ruth hoped that that would be the last conversation she would ever have with the woman.
Definitions adapted from The New Oxford American Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Inc., 2005 (eBook Edition, copyright 2008), and from Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam Company, Publishers, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, 1965, depending on which is more convenient to hand.
verb, transitive. To have the guardianship, tutelage, or care of; to teach or guide, usually individually in a special subject or for a particular purpose.
verb, intransitive. To do the work of a tutor; to receive instruction, especially privately.
Also a noun.
The phone interrupted Ruth just before she was about to save the business card she had just finished as a PDF and email it to the client. Compressing her lips, she continued with the steps, thinking that it was probably another telemarketing call. She would let the answering machine pick up.
“Ruth? Are you there? This is May Coolidge.”
Ruth was shocked at how much her anger flared at the sound of that voice. May was a customer of the printing company that had laid Ruth off a couple of months previously, and not a good customer, either. May dabbled in design and layout and was constantly calling the office to ask Ruth’s advice on how to use the software necessary to produce high-quality work. Once May finished one of her little projects, she would bring the files to Ruth’s company and do her best to coerce Ruth’s boss into printing it for free or at a deep discount. She had used up Ruth’s reservoir of patience long ago.
“Hello,” she spoke into the phone, wondering how May had tracked her down at home. She knew that no one at her former office would have given out her number.
“Oh, you’re there! Listen, I’m putting together a newsletter for my genealogy group, and I have a bunch of JPGs. Is it okay if I use those?”
“It depends. What’s the resolution?”
“Mmm. I haven’t opened them to find out yet.”
“They need to be 300 pixels per inch at the size they’re going to print. If they are, it would be better if you convert them to TIFs before you place them in the document.”
“Aww! TIFs take up so much memory...”
Ruth could hear the familiar whining tone in May’s voice. The woman insisted on doing everything on the cheap. Ruth was certain that May’s hard drive was already strained nearly to its limit by the software alone. She was surprised that the other woman wasn’t always complaining about it crashing. “There’s a good reason for that,” she remarked, but didn’t elaborate. Instead, she decided that it was high time she told May some unwelcome facts. “If you’re not going to set up the files properly, you shouldn’t do it at all, May. You will only cause problems on the press. That will cause delays and cost money, and if it costs you money, it will serve you right.” She heard May sputter on the other end of the line and went on: “You keep asking me pretty basic questions. You need to devote time to learning how to use your software to do your projects. There are thousands of free tutorials online that will teach you almost everything you need to know. You can also spend time reading discussions on the software users’ groups. That’s how I learned everything I know. If you want to continue calling me so I can tutor you over the phone--long distance--I’m going to have to bill you forty-five dollars an hour.”
“What?!?!” May shouted into her ear. “That’s outrageous!”
“That’s what I charge my freelance clients. You interrupted me while I was working on a project for one of them. It’s only fair that I charge you the same for taking up my time.” Ruth actually charged her clients thirty-five an hour, except for one who annoyed her. She charged him forty-five. May definitely qualified as annoying.
This was met with a long silence. Finally, May replied: “I’ll have to think about that.” She sounded defeated. Ruth smiled, but said nothing. After another moment, May said goodbye and hung up. Ruth hoped that that would be the last conversation she would ever have with the woman.
Definitions adapted from The New Oxford American Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Inc., 2005 (eBook Edition, copyright 2008), and from Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam Company, Publishers, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, 1965, depending on which is more convenient to hand.
Wednesday, May 16, 2018
Sever
sever
verb, transitive. To put or keep apart; to divide; to part by violence, as by cutting.
verb, intransitive. To become separated.
Ted almost turned and left when no one came to the door for five minutes after he pressed the doorbell button. He could hear the bell through the apartment door, so he didn’t bother to knock. He pressed the button again and was rewarded by the click of the deadbolt before the door opened a couple of inches.
“Oh, hi!” Clare looked surprised to see him, but not displeased. After half a breath, she smiled and opened the door wider. “Come in. It’s good to see you.”
Once inside, Ted surveyed the living room. It was sparsely furnished with comfortable-looking chairs. In contrast to the surroundings where he had last seen her, the room was tidy; the carpet recently vacuumed.
“I was visiting Jack and Kate this morning,” he began. At the disappearance of her smile, he paused. He had suspected that something had gone wrong in the relationship Clare had with the couple, but this was the first evidence of it he had seen. “I didn’t know that you had moved out.”
She nodded by way of confirming that, then motioned him toward a chair. “Can I get you some coffee?”
He shook his head. “I can’t stay long. I just wanted to see how you’re doing.”
“Better than I was,” she stated, “and better every day.”
“Better because...?”
“Because we broke up the household of hell!”
Ted mused, “I had no idea you and Mike were unhappy, living with them. When did that start?”
She thought for a moment. “About six weeks after we moved in together. I did the unthinkable. I stopped at the store on my way home from work, then was told--at the top of Jack’s lungs--that I should have consulted him and Kate before I did something that concerned the entire household. Do you believe that? They wanted to have a group meeting for every decision. All I bought was a gallon of milk!”
“That does sound unreasonable. Did anything else happen?”
“Oh, yeah. That was only the beginning. It was always Jack finding fault, and if I tried with all my might to behave according to his rules after one of his tirades, the rules would change, somehow. Over time, it became more and more clear that I couldn’t do anything right and neither could Mike: not for the group, not for the kids--even ours--nothing. Anything one of us did was an excuse for him to pick a fight.”
“What did Kate do? Was this happening when she was at work?”
“No. It usually happened when she was at home. She almost invariably backed him up. I have a nickname for her now: ‘Enabler-in-Chief.’”
Ted shook his head sadly. “I feel bad, Clare. I encouraged you to consent to moving in with them, then I had to work so much that I couldn’t come by very often. Maybe I could have helped.”
“No, you couldn’t have.” Her expression had grown sorrowful. “We might have been able to find a way of getting along with them in time, but when they began to belittle Mike Junior, we decided that we had to sever the relationship.”
He was surprised. “Sever? You mean that you never see them any more?”
“That’s right. It took some doing, let me tell you: going for long drives in late afternoon or evening; weekend camping trips.... A couple of times, we just pretended we weren’t here. After awhile, they stopped trying to drop in.” She scoffed. “The few times they did catch us at home, all they did was ask for money. We kept saying ‘No.’ We’ve subsidized them enough for one lifetime.”
Ted sat back and regarded Clare sardonically. “That explains it. This morning, Jack told me that you two aren’t doing well at all.”
She threw back her head and guffawed. Her delight was so intense that Ted began to smile in concert with her laughter. “I’m going to tell you a secret, Ted,” she finally stated. “And I know that you will let it go no further than these walls.” She gestured at the boundaries of the room. “We realized that it’s in our best interests not to let Jack and Kate know how well we’re doing.”
Definitions adapted from The New Oxford American Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Inc., 2005 (eBook Edition, copyright 2008), and from Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam Company, Publishers, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, 1965, depending on which is more convenient to hand.
verb, transitive. To put or keep apart; to divide; to part by violence, as by cutting.
verb, intransitive. To become separated.
Ted almost turned and left when no one came to the door for five minutes after he pressed the doorbell button. He could hear the bell through the apartment door, so he didn’t bother to knock. He pressed the button again and was rewarded by the click of the deadbolt before the door opened a couple of inches.
“Oh, hi!” Clare looked surprised to see him, but not displeased. After half a breath, she smiled and opened the door wider. “Come in. It’s good to see you.”
Once inside, Ted surveyed the living room. It was sparsely furnished with comfortable-looking chairs. In contrast to the surroundings where he had last seen her, the room was tidy; the carpet recently vacuumed.
“I was visiting Jack and Kate this morning,” he began. At the disappearance of her smile, he paused. He had suspected that something had gone wrong in the relationship Clare had with the couple, but this was the first evidence of it he had seen. “I didn’t know that you had moved out.”
She nodded by way of confirming that, then motioned him toward a chair. “Can I get you some coffee?”
He shook his head. “I can’t stay long. I just wanted to see how you’re doing.”
“Better than I was,” she stated, “and better every day.”
“Better because...?”
“Because we broke up the household of hell!”
Ted mused, “I had no idea you and Mike were unhappy, living with them. When did that start?”
She thought for a moment. “About six weeks after we moved in together. I did the unthinkable. I stopped at the store on my way home from work, then was told--at the top of Jack’s lungs--that I should have consulted him and Kate before I did something that concerned the entire household. Do you believe that? They wanted to have a group meeting for every decision. All I bought was a gallon of milk!”
“That does sound unreasonable. Did anything else happen?”
“Oh, yeah. That was only the beginning. It was always Jack finding fault, and if I tried with all my might to behave according to his rules after one of his tirades, the rules would change, somehow. Over time, it became more and more clear that I couldn’t do anything right and neither could Mike: not for the group, not for the kids--even ours--nothing. Anything one of us did was an excuse for him to pick a fight.”
“What did Kate do? Was this happening when she was at work?”
“No. It usually happened when she was at home. She almost invariably backed him up. I have a nickname for her now: ‘Enabler-in-Chief.’”
Ted shook his head sadly. “I feel bad, Clare. I encouraged you to consent to moving in with them, then I had to work so much that I couldn’t come by very often. Maybe I could have helped.”
“No, you couldn’t have.” Her expression had grown sorrowful. “We might have been able to find a way of getting along with them in time, but when they began to belittle Mike Junior, we decided that we had to sever the relationship.”
He was surprised. “Sever? You mean that you never see them any more?”
“That’s right. It took some doing, let me tell you: going for long drives in late afternoon or evening; weekend camping trips.... A couple of times, we just pretended we weren’t here. After awhile, they stopped trying to drop in.” She scoffed. “The few times they did catch us at home, all they did was ask for money. We kept saying ‘No.’ We’ve subsidized them enough for one lifetime.”
Ted sat back and regarded Clare sardonically. “That explains it. This morning, Jack told me that you two aren’t doing well at all.”
She threw back her head and guffawed. Her delight was so intense that Ted began to smile in concert with her laughter. “I’m going to tell you a secret, Ted,” she finally stated. “And I know that you will let it go no further than these walls.” She gestured at the boundaries of the room. “We realized that it’s in our best interests not to let Jack and Kate know how well we’re doing.”
Definitions adapted from The New Oxford American Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Inc., 2005 (eBook Edition, copyright 2008), and from Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam Company, Publishers, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, 1965, depending on which is more convenient to hand.
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