“What if he says he was just being honest?”
“Then you’ll have to decide what his version of honesty tells you about him.”
Emma frowned.
“I don’t know what that means.”
Daniel pulled out a chair.
“Honesty isn’t an excuse to be cruel. You can tell somebody the truth without making them feel ashamed of something they cannot control. And you can also decide that somebody else’s opinion doesn’t deserve a place in your life.”
Emma considered his words.
“What if he says he didn’t mean it?”
“Then you can ask him why he said it. You don’t have to accept an apology just because somebody offers one.”
She was quiet for a long time.
Finally, she went upstairs.
That night, I found Daniel folding the dish towels.
“You planned that story about my teeth,” I said.
He looked up.
“I hoped you’d be willing to tell it.”
“You could have warned me.”
