A Discerning Eye (continued)

"You're wondering why I married him," she says.

"It's none of my business."

"He's awful, isn't he? A shame, really. I deplore egotistical people. I met swarms of them while modeling. As if God made them in His image." She wrinkled her nose, then bit into a piece of apple slathered with honey. "You're not like that, though. You're the true thing. None of that big-headed rubbish."

I've forgotten the tea. I rise and pour the water, dropping a tea bag into the mug. I hope Astrid won't continue, but of course she does.

"I wanted to get away, from England, modeling, my family, who naturally disapproved of all of it, my career, my arrogant American boyfriend. Soon I'll be a citizen." She smiles brightly. "I'm so looking forward to it."

Is life ever not messy? Is happiness possible without utter solitude?

continued

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