Page 7 of Forever Mine
“Sorry. What did you say?”
This time, his voice was louder. “I said, why don’t you ask?”
“Ask what?”
“The questions you’re biting your lip not to ask me.”
I could have lied and said he was wrong, but I didn’t. Instead, Itamped down my curiosity andmet his eyes. “Because, as we say in my culture, ‘not everything that’s good to eat is good to talk.’”
“Huh?”
“In short, it’s notwiseto say everything that crosses your mind or comes to your lips.”
“I get that, but my father taught me I can’t go wrong if I say exactly what I mean.” He sipped the clear liquid in his glass, then added, “Less confusion, and clarity is important when you teach.”
I was about to ask him about that when a female spoke from the other side of the room,where a podium and a small stage were set up. A welcome banner featuring at least a dozen company logos stood behind the stage.
An older woman with iron-gray hair asked for our attention.
As we faced her, I scanned the room until I located Joey and Pete a few feet from us.
The woman on the stage—who introduced herself as Diana Robinson—welcomed the group,gave details onthe conference,andexplainedwhat the organizers hoped to achieve. She pinpointed several persons in the room, and each time the attendees applauded.
I noticed then that the crowd had thickened since we’d been talking.
Scott hadn’t left my side and stood a foot away,as if comfortable in my company.
I figured I’d be seeing him around for the next five days and wondered if we’d get the chance to talk like this again.So busy were my thoughts that I only caught some of the emcee's words.“…welcome to the stage, Scott Fine, this evening’s guest speaker and one of our presenters.”
I hoped the size of my eyes didn’t convey my surprise when I looked sideways at Scott.
He raised a hand in acknowledgment and placed his glass on a nearby table.“I’ll be back soon.”
“Sure.” Iwatched him work his way through the crowd to the stage, thinking I’d never met a teacher like him.
Scott kissed the emcee on the cheek and they laughed as he stood behind the podium. He graciously accepted the welcome and applause. While he adjusted the mic to his height, his eyes searched the crowd until they found mine.
I’d moved from where he left me, thanks to Joey and Pete who insisted that I meet one of their friends. As the room settled into silence, I shushed them. “Introduce me afterward,” I said, wriggling my fingers at the young man who stood with them.
Scott’s address to the group surprised me. He was fluent, funny, and down to earth.
Watching him from a distance again gave me the impression he was in his late twenties, but the emcee’s revelation that he’d been in the world of animation for more than ten years, confirmed he was at least in his early thirties.
Scott came to the end of his speech and the emcee stood next to him when he finished, holding on to his arm. From her body language, I assumed she knew him well.
I dragged mygazefrom him,only to have my eyes shoot back in his direction when she spoke. “Thanks so much, Scott. I understand congratulations are in order.” She faced the crowd. “Scott is expecting a baby and will be getting married at the end of the month.”