Hermione was aghast. She listened to Candy with a half open mouth. Surely not, she thought.
"And I can't talk to her. And I don't know what to do. She's trying to take him away from me!" bemoaned Candy. She wiped a tear from her eye and worried about smudging her mascara.
Hermione couldn't believe it.
"I'll tell her for you, if you can't talk to her," she said, already scheming how she would do it. Sms? Email? Email.
She used the computer rarely, but knew what to say. She Always knew what to say.
Hi Julian,
Candy came to see me the other day and said that you tried to hand over that 98 year old bloke who used to be a doctor to Mandy and Horst. She was really upset about it, but she's not very good at confronting things, so I offered to speak on her behalf. I am sure you have good intentions, but I am asking you not to do this please. If you don't want to do Roberts study because you think a man should do it, then hand him over to Candy and Derek. Candy has such affection for Robert, that is why I handed him over to her in the first place. Your job was to keep the study on track, which I am sure Derek can do just as well. But Robert responds to Candy's love and I would hate to think of him not receiving that, plus it brings her genuine joy as well.
Love
Hermione.
Hermione could, every now and again, be a pompous ass. Candy could get the wrong end of the stick. The fact that Candy didn't feel that she could talk to Julian also meant that she was a coward. What business was this of Hermione's? She had left the territory and was no longer involved in it's people. The fact that both of them didn't recognise her love for Robert also enraged her. She was the one to remind Stewart at 7:30 am on a Sunday morning that he had to phone him. She was the one to sit in the back of the car so that he could sit in the front with Stewart on the way to the hall. She was the one to show him all the scriptures in a large bible throughout both the public talk and the watchtower study. She made him a honey sandwich with a cup of tea and something sweet to follow. She loved him as well. It was shabby treatment and she was hurt, disappointed and angry.
Candy didn't mean to be stupid and cowardly, Julian knew that. And Hermione didn't mean to step in without thought, she knew that too. There was something in proverbs that spoke about answering to a matter before knowing the facts which implied that a person was foolish.
Was anyone interested in what really happened?
Do the facts matter?
Julian was reminded of the time that Candy believed with all her heart that Julian was accusing her of stealing a ring from the shop. In order to make everything alright, Julian and Stewart had given her the ring as a gift. What did Julian have to give her as a gift this time?
That was the question.
To be or not to be?
Continue putting up with each other in love. Despite misunderstandings.
Julian was always ready to tell the story. In front of Derek, Horst, Candy, Hermione and Mr Lovely Goodness. And Stewart, of course. If anybody wanted to know what was really going on.
In fact, what were Tony, Paul, Peter, Bob and Alan doing?
Or was this a little thing.
