Chapter 22 - Damon Comes Home
Damon returned to the family Thanksgiving after missing the previous year.
He stood outside Cole House for five minutes before ringing.
Evelyn opened the door.
He looked nervous.
“Aunt Evelyn.”
“Damon.”
“I brought pie.”
“Bribery.”
“Absolutely.”
She let him in.
Dinner stayed tense until dessert.
Then Damon finally said,
“I was wrong.”
No speech.
No excuses.
Evelyn looked at him.
“Yes.”
He almost laughed.
“I had more prepared.”
“I’m sure.”
“I thought if I explained—”
“You would make yourself feel better.”
He looked down.
“Yes.”
Evelyn cut pie.
“Then don’t.”
Damon stared.
“Do you forgive me?”
Malcolm closed his eyes.
He had warned him.
Evelyn answered,
“Not yet.”
Damon nodded.
“Okay.”
“But you may come for Christmas.”
His eyes lifted.
“That’s confusing.”
“Families are.”
Progress.
Damon found work with a mid-sized manufacturing company as chief operating advisor.
Smaller title.
Less prestige.
He discovered he liked solving problems without being heir to anything.
Sometimes losing status revealed which parts of a job had actually mattered.
He remained ambitious.
Ambition itself was not the villain.
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Unexamined entitlement had been.
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