Linda looked at me lovingly, holding both hands and sitting me down gently. She had that look in her eye that told me she had something difficult to say to me, something I would not like. I sat down with a resigned sigh and waited. She affirmed her long-term and undying love for me for several minutes. Finally I could not stand it any longer and simply asked her, "Linda? Is there something you need to tell me?"
She realized that she had been setting me up for a purpose. She pulled herself forward in her chair, paused a moment, and then looked down at the floor. "Tony, this is unbelievably difficult for me to do, so I'm going to ask you to support me. Can you promise me?"
I smiled to myself, marveling at the power I held at this moment in the conversation. "How can I promise you? You haven't told me what it is!" I observed.
She looked away for a minute to collect her thoughts. "Tony, let me clarify what I meant. I'm not asking you about the thing itself. Brad and I have talked at length over these months, and I've made some decisions that I think are in everyone's best interests. I'm just asking you to support me, unconditionally, okay?"
"So you're not asking for my permission," I concluded.
"No. I'm not. Look, I know this is hard, Tony. This may sound cold and cruel. I'm not asking for your permission, and in fact, I'm not even asking for your opinion on the matter. I just need to know that I can count on you."
"Well then there's really not much to talk about, is there? You haven't told me a damn thing about what might be in my best interest or not!" I said as I got up, suddenly feeling miffed.
Linda reacted immediately and firmly. "Sit your ass down, Tony! I will tell you everything you need to know, eventually. Right now, I just want an assurance that you'll keep an open mind β that's all. Do this for me, okay?"
I sat silently. I wanted to cooperate, but I had no idea what she had in mind. She had been dating Brad about a dozen times over the last 4 months, and had steadily heated up the relationship from casual lunch and dinner dates to dancing at clubs, and then to more intimate evenings at his place. Where was she going with it I wondered.
She looked dismayed, realizing that I was not ready to commit. "Fine, it's okay. Let's talk about it later." She got up and walked away, clearly upset about my reaction.
I could not let it end like this, and immediately followed her. "Please, Linda, I want to help but I just need to know--".
She cut me off, "No, Tony. I should not have brought this up right now. Brad was right that this would not go over well with you. Let's talk about it another day when you have a better attitude."
"Fuck that! You can't just leave me hanging like this Linda. I want you to tell me what you have in mind!"
"There's no need to. Remember that when we started this, you agreed that you were surrendering to me?"