“She did,” Everett said with a hint of challenge in his voice as if he were weighing whether or not he would divulge that information to Henry.

Henry felt the need to clarify, “I’m glad she has someone she can talk to freely. I would never want you to break any confidence you share with her.”

“She didn’t ask me not to tell anyone. I’m no gossip; quite the opposite, in truth. I’ve only told you what I have so far because I sense you’re the kind of man who respects a person’s privacy, and you’re only concerned about Amala. I consider myself a good judge of character. I hope you won’t prove me wrong.”

“I’ll not repeat anything you’ve told me, of course,” Henry said. “I appreciate your candor more than I can say.”

“Dare I ask if you have anyone you can talk to?”

Henry chuckled, but not with any humor. “Not really; not like this. Chit is a dear friend and the best of men. But I suppose I have a more sentimental nature, while he tends to take a more practical view. Our years together in India made that readily evident to me.”

“How do you mean?” Everett asked, and Henry felt as if he’d known this man for years. Considering Everett's closeness to Amala and that he felt the same way about her, Henry couldn’t help wondering if that was somehow a validation of what he was feeling.

“There is so much beauty in India. I could see it everywhere and couldn’t help but comment on my observations. Chit always listened politely, but it was as if he couldn’t see it, or it simply didn’t affect him. By the same token, there was so much injustice and depravity—much of it caused by my own people. I would sometimes feel horrified or enraged, and Chit always allowed me to express my views to him without any judgment. But his response to such things was simply that life is what it is, and he considered it a waste of time and energy to be affected by such things. He could walk through a crowd of starving children on the streets, all begging for anything that might help them get through the day, and he didn’t seem to even see them. I not only saw them, I wanted to take them all home with me. I took on the habit of never going out without pockets full of coins, believing I could help in some small way. And maybe I did. But the years proved that I’m just one man and I couldn’t singlehandedly change the course of a mighty storm.”

Henry sighed and repositioned himself on the horribly uncomfortable wooden chair.