Then Matt came along. In many ways, he's been her salvation.
But again, I worry what might happen.
I'm depraved. Victor and Hugo are possibly worse, Rachel's crazy, Nadine's a mercenary skinflint, Rudy, Perkins and Sal Bonadello are gangsters, Lou Kelly's a killer, Pete was a philanderer, Jinny was morally bankrupt, Buddy was slime, and his old, lonely neighbor shits himself.
The point is I don't get to meet many saints in my line of work.
But Lissie's one.
How Buddy managed to win her is beyond my ability to comprehend, but it puts me in mind of something my grandfather once said: "A woman's love is like the morning dew. It's as apt to settle on a horse turd as it is a rose."
Rudy surfaced.
He showed up at Lissie's a couple nights ago. I saw him casing her house from across the street for over an hour. I didn't do anything about it. "Live and let live," I always say. In fact, I didn't kill him until he tried to enter through the garage.
I'm here for Lissie. And for now, I'm allowing Matt to be a part of her life. I just hope he doesn't do anything to spoil my trust.
There aren't many sincere gifts a guy like me can give a woman like Lissie, though she deserves so much after what she's been through. I'm giving her the gift of my protection, which of course is insignificant compared to what she gave Buddy.
She gave him her love.
What greater gift can anyone give?