[ His gaze follows them and stays, looking for signs of an expression Siffrin won’t let him see. That tone is more than enough, though, and he fights the urge to dig into it. ]

Come now, I would not say that is a blessing.

[ Being used to anything sad isn’t a blessing. It means he’s had to learn to carry the weight of it. ]

Our next meeting will sneak up on us. Time will pass quickly, and before you or I know it, we will be in one another’s vicinity yet again. We may even sit on another tree, perhaps, or on a cliffside overlooking the ocean.