I didn’t know it then, but that decision would change everything.
Richard was nothing like the wealthy men I had imagined.
He didn’t shout.
He didn’t humiliate staff.
He didn’t flaunt his money.
He was quiet.
Sometimes too quiet.
He loved books.
He loved his garden.
And, unexpectedly, he loved Emily.
Within months, she was completely comfortable around him.
One afternoon, I walked into the living room and stopped.
Richard was on his hands and knees.
Emily was sitting on his back.
“Faster!” she shouted.
Richard looked at me.
“Nora, your daughter is trying to kill me.”
Emily giggled.
“You’re a horse!”
“I was a respectable businessman before you came here.”
“Horse!”
Richard sighed.
“Yes, ma’am.”
I couldn’t stop laughing.
Another afternoon, I found him sitting at Emily’s tiny table drinking imaginary tea.
She handed him a plastic cup.
“Sugar?”
“Two.”
“Milk?”
