42097609460

“You don’t want to meet people?”
“I’m better off alone.”
Jo ran her finger around the rim of the mug before saying
anything. “Trust me on this: no one is better off alone.”
“I am.”
Jo thought about Katie’s answer before leaning closer. “So you’re
telling me that—assuming you had food, shelter, and clothing and
anything else you needed to simply survive—you’d rather be
stranded on a desert island in the middle of nowhere, all alone,
forever, for the rest of your life? Be honest.”
Katie blinked, trying to keep Jo in focus. “Why would you think I
wouldn’t be honest?”
“Because everybody lies. It’s part of living in society. Don’t get me
wrong—I think it’s necessary. The last thing anyone wants is to
live in a society where total honesty prevails. Can you imagine the
conversations? You’re short and fat, one person might say, and the
other might answer, I know. But you smell bad. It just wouldn’t
work. So people lie by omission all the time. People will tell you
most of the story… and I’ve learned that the part they neglect to
tell you is often the most important part. People hide the truth
because they’re afraid.”
With Jo’s words, Katie felt a finger touch her heart. All at once, it
seemed hard to breathe.
“Are you talking about me?” she finally croaked out.
“I don’t know. Am I?”
Katie felt herself pale slightly, but before she could respond, Jo
smiled.