Goodbye, Mr. Regret

"Sallie, do you seriously have the nerve to call me right now? Or have you just conveniently forgotten everything that happened?"

She was furious.

Vince gritted his teeth and spat out, "Let me make myself perfectly clear: from this day on, whatever happens to Timothy-whether he lives or dies-has absolutely nothing to do with the Zimmerman family!"

With those words, he hung up.

Sallie nearly threw her phone in frustration.

This was a disaster.

Salome had always been the Zimmermans' favorite. That day, right in front of Vince, she'd called Jessica a mute and accused her of embarrassing the Lawsons just by showing up.

It was no wonder Vince had lost his temper.

But now Timothy had vanished without a trace. Where was she supposed to find him?

Timothy was on the mountain.

He'd returned to the same old abbey he'd visited once before.

He was lucky; just as he walked in, he came across Father Benedict, the abbey's head priest, whom he'd met on his previous visit.

"Father," Timothy greeted him quietly.

Father Benedict pressed his palms together and bowed his head slightly. "Peace be with you, my son."

Timothy had seen enough of the world to know the proper etiquette, and since he'd come seeking the priest's guidance on how to escape his pain, he tried to follow Father Benedict's example, bowing his head and folding his hands. "Peace be with you, Father. I visited your abbey once before, and your words about suffering left a deep impression on me. I have some questions I'd like to ask."

come this way,

Father Benedict into the meditation

the background. The moment Timothy

in his heart seemed to quiet, if only for a

floor cushions at a low table, where a pot of tea was kept warm. After a brief glance, Father Benedict poured Timothy a

you?" the priest

usually so composed—almost unreadable-couldn't hide his surprise. It wasn't often that anyone could see

did you

unhurried. "It's written

He prided himself on keeping his emotions

his feelings were out in the open, there was no point hiding them. He got straight to the point: "How do I ease the pain of unfulfilled longing and the suffering of losing

how do you think it can be eased?"

to our old life together, then the pain would stop. But

he spoke, "When an addict is overwhelmed by withdrawal, what's the

drug," Timothy

does the pain go away

pain just comes back the

satisfied. "So, do

thinking it over. "You mean, for an addict, the relief from pain is only temporary. Taking the drug eases the suffering for a moment, but it doesn't solve the

little while, and

the fleeting relief, but that only feeds greater pain in the end. So, the

through

couldn't do

agree. If my wife came back to me and we

by taking the drug? Does someone who never started ever suffer withdrawal? The only real cure is