“Was that the first time Dad told Mom that he loved her?” His brother coughed. “He told me it was probably the first time anyone ever said that to her. She didn’t even say anything back. It was kind of too much for her. But that night, when they’d gone to bed, she whispered: ‘But, but, but.’ And after that they never said ‘I love you.’ ” “But, but, but,” Ted whispered slowly down into his beer.
