"Nay, we don't. It hurts a bit. Doesn't it seem like e'ery time we turn around, someone else has somethin' ta say to us? Many o' the things bein' said by some people ain't e'en true." She sighed and reached out to grasp the back of one of his hands, giving a squeeze. "Bein' angry ain't gonna make it right, John. The best thing we can do is lift our chins and face the music as gracefully as we can. We can't change the past, me brother, but we can make the future better if we let ourselves be human."

Finally, the food arrived, she stopped talking for the moment, hoping she'd been quiet enough to John in their conversation. She noticed a side eye from one person who she recognized, so she decided to make an example out of herself. First, to the waitress, she said, "Thank ye, it smells lovely, miss." She had a charming smile, that almost impish one he might remember from when she was but a young girl. Ruth Blacke did sometimes have a penchant for mischief when she was small, but she had been a good child otherwise. It was just her way of showing love and never done in a hurtful manner toward anyone she liked. At least, not intentionally. She'd probably gone a little too far every now and again but she always tried to do better.

And now she was wiser than she had been. She knew her part in the mistakes that were made in the past, she admitted that she was guilty too and that it took two to make that kind of mistake. However, she would not be letting herself be in that position again in regards to men. She'd rather never find another to love than to deal with this kind of problem ever again. Jacob deserved better.

"We'll figure it out somehow, alright?"