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“We have Madison on line three,” Jack announced.

“Ah.” I swear I could almost hear the smirk in his voice. “My favorite public service announcement.”

“I heard that.”

“I meant you to.”

“I’m calling because you said something wrong again.”

“That seems unlikely. But I’ll indulge you. What do you think I’m wrong about?”

“The woman with the pro and con list about her boyfriend.”

“What about her?”

“You said it was perfectly rational.”

“It is a reasonable exercise. Clarity is—”

“If you need a spreadsheet to decide if you love someone, Silas, you don’t love them.”

“That’s a remarkably uncharitable way to view her self-reflection.”

“That’s a remarkably generous interpretation of avoiding something that is painfully obvious.”

There was a pause then. And I found I liked that he was willing to consider what ‘Madison’ had to say, despite the history of disagreeing.

“The list suggests she is thinking seriously about her future.”

“The cons column had sixteen items. That’s what she said. Sixteen items. And she is still calling in to ask a radio show host whether she should stay.”

There was another silence then.

“The pros column,” I went on, “had seven. And one of them was that he had great parking at this apartment building.”

“That’s… a practical consideration.”

“Silas.”

“Objectively….”

“Silas.”

Silas let out a sigh.

“She should leave him.”

“She should leave him,” I agreed.

“Don’t,” he said.

“Don’t what?” I asked, my tone playful.

“I can hear the smugness through the line.”

“I won’t deny that I am enjoying sitting here being right.”

“It’s unlike you.”