Venus doesn't answer that for a moment. Thankfully, the remains of her pie and ice cream provide a decent enough distraction that she doesn't have to make eye contact.

She should be grateful, and she is, but she also finds herself feeling smaller and weaker than she likes to be. She finally looks up, and while there's wounded pride in her posture, there's sympathy too.

"Your dad's- he's got something like that too, doesn't he?"