“Oh,” She wasn’t exactly surprised at what Lena had to say, but she was left feeling rather…re-directed? I’d rather hear your thoughts before you’ve had a chance to think of something nicer to say. Nicer? Would she…not have had something kind to say about Eugene, had Lena given her more time? But there was hardly time for her to be confused about what unspoken thing may or may not have just occurred, because they were on the topic of their brother. “Oh dear,” And when it came to Eugene, especially recently, Lena had been voicing what had been bugging Vera for quite some time.

“How’s he coping?” She responded, twiddling with a piece of lint she felt in her pocket.