He couldn't help the way his eyes were drawn to the sleeping toddler on his mother's shoulder. He wanted that so badly for his life. But this place was new and different, and he wasn't sure if he would be accepted with his rather unique beliefs. He wanted to find himself a life-partner most of all. He hoped that children would come after that. He supposed he would be happy if God decided that he was not supposed to have children. No matter how much he might want a family of his own, he would do God's work above all else.
When she began to talk about her growing up years and how she had been separated from her brother when her parents died, his eyes softened on her. "I'm sorry about your parents." He felt bad for her. He wasn't sure what he would have done if his own parents were dead. Though, considering his father's abuse streak, he supposed it wouldn't be so bad if he had died. Perhaps then his mother might be safe from the constant thread of bruises.
But then her story lightened and he smiled at her as she said that she had come here and found her brother. "I'm glad you found one another. Sibling love is something that nothing can break." Even though he and his brother were vastly different, he still loved his brother more than anything. He wished he could have come to Sacrosanct with him, but perhaps it was best that he was there to protect their mother.
Perhaps it was a good thing that the conversation changed when it had. Both of them had regrets about their families, things they didn't like to talk about. But when she asked him if he had considered teaching, he could not help but smile. "I used to teach surf lessons every now and then. I loved it." He listened to her talk about how she hadn't been able to teach the twins how to swim. He nodded his head lightly. "Is there an indoor pool somewhere? Sometimes it's easier to get them used to the water in a controlled environment." Back home, he had an indoor swim team pool that they used on the weekends for swimming lessons. It's where his surf lessons had begun. Perhaps she was right, perhaps he should start teaching again.