"<strong>How dare you take our lord's name in vain.</strong>" He spoke with serious gravity. There was a pause before he interjected, "Just kidding. Come, I'll show you the kitchen."<br/><br/>***<br/><br/>It was just as he promised: good food, a lack of coercion, no alcohol in sight, and a relative degree of comfort, "It's so much easier to put your foot in your mouth day to day... I think that's why politicians make so many gaffes. You get used to practicing these speeches and conversations over and over again. Mock debates, mock interviews... You focus so much effort on anticipating everything that your opponents are going to say before they do it. The messaging, the buzzwords... And then... Sometimes, you don't get any of those crutches to lean on. And all the sudden... You realize you've forgotten how to talk to other people without practicing first."<br/><br/>"I didn't practice before talking to you earlier, so sorry if I don't remember how to talk to a woman properly." A genuinely smile twisted his lips into an expression of humility, "I haven't dated in 13 years. We married pretty early on, and we did it for money and prestige. I didn't think this was something I needed -- I found out recently that I was wrong."