Dreary misery of a country, she said. This was taking a darker turn than he'd anticipated, and he considered trying to change the subject to something lighter, but there was still a nagging feeling that made him reluctant to move on. Compared to his relationship with Zelda, this all just seemed so... easy. And, granted, that was probably because he was on the outside looking in, and he was sure it didn't feel easy to Jo, but still. So they couldn't travel together — so what? It wasn't as though Zelda was going to move into his cabin on the Voyager and venture out to sea with him for months at a time, after they were married. So he had a shop — so what? So he cared about his family — so what? They'd get used to it sooner or later, and they'd learn to be happy that he was happy. Alfred had to believe that, anyway, since he was still clinging to hope that he'd someday work his way into the good graces of the extended Fisk family, and if he could do that surely Jo could endear herself to this bloke's parents, given enough time and goodwill.

"You come back to visit your family, don't you?" Alfred pointed out. "So the question is whether he'd be waiting for you when you came back. And whether you'd want him to be."