"I appreciate the hospitality. I ate before leaving the farm, though," Eddie says politely. "The tea does smell nice."

Eddie is pretty decent at etiquette, and knows that it's kinder not to call attention to any shortcomings. So he figures the effort to be polite counts.

"If it makes you feel more comfortable to share, I could start. I've never kept my ex-wife a secret, so it's come up in conversation before."