Surprised by this depiction, I pause to digest it.
That was quite eloquent. Clearly this is no glib bullshit but something Brian feels deeply about. And it makes a certain kind of sense. Perhaps that unwitting power, that suggestion of licentiousness, is what motivated my mother to so ruthlessly suppress my sexuality and convince me of my undesirability while I was growing up. Maybe that was also an unspoken factor in the abuse meted out by my classmates – beyond just the ostracizing of the alien and the victimization of the vulnerable. After a minute I decide I can accept and respect Brian’s explanation despite my lifelong embarrassment. Perhaps I can eventually even make it my own; find comfort and even pride in it. I reward the earnest boy with a faint smile before probing further.
“
