A raw edge. Reprise.
I look into his eyes and do not know what I see.
We sit in the restaurant and talk. His words are hesitant and few because they are all true; were he less sincere he might say more. The scarcity of his words makes them all the more potent. His voice, husky and hesitating, paints pictures of brilliant clarity in my mind. I see him laughing with his brother; I see him talking to a girl; I see him swinging at a friend in anger. I move from scene to scene, moment to moment, as if I were there, a silent observer in the shadows of the room.
He chooses the stories at random, with no desire or need to form a continuous narrative; something sparks a memory and he shares it with me. I ask questions, enough to clarify but not enough to press. There is a raw edge to his memories and to him; there are feelings he cannot share with me, and I take care not to invoke them. To push him would be to lose him, and his friendship means too much.
It is enough, then, for me to listen to his voice, and look into his eyes, and see only what he wishes me to see.
We sit in the restaurant and talk. His words are hesitant and few because they are all true; were he less sincere he might say more. The scarcity of his words makes them all the more potent. His voice, husky and hesitating, paints pictures of brilliant clarity in my mind. I see him laughing with his brother; I see him talking to a girl; I see him swinging at a friend in anger. I move from scene to scene, moment to moment, as if I were there, a silent observer in the shadows of the room.
He chooses the stories at random, with no desire or need to form a continuous narrative; something sparks a memory and he shares it with me. I ask questions, enough to clarify but not enough to press. There is a raw edge to his memories and to him; there are feelings he cannot share with me, and I take care not to invoke them. To push him would be to lose him, and his friendship means too much.
It is enough, then, for me to listen to his voice, and look into his eyes, and see only what he wishes me to see.