Finding Oneself......... [EXTREMELY LONG; Growing Up; Relationships; Humor
Then waking up one day from a dream, Bri suddenly asked himself 'were they shy?
And if so, why with ME and not the other boys? Why DID they cry? '
The answer could be that his brain and looks were superior.
Were those girls only uncomfortable with boys that were inferior (to him) ?
If that really was the answer, he could now save face,
and could pursue women with HIS high level of brains, looks, and grace.
(But WAS it the answer? He was still not SURE why they did cry.)
For now he would work hard, avoid girls, and try to keep his eyes dry.
In two more years would be a second high school reunion. Thoughts of attending gave Bri a fright. (He'd skipped the first,5 year, reunion.)
But by going this time he might find out if his answer to his 'why? ' was right.
The giggler had left the table and had not returned.
Through ring-nose's mind the 'how? ' of how to answer churned.
At last she decided, as is oft the case, the best path was to tell the truth.
But first she would give the explanation for it so the answer might seem less ruth(less) .
'Bri, in middle school it's true you smelled; that ‘s why we ran away.
But we all thought you were quite divine in most every other way.
Though you were not the biggest player you were on the football team,
And watching you run and catch the ball made us want to scream.
Your manners, though not as grand as ours, were A+ for a boy,
and of course grades were all A+, even in the courses you did not enjoy.
We heard you had the makings of a fine chef; the girls' club had same teacher.
You were (still are) very handsome. Despite the breath, ironically, your smile was your best feature.
(We especially liked you when we heard you cried over us.)
So we KNOW we owe you another explanation for our reluctance to dance.
Bri's heart pounded. Every heart at the corner table pounded.
….
…..
…….
'Bri, …..we are shy. All of us.'