His nervous laughter filled the room as his eyes darted back and forth and then he looked down. He was smart, handsome, kind and humble and he could see none of it. An escape artist like myself just trying to make it through a harsh world with what’s left of our broken selves. We were the children who internalized everything that’s wrong with the world as somehow being our own fault.

Could there be some parallel universe where he even has the capacity to see how beautiful he is inside and out? My bestie says he’s a lost cause with no backbone to stand up to authority. She doesn’t see the storm of turmoil behind his mask. Maybe I’m the lost cause for him. I’ll never stop seeing the light seeping through his smile and the laughter in his eyes that covers up the tears. Perhaps it’s all projections, but to me a soul recognizes a soul beyond the agonies we put ourselves through.