“I’m a little confused.” Wow, what a master of
understatement.

She smiled. I’m sure that I was red as a beet. I was
embarassed and very close to getting angry with her. If this was
some sort of elaborate tease, it was a cruel one for sure.

“That’s true enough. Most men are. Tell me, how long
has it been since you felt attractive?”

Well. That certainly caught me by surprise. To be
honest, I don’t know if I’ve ever felt attractive. Not
physically anyway.

Growing up I had some real conflicting needs
- – the need for attention, yet wanting to blend in to the
background. I wanted people to be close to, but I wouldn’t let
them in. That’s probably why my marriage failed – - my wife could
never get inside of my head because I wouldn’t let her. Some
sort of trust thing. Well, anyway, I had to come up with some
sort of answer….