Pomme Terre

"Faye... Sweetheart..." Cliff began. "If you like potatoes so much, I would like to be your Mr Potato-Head. But there is something about me that I want to you to know."

We sat down on the floor, only our knees touching. I wanted to give him space but at the same time offer him the assurance of connectedness for whatever he was going to say to me. It couldn't be as dramatic. Or could it?

He opened his mouth a few times but no words came out. His face contorted into an anguish trying.

I lit a cigarette and waited patiently. Finally he said, "I... I just do not know where to start. Would you like to know about my... childhood?"

"I would like to know everything about you, Cliff. But only when you are ready and feeling comfortable to talk about it."

"I will never be 100% ready, but I hope you are. I am telling you this because I want to be honest with you..." Cliff said, and I nodded an okay.

And so he began.

"Kinda like you, I don't remember much about my father. I think he passed away of heart failure when I was a kid. And growing up was the most painful process I had to go through. Isn't it great if a person can just turn into an adult without going through that period of adolescence' confusion, self searching, etc?