boys or aren't you? Are you more comfortable being
with boys?" I repeated like a prosecutor.
"No. but I know I'm not as aggressive or as
interested in girls as I should be, as other men my age
are, as in fact my friends were when I was in high
school and in college. They tried to include me in
everything, parties, trips, but eventually they gave up
on rile and so did most of the girls,"
I studied him. Who would ever think a man as good-looking as he was would have trouble with women? On the other hand, his look was different and there were probably many girls and women who thought of him as Asiatic and therefore not for them. Maybe this was why he had a complex, felt insecure. Suddenly, instead of being angry at him. I was feeling sorry for him and I was thinking he and I were more
alike than he might think.
"You were never close with any girl, ever?" "No, not really. I mean. I studied with them,
things like that, but when it came to socializing, going
out on dates. I went into retreat. There was a girl once
who I knew liked me very much. She tried to develop
a romance between us. but I didn't respond the way I
should have and she just became angry at me, the way
you were. I'm sure, Anyway. I decided I would come
here to tell you about it so you wouldn't feel that it
was your fault. I came to apologize,I'll fix it with
Echo. too. I'll have to prepare her for my ending the
tutoring."
"She won't understand. No matter what you tell
her, she's going to think it's her fault somehow and
she's going to be heartbroken."
"I hope you'll help me with her and prevent
that. She thinks of you now as her best friend in the
world."
I sighed deeply and shook my head. "I know,
and I regret it now."
"Why?"