“read” pile.
A RCHIVE OF C OURTSHIP D ISORDERS . Courtship disorders? What the hell? File that sucker away for now.
S EXUAL A ROUSAL , M OOD , AND S ENSATION S EEKING . Sometimes I have great showers. Does that mean I need therapy? He threw that one in the “read later” pile.
D ESPERATE C ONSEQUENCES : P ROMISCUITY , C OMPULSIVE S EXUAL B EHAVIOR , AND A PPROVAL AND A FFECTION S EEKING IN S EXUALLY A BUSED C HILDREN . An alarm clanged loudly in Michael’s head as realization set in, and horror slammed into his mind. Christy was sexually abused. Fuck. His throat constricted, and he swallowed hard. He leafed through the pages and stopped at D RAWING N EW L INES IN THE S AND . He read on. Boundaries destroyed… relearn through monitoring, guidance, and approval…. No wonder Christy had no problem kissing right after we met. He flipped through a few more pages and stopped at T EEN D ATING AFTER S EXUAL A BUSE . He read on… sexual or romantic encounters as reaffirmation… refusal of sexual contact perceived as rejection…. That’s what happened in the locker room.
He flipped to another section. S EARCHING FOR L OVE AND THE R ECONSTRUCTION OF H UMAN W ORTH . Michael skimmed the section. Healthy romantic love is a unique experience… encourages bonding, intimacy, and an opportunity to play and explore with that special person. With or without sex, it encourages growth as each relationship forces new insights and self-knowledge. Healthy intimacy is… learning new self-worth, lessening the need for superficial, sexualized attention… discover themselves in new and unexpected ways…. Self-redefinition allows a clearer understanding of healthy partnerships… recovery of self-esteem…. Hope and honesty slowly replace despair and superficiality… allow for deepening maturity and a sense of choice they may never have known. Choices he may never have known . The simple sentence echoed loudly in Michael’s mind. Good touch/bad touch. He never knew. He never knew he could say no. Michael couldn’t imagine it. It was inconceivable. It was monstrous. It was vile. It was unspeakable. This literature was going on the top of the “read” pile.
He sifted back through the articles and organized them by reading preference. He’d start reading tonight if he wasn’t too tired after his homework. He looked at the time. Nine thirty. Strike that. He’d start reading tomorrow.
He turned the overhead light off and started the car. As he shifted into gear, he began to wonder if he was in over his head. His choices were simple. A, walk away or B, care for Christy and handle everything that came with him.
He sure as hell wasn’t going to walk away.
M ICHAEL closed the front door quietly and found his dad asleep on the living room couch. He only waited for Michael in the living room when he wanted to talk. He could hear it now . Do you know what you’re getting into? Are you sure you want to be in a relationship with someone who’s been mistreated? How are you going to handle it when you’re outed at school? He might as well get it over with. He shook his dad’s shoulder gently, and he stirred awake.
“Hi, son,” Mac said as he sat up. “Christy get home okay?”
“It’s all good.”
“Did you meet Rob?”
Michael dropped into a wingback chair and set Rob’s envelope on the coffee table. “Yeah. He said you’ve known each other for a long time.”
“We have, and he’s one of the best pediatric psychiatrists in the country.”
“He gave me some stuff to read.”
“Good.”
“You’re not going to give me a lecture?”
“Would it do any good?”
Michael met his dad’s even gaze. “No.” He shook his head slowly. “The idea of abuse, any kind of abuse, is just sick.”
Mac nodded. “Unfortunately, bad things happen to good people.”
“Cliché, Dad. Can you give me any pointers?”
“Be yourself.”
“Come on, Dad.”
“Psychological and emotional wellness is an ongoing process
A RCHIVE OF C OURTSHIP D ISORDERS . Courtship disorders? What the hell? File that sucker away for now.
S EXUAL A ROUSAL , M OOD , AND S ENSATION S EEKING . Sometimes I have great showers. Does that mean I need therapy? He threw that one in the “read later” pile.
D ESPERATE C ONSEQUENCES : P ROMISCUITY , C OMPULSIVE S EXUAL B EHAVIOR , AND A PPROVAL AND A FFECTION S EEKING IN S EXUALLY A BUSED C HILDREN . An alarm clanged loudly in Michael’s head as realization set in, and horror slammed into his mind. Christy was sexually abused. Fuck. His throat constricted, and he swallowed hard. He leafed through the pages and stopped at D RAWING N EW L INES IN THE S AND . He read on. Boundaries destroyed… relearn through monitoring, guidance, and approval…. No wonder Christy had no problem kissing right after we met. He flipped through a few more pages and stopped at T EEN D ATING AFTER S EXUAL A BUSE . He read on… sexual or romantic encounters as reaffirmation… refusal of sexual contact perceived as rejection…. That’s what happened in the locker room.
He flipped to another section. S EARCHING FOR L OVE AND THE R ECONSTRUCTION OF H UMAN W ORTH . Michael skimmed the section. Healthy romantic love is a unique experience… encourages bonding, intimacy, and an opportunity to play and explore with that special person. With or without sex, it encourages growth as each relationship forces new insights and self-knowledge. Healthy intimacy is… learning new self-worth, lessening the need for superficial, sexualized attention… discover themselves in new and unexpected ways…. Self-redefinition allows a clearer understanding of healthy partnerships… recovery of self-esteem…. Hope and honesty slowly replace despair and superficiality… allow for deepening maturity and a sense of choice they may never have known. Choices he may never have known . The simple sentence echoed loudly in Michael’s mind. Good touch/bad touch. He never knew. He never knew he could say no. Michael couldn’t imagine it. It was inconceivable. It was monstrous. It was vile. It was unspeakable. This literature was going on the top of the “read” pile.
He sifted back through the articles and organized them by reading preference. He’d start reading tonight if he wasn’t too tired after his homework. He looked at the time. Nine thirty. Strike that. He’d start reading tomorrow.
He turned the overhead light off and started the car. As he shifted into gear, he began to wonder if he was in over his head. His choices were simple. A, walk away or B, care for Christy and handle everything that came with him.
He sure as hell wasn’t going to walk away.
M ICHAEL closed the front door quietly and found his dad asleep on the living room couch. He only waited for Michael in the living room when he wanted to talk. He could hear it now . Do you know what you’re getting into? Are you sure you want to be in a relationship with someone who’s been mistreated? How are you going to handle it when you’re outed at school? He might as well get it over with. He shook his dad’s shoulder gently, and he stirred awake.
“Hi, son,” Mac said as he sat up. “Christy get home okay?”
“It’s all good.”
“Did you meet Rob?”
Michael dropped into a wingback chair and set Rob’s envelope on the coffee table. “Yeah. He said you’ve known each other for a long time.”
“We have, and he’s one of the best pediatric psychiatrists in the country.”
“He gave me some stuff to read.”
“Good.”
“You’re not going to give me a lecture?”
“Would it do any good?”
Michael met his dad’s even gaze. “No.” He shook his head slowly. “The idea of abuse, any kind of abuse, is just sick.”
Mac nodded. “Unfortunately, bad things happen to good people.”
“Cliché, Dad. Can you give me any pointers?”
“Be yourself.”
“Come on, Dad.”
“Psychological and emotional wellness is an ongoing process
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