Page 159 - Where the Dream Ends ebook

His Brother’s Keeper

believe it. He told Ed he thought his behavior was all bullshit.
Either he had to snap out of it or he had to get some help.

It was the first time since they were kids that they had a
down and out fight. Wrestling on the floor. Unable to hurt one
another, they tumbled about on the floor for several minutes;
when that was over, they threw verbal epithets at one another,
until Ed started to cry.

It’s never easy to see someone cry, and it’s especially diffi-
cult for one man to cry in front of another man. Harry’s father
cried only once that Harry knew about, when he was forced
into retirement. There was no model for a crying Dad back
then, and it left Harry panicky. Harry cried easily as a child,
and adults laughed at his so-called overly sensitive emotions.
Here his father was crying and Harry didn’t think it was funny
at all.
Ed’s outbreak of tears left Harry speechless. When Ed
pulled himself together and said ‘Leave!’ Harry gathered up
his belongings and left. They didn’t speak for a week. Finally,
Harry called him on the phone. Ed sounded better. He didn’t
mention the incident, and he wanted to know if Harry would
be staying over.

“Yeah, if it’s okay,” he said, reluctantly. In the ensuing weeks,
Ed seemed to improve, but he never brought up the subject of
his depression again. Neither did Harry.

Though Ed’s mental state improved, his employer was not
so willing to overlook his behavior. They called him on his
‘shenanigans’. That’s actually what they called it. They wanted
to know why had he taken advantage of their good nature.

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