So I hang out with her, and I’m marvelling at the fact that we can be so honest—that we have such rapport—that we can be so free.

Then Christ says, “So what?”

“What?” I ask.

“So what, you can be yourself? What now?”

“Oh. Right.”

And that, I think, is the point. The next stage is upon us. Not just of the relationship, but of life. After all these pseudo-relationships, all these pretensions, here’s something so honest it’s gorgeous, in and of itself. What to do with it? There’s the next step. I don’t think I’ve ever gone there. So I take my shield and my sword and enter the room. End boss? Hardly. Miniboss? Perhaps. Enemies? Certainly. And a puzzle.

Is she worth it? Aye. Always, and much more. If only I could convey beyond the “mush” what Christ is doing. But perhaps that’s for another time—or only for me, or for her.

So I hang out with her, and I’m marvelling at the fact that we can be so honest—that we have such rapport—that we can be so free.

Then Christ says, “So what?”

“What?” I ask.

“So what, you can be yourself? What now?”

“Oh. Right.”

And that, I think, is the point. The next stage is upon us. Not just of the relationship, but of life. After all these pseudo-relationships, all these pretensions, here’s something so honest it’s gorgeous, in and of itself. What to do with it? There’s the next step. I don’t think I’ve ever gone there. So I take my shield and my sword and enter the room. End boss? Hardly. Miniboss? Perhaps. Enemies? Certainly. And a puzzle.

Is she worth it? Aye. Always, and much more. If only I could convey beyond the “mush” what Christ is doing. But perhaps that’s for another time—or only for me, or for her.