Chapter 5

Kent wasn’t the only person trying to convince Geoffrey of his worth. “You’re not doing him any favors, you know. And you’re devaluing yourself in the process. You deserve better.” Alex Lee, the hospital social worker, was gentle yet honest. He spent a great deal of time with Geoffrey in the hospital, and they got to know each other a bit. “I used to fly kites when I was a teen,” Alex had confessed. “Competitive kite flying, there’s a sex magnet sport for a high schooler,” he’d jested.

“You should come out to the field sometime,” Geoffrey had suggested, and then he’d started crying.

“I know it hurts,” Alex said. And then he’d tried to distract Geoffrey with a crossword puzzle, reading the clues since Geoffrey still couldn’t see. They did puzzles that way for days, even as Geoffrey improved, even once he could see, because it was fun.

“Seven letters, ‘Heavenly’…?” Was one clue. “Seven letters for ‘Heavenly.’ Hmm.”