This is a very short little character study. I was feeling pretty morose when I wrote this, so for good or for bad it is what it is. Enjoy...
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They never see the other side. All they see are the jokes, the pranks. They see it as invasion of their privacy, juvenile antics from the locker rooms of his glory days.
They never see the other side. They rile each other up with stories of what he has done behind the others back. True or not, he is the Court Jester – so it must be true.
They never see the other side. They follow the leader, believing the barbs and put downs and comments don't matter, he'll roll with the punches, he always does and always will.
They never see the other side. The pain filled glaze in his eyes, the catch in his breathing when the words are spoken, the need to be heard and understood.
They never see the other side. The need to prove himself, the need to be that bit more, to make up for what the others have, their degrees, their specialist training. What does he have, a phys-ed degree and nearly two decades worth of worn shoe leather?
They never see the other side. They don't want to. They would never look into his life, why would they care to? They are more interested in their own lives.
They never see the other side. So he builds the fortress of façade and misdirection, an impregnable bastion of defense, they see the walls as too high, too deep, but fail to notice the front doors stand wide open, waiting for someone to take the time to come inside and say hello.
But they don't… they never see the other side…