A League of Your Own

He was in love with my sister. It embarrassed her to no end, of course. What is it about guys going for the girl way out of their league? Yeah, I had a crushes on popular girls, but I kept my mouth shut about it. Not Terry.

His whole existence was a faux pas that he was only vaguely aware of, if at all. You don’t talk that way, you don’t act that way, and you certainly don’t go anywhere looking and smelling like that. If he was embarrassed, he didn’t show it. I felt embarrassment enough for both of us.

As long as I was with him, I was an outcast by association. I’d catch the glances and hear the comments behind his back. In a small way, I experienced his world of rejection. And it hurt.

Through Terry, I discovered the difference between sympathy--hurting for someone--and empathy--hurting with someone. It’s a matter of reaching out of your league in the other direction.