Secrecy is heavy. Their scruples were too heavy to bear. They prevented me from giving them what they wanted. No man was ever proud of me. No man ever presented me to his family, to his friends, with pride. Women did. Because of men, I was often ashamed, but thanks to women, I was also proud. Proud like a man who enters a party with the woman he loves and admires on his arm; proud like a woman who feels supported by other women.
