I know now what my son must have felt at that moment. His father had rescued him from what had seemed a terrible fate, and perhaps, in his young mind, Jeff might have believed that I would always be able to see his peril and snatch him from it. But the part of Jeff that was most in danger was invisible to me. I could see only those aspects of his character that he chose to show, which resembled some of my own characteristics—the shyness, the general tone of acceptance, the tendency to withdraw from conflict. I suppose, like most fathers, I even took some comfort, perhaps even a bit of pride,
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