The Rest of the Story

by Tal Bauer

“Thank you for confiding in me,” she said. “That took immense bravery, and I want to honor what you’ve done today with a commitment of my own. I promise each of you: I am going to make this right. I’m going to hold everyone who was responsible accountable, starting immediately.” She looked each of them in their eyes. “Please, don’t hesitate to come to me or to Morgan with anything you need. Anything at all. We will take care of you.”

This is the way the Kyle Beach situation should have been handled.

“Who’s hungry?” They looked at me like seagulls who’d just eyeballed kindergarteners with unguarded sandwiches.

His similes and descriptions are the best lol

The kids’ personalities were rising like dandelions shooting up through cracked concrete,

No one buys a chainsaw before dawn with good intentions.

A winger and a goalie together made as much sense as brakes on a canoe,

Some guys nap on flights. Others chatter like the speed of their words is all that keeps us aloft.

😆

One person can change your whole life if you let them. Most people think that’s beautiful. I think give someone enough of you to shatter and they might just do it.

All his ducks were in a row. Mine were fucking feral and squawking in my mental pond,

Same, buddy. Same.

My mind was a hamster burning up his wheel. You could have plugged me in and powered the city.

I wasn’t capable of full thoughts yet. Two and two were making static. My mind was a seashell,

My hamster had checked out,

I’m yours. I’m yours as long as you want me. You can smash me to pieces, shatter me into smithereens, and it will all be worth it, just for the chance to be part of your life.

🥹

I’d hit the ground running that morning like a racehorse that was shot yesterday and hadn’t died yet.

Well that’s one I haven’t heard before lol

Fuck, it was terrifying. Fireworks in the veins, who-needs-sleep, I’ll-live-forever-on-these-butterflies-and-your-smile.

We ended up in my kitchen. If this was it, and if he was going to break my heart, he might as well do it where I kept the liquor.

I’d been in my closet for two hours by that point, and all of my give-a-shits were raging.

I was feeling as brave as the first man who considered eating an oyster.

I was as lost as a goat on Astroturf.”

I’d rather eat bugs than hear compliments, and every time someone tries to hand me one, I get all sorts of squirrely.

Shea had me wrapped around his fingers, and you know what? I loved being all tied up.

I’d forgotten that it’s the brokenness of a kaleidoscope that brings out the beauty,

in the shape he was in, he couldn’t fight a balled-up Kleenex.

You showed up, Morgan, when you didn’t have to. That’s the finest thing a man can do in this life: be there for someone.