What to Do?

Tom told me I had done nothing wrong.

I know that, I said. This is not really about me.

So why are you shaken by this?

I'm not shaken. I'm somewhat amazed that something that happened years ago, in another life time, something that I dealt with at the time and subsequently forgot about, should come back in a very serious and real way. This is very serious and I am being caught up in it somewhat against my will.

So why the conflict?

All of my dealings with the police, although it has been a while now, have never been good. From my early driving convictions for speeding, to the whole bank robbery nonsense, to having the car searched by the police on the way home from Mardi Gras that year when we were all high as kites and the car had left-over party drugs in the boot, none of which they found, luckily...

You don't have a criminal record, from all accounts, you are an upstanding citizen. You are a good person, Chris and it is time to step up...

I don't want to get involved in this. Oh, I don't know, maybe I've just watched too many stupid American police shows, but I've been a promiscuous poofter who has lived in unusual relationships, as far as "normal" society is concerned. He'd have lawyers defending him, ready to grill me, pull me a part, who needs it.

Yes, I think you have been watching to many police dramas. So, if that is your decision why the quandary? It's obviously affected you today... and it's obviously affected somebody else...

My quandary is lying to the police, if I tell them that nothing happened. It didn't affect me and if it effected someone else, well, really that is his story and not mine.

So that's it then, said Tom.

I guess the only fact that I can't really reconcile now, as an adult looking back, is the fact that we were, after all, quite young. That's the only twinge I have about it all.

What I want to say to the detective is that whatever happened back then, which is a very long time ago now, after all, never had a negative impact on my life. I haven't thought about it in years, so I really have nothing to say on the matter. And it didn't. And I don't. Joe was nice to me, he treated me well. He never forced me to do anything and when I told him I didn't want to, that was it, he never tried it again.

But he did try. He was a teacher. I was never scared. I was never made to feel fearful, in fact, the only reaction I had was that he was being a silly man. I'd be unwilling for my small context to be used in someone else's bigger context to send a man to jail. I'm sorry, but my story is one of a minor detail, long since forgotten. A learning experience, the stuff life is made of.