Smile danger

A boy moment on the way back from work this morning - a cutie, Eastern European in origin to judge by the conversation he and his parents were having, a couple of rows in front of me on the bus, looked up at me after getting off the vehicle. And smiled at me, rather warmly, actually, dimples and all. Then the bus moved off, and he joined the myriad ranks of the 'ghosts', no different from all of those boys that flit in and out of my life, never to be seen again. Except that this boy stirred a memory, from a long time ago, twenty-five, maybe even thirty years back, I can't remember exactly. Back to the days when I still occasionally rotted my brain by reading the tabloid press. Including the 'problem pages'. And one 'problem' in particular has stuck in my mind, being reawoken by this morning's encounter. A self-described 'young man' had written in, his letter contrasting the situation he found himself in compared to the vast majority of his peers. Because, assuming the letter was authentic, he was a boylover. One phrase in the letter struck me, and still strikes me, particularly deeply. 'What do you do when a boy smiles danger at you?', he asked. And although it might not be the most grammatical question ever, I know exactly what he meant. Obviously, this morning's boy was with his parents, so any temptation he may have posed was minimal. But what might have happened had the circumstances been different, had we somehow been alone somewhere? As I've said before, I like to tell myself I'd never harm anyone, never engage in anything without 'informed consent'. But would those worthy sentiments survive in the face of opportunity, reality? I wish I could answer with a definitive 'yes', but I'd be lying if I did.

Love & best wishes to all
Sammy B