“Umm…sure, yes.”
"You must've felt lost at sea. First, your parents, then losing the driving force behind who you were becoming and the only adult to care for you in the world."
Irritation scratches at my throat and spreads through my body, and it’s all I can do not to tell him to sod off. "Lucky for us, we had a rather large support network here at the resort. Several of the long-time staff members had already stepped up to help Uncle Oscar raise us. In particular, one woman, Rosy Brown, who in every way has become like a mother to us. She certainly picked up where our own dear mother had left off as far as providing that nurturing and helping us along our way."
Is that a lump in my throat? Bloody hell, I think it is.I clear my throat and sit back in the chair, trying to maintain a relaxed posture.
"And tell me about your brother. I've heard he is somewhat of a surf legend here on the island, and in doing my homework on your family, it sounds as though he has also been a father figure to you."
Okay, no problem. I can talk about this. Just talk but don’t really think about what you’re saying. But also, don’t say anything stupid in the process."Absolutely. Harrison is five years older than me and he took on a lot of responsibility for my sister and I when we moved here. He made sure we kept up our grades and went to bed on time. I owe so much to him. When I think about how young he was to take all that on, it blows my mind that he was able to do it so well."
"Would you say Harrison is your hero?" Nigel asks, his face filled with compassion.
I nod, at first, wanting to agree just to honour Harrison, but then, I'm overcome with a swell of emotion.Son of a bitch. Are those tears?My nose fills and I sniffle, then immediately realize how horrifying that noise is going to be for my future in-laws. Clearing my throat again, I shake a finger at Nigel. "You're not going to make me cry."
He shakes his head, his face reflecting complete sincerity. “I just want the viewers to get to know thereal you. The man behind the death-defying stunts, the one who has known so much heartache at such a tender age. But let’s get back to your big brother, Harrison, and how he sacrificed for you and your sister…"
Shit. I can’t exactly brush this off and look like I appreciate all Harrison’s done for us—which I do. But now that he’s taken me so far down this path, I am an emotional wreck. I nod, tears filling my eyes. "Absolutely, he has. When Uncle Oscar passed away, Harrison took over management of this entire resort. He was only twenty-one at the time. If anybody should be famous, it should be him,” I say, stopping to wipe my eyes. “He scraped together the money to send my sister to culinary school in New York and he also took the lion's share of the responsibility here so I could pursue my dreams."
"And you once said you could never repay him. What does that feel like? Knowing you can never pay your hero back for all he’s done for you?"
Bloody hell. I’m now full-on crying. “Can we take a break please?”
“Of course,” Nigel says, smiling like the cat who ate the canary.
The Knight of the No Shirt Has Now Been Dubbed Sir Cries-a-Lot.
Daily Mail Opinion Column by Hazel Nettlebottom
Wedding fever has hit Avonia hard with the upcoming nuptials of Princess Arabella and Avonia’s favourite wild man, Will Banks. In the run-up to the big event, the happy couple have agreed to an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at their lives, including pre-wedding interviews. Footage released today from ANN shows Will breaking down into tears while discussing the loss of his parents and his uncle who adopted Will and his siblings.
Instead of finding compassion, sadly, in our world of toxic masculinity, poor Will has been dubbed Sir Cries-a-Lot, an extremely unflattering moniker that this writer is worried he’ll have to wear for some time to come. #sircriesalot has been trending on Twitter since the first commercial aired, showing Will crying whilst sitting at a beach bar. In response, another group has started another hashtag: #freewill, used by people declaring that if Will marries into the royal family, he’s going to trap himself in a cyclone of hateful criticism for the rest of his days.
What I find insane is that, even though we’re in the second decade of the 21st-century, it’s still considered unacceptable for men to express any emotion other than anger. I, for one, found it refreshing to see him open up like that. After all, wouldn’t it in fact be less healthy had he no feelings about the matter whatsoever?
As silly as the #freewill movement might sound, this entire situation should perhaps serve as a warning for Will about what he's truly getting into in marrying into the royal family—a life of attacks and criticism for everything he does. There will always be those who are jealous of such a daring, handsome, incredible man, who are going to delight in each of his failures (not that crying should be considered a failure). On the other end, his swath of fans who demand he be ultra-masculine at all times are also up in arms over the fact that he’s human. They, too, should be ashamed of themselves, but they will never have the good sense to understand how much harm their expectations cause.
Here's wishing for a future where a man will be praised for being brave enough to be vulnerable. In the meantime, let’s all try to be a little kinder. The world could use it.
COMMENTS:
Kingslayer99: If you lie down with dogs, you wake up with fleas. He’s getting exactly what he deserves.
Will4Ever86: Who asked you, Kingslayer? NO ONE, so shut up. We need to stand by Will. #freewill
SweetandSavoryMan: I agree with Kingslayer. These people don’t deserve our pity. Did this Will Banks guy have a tough childhood? Yeah, sort of, I guess, but he also grew up rich (come on – his family owns a resort in the Caribbean?) and has done well for himself. So many folks have it much worse so let’s not praise a man for feeling sorry for himself and trying to get the world to join him in his pity party.
4x4Dude: I’m going to call him Sir Cries-a-Lot. Don’t know who thought of it, but it’s going to stick if I can help it. After all the things he said about Bear Grylls? He can suck it.
Chapter 19
The Greeting Party Blues…
Will
Well,that happened in record speed. I only finished filming the special three hours ago, and clips of me bawling have already gone viral. I’m pacing in front of the Paradise Bay Resort lobby while I wait for my fiancée and future in-laws to show up. According to Reynard (who got word from Arabella’s bodyguard, Bellford), they’ll be here in eight minutes. Reynard is standing in the shade nearby, the pre-wedding film crew is setting up the cameras, and I’m fidgeting like a grade school boy who’s had to wee for the last hour.
The horrible truth is I’ll never fit in with Arabella’s people.
