Achilles and Patroclus

I’ve been working on my “childhood” memoir KID STUFF since the middle of last year and have just now wrapped it up with a 12^th and final chapter called THE VALEDICTATOR.

In the disturbed aftermath of my insane obsession with Annette Funicello, my busy senior year in an Arkansas high school brought a whirlwind of social activity, heavier work in our café, and anxiety about college. For the first time I began to feel like a “normal” teenage boy. However, in escaping from Annette’s enchantment, I ceased most heterosexual inclinations. My frequent strong attractions to and affections for boys I cleverly rationalized as profound brotherly love in the tradition of Achilles and Patroclus. At the mature age of 18, I remained an innocent virgin who had never kissed or even touched anybody impurely (other than myself).

###