An Earnest Kid

He was an earnest kid. A little too earnest. With his serious demeanor and closely cropped dark hair, he looked like he had been making all “A’s” since grade school and would go on making them all through business school and law school. His lips were full and protruded in a way that might be sensual if he ever allowed himself to pucker them. His nose turned up a little, and his ears stuck out just a bit. If his features had been slightly more exaggerated, he might resemble Alfred E. Neuman, but as they were, he was cute, or at least he might be if he relaxed. He lowered his brow and studied me in a way that suggested he expected to catch me in a lie at any second. Maybe because he had been wronged before and hurt. I wondered what he would look like laughing…joyously and unselfconsciously.