Today I wanted to introduce our protagonist as you first meet him in The Damage a Woman can Do. In his single-digit years of life through eventual adulthood, Michael is a somewhat peculiar child. Ostensibly not driven by need of companionship or desire to mingle, most of Michael’s thoughts and actions are directed inward.

His mother, Eleanor, is the single most powerful figure in his life, and accordingly ranks high on his list of important people. Though his fear for her often trumps the familial feelings of love, Michael is still just a young man looking for acceptance and comfort from the person who brought him into this world.

Unfortunately, for reasons that may become clear, Eleanor cannot love her son back. We all commit sins in our lives with varying degrees of malice and impact; some are harder to earn forgiveness for than others, and sometimes the resultant self-loathing can manifest itself in ways directed outward.

Cheers all,

Cope, Trevor V.