Compulsions

He said:
She was nine when it began
Ella is her name
The apple of my eye--
My granddaughter
Started pulling out her eyelashes.
She saw  a counselor for a while
I was scared
What grandfather doesn't want to protect his baby?
My daughter's child
My lineage
My wife and I were both relieved when she stopped
That is until she started again a year later
Then her 6 year old brother began pulling hair out of his head
My daughter has an education degree
As does her husband
Their marriage seems okay
Ella and Henry do well in school
They seem happy
Life is funny though
Appearances can be deceiving
Like with us
What's that you say?
She said:
On the outside it looked like
I was ready to fuck you once
I got you alone
And while I may have harbored
Thoughts
And fantasies
I never would have compromised
My marriage
Your marriage
Or our friendship
I love you
Add four years to your age and you're old Enough to be my father
Granted I was swept away
By our descriptive writing
Swooning from your every word
Challenged by your writing
And your intellect
And your laughter
Stressed out by my own failing marriage
Filled with anxiety
And fatigue
What's that you say?
He said:
Ella and Henry eventually stopped.
Looking back I wonder if there was some
Genetic predisposition
Or if it was hormonal
Or emotional
Or environmental
Or a combination that triggered
The pulling out of their hair.
What's that you say?
She said:
Is stress causing any of this?
I thought about defriending you on
Facebook
Maybe that's the right thing to do
To what extreme should I go?
Do I have a moral obligation
To ban our sparse interaction
When his good wife has yet to heal
And hasn't forgiven either of us
But mostly me?
Suffering each and every day
Missing my friend
Yes the elephant remains
In the room.
He said:
Kids grow up
Trichotillomania it's called
Someday we can be friends
Ella ' s eyelashes never grew back
And Henry's bald spot is about an
Inch in diameter
You?
How are you doing with the mole
On your face?
Are you still obsessing about
The hair that grows in it
An adult compulsion nevertheless?
Life is funny
As we all face our own compulsions
And grow up
The more things change
The more things stay the same
Time for some counseling my dear?
I tried that.