one gives in they lose 'Respect' for her. I wanted so much not to push his hands away, but I had no choice.

"But tonight I wasn't fast enough. Harry was at my apartment for supper. We were sitting on the couch, me with a Scotch in my hand, when he put his hand up my dress with out a word, just teasing I think; but he found out and hit me in the face. He knocked me out right away, but I think must have kept kicking me in my stomach. When I woke up I couldn't see out of my left eye. He was still standing there, by the door. I tried to talk to him, but my stomach started burning, and I threw up instead. Believe it or not, I was going to ask him to forgive me, and he just stood there watching me gag. Then he turned and walked out smiling. I know I treated him dirty, but it was inhuman what he did to me. I'm not a queer. I just want to be loved. I never, even as a child, was loved as myself.

"You're a man. A normal man. Tell me, how can everybody hate me so? I can't help being what I am. Please . . . Please help me!"

She broke down, her aloofness gone, she wept on my shoulder. And I couldn't blame her, or hate her. We tottered near the edge. Her listless body, like a corpse to bear, threw me dangerously off balance. The sound of the shallow water lapping the form two hundred feet below brought the full impact of what she planned, home to me. I hugged her tight to stay on the dam. With that she grew calmer her cry now resembling the purr of a kitten. I touched her cheek - turned her soft face up into mine and stared into her deep set eyes.

"Please believe me, I could never hate you," I said. "People today don't have time to sit down and listen to somebody. They must prejudge their friends even. And a total stranger doesn't have a fighting chance if he appears odd. But I'll make some of them listen, some of my friends. And I guarantee you no one will hate you. If you'll come home with me I'll show you there's a world for you to live in."

I knew the moment that she stood up she had believed me. For the first time she seemed scared of falling. We walked back off the dam.

35