Gallant just didn’t get it when it came to relating to people. But it turned out to be seven pages of … well, I was one of the characters in the scene, which was extremely graphic and not what we agreed on. He acted enthusiastic about writing a paper in which they interacted. I introduced him to Kerouac, Bukowski, Burroughs. Most teenagers think they have one, but his was the real thing, and I’m one of the few teachers who can relate to it. Goofus had a top-notch bullshit detector. That was what it was all about-he followed the rules because it gave him the advantage. Finally it dawned on me that he used that politeness as a way of controlling me. But when someone is polite to the point of having that Moonie quality, it gets to you. I thought him the perfect gentleman, and of course my parents loved him. We used to talk about James Taylor during lunch. Gallant was one of the few mature guys in our high school.
2005 gallant full#
Then I did the same thing with my finger, showing him how full of shit he was. He loved doing the candle trick, moving his hand through the flame and pretending he didn’t mind the pain. He would talk about the “Will to Power.” But there was also some G. I could tell he had picked up his Nietzscheism from a comic book. Volunteers for everything, like our literary journal, Chrysalis - all that stupid stuff. Gallant sits down in the front row and starts sucking up to Mr. Everyone thought they were brothers, but it turns out their fathers were just transferred at the same time to the cereal plant in town. It was weird they started at our school at the exact same time. Is there some cosmic, universal book of manners? I knew they’d find a way to make him pay, though. That’s why he put up that wall and was “rude,” but who’s to say which way is right? It’s just a social construct. I was drawn to him because I sensed he was hurting inside. My memory of Goofus is that people saw what they wanted to.
I rode on an airplane with him once, and he wouldn’t start eating his meal until everyone was served. That freak belonged to the cult of manners.
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