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Grace and I had the kind of relationship that might have made other women jealous β I appeared happy to exist in her shadow. We always went where she wanted: bad comedy sets, bad poetry recitals, bad concerts by posh, sweaty men who subsequently developed a reputation for grooming
schoolgirls.
I was content to make room for her, to be a worthy and dutiful addendum to someone elseβs life. There was something refreshing, perhaps even feminist about my turmoil. How good I was, how nice I was β I was so nice, it was almost unbelievable. I was the perfect man.
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