Pain

A friend of mine shared that they were sexually abused as a child, just the other day.
His eyes were dark and pained , even though he was smiling
The comment was almost hidden within another comment on another subject but it was there and screamed within a sentence like an Opera singer's High B
I've heard many confessions like this before. Being a former Samaritan it was an almost commonplace event on the phone lines
But it was only a second such sharing I had ever received from a friend
And I paused for a moment
Thinking carefully on how to respond.
" That was a brave thing to share" I told him after the pause
He nodded and made light of everything so I asked if he wanted to talk about things
"Not now!" he told me firmly
And that's where we left it

There is so much pain hidden away in some people
The secret of it sometimes showing in their eyes