then he began to speak like one in a trance. "It was a
nice day when we started out. I wasn't anxious to go at
first. Jean kept taunting me, making fun of me for
being so unathletic. 'You're as pale as a bank teller,' he
said. 'No wonder Daphne would rather spend her time
with me. Come on, get yourself into the fresh air.
Let's test those muscles and limbs.'
"Finally, I gave in and accompanied him to the
lake. The sky had already begun to change. There
were storm clouds hovering along the horizon. I
warned him about it, but he laughed and said I was
just trying to find another excuse. We started sailing. I
wasn't as ignorant about it as I pretended and I didn't like my younger brother telling me to do this or that
like some galley slave.
"He seemed particularly arrogant to me that
day. How I hated his self-confidence. Why didn't he
have any doubts about himself like I had? Why was
he so secure in the presence of women, especially
Daphne?
"The clouds mounted, expanding,
mushrooming, darkening, and the wind grew fiercer.
Our sailboat rose and fell as the water became rougher
and rougher. Every time I urged Jean to turn us back
to shore, he laughed at me for not being adventurous
enough.
"This is where we test our manhood,' he
declared. 'We look Nature in the eye and we don't
blink.'
"I pleaded with him to be more sensible and he
continued to mock me for being too sensible. 'Women