Journal December 2025 Release - Flipbook - Page 99
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Mauricio/David: Steven, it sounds to me that the time you spent with one another
and the closeness you felt to one another was unparalleled. Was there a
kind of magic between you? Do you know what I mean?
Quentin as Steven: Quentin and I knew we were good friends without talking
about it. It was an understanding between us. Most people try too hard to
be liked by their friends, but with Quentin, we were ourselves and liked each
other without effort. That’s just the way life went. Life put us next to each
other… that was the magic.
Mauricio: Steven, is there anything about Quentin that you can think about that
might have played a role in you wanting to develop and nourish this
connection?
Quentin as Steven: His friendship.
Mauricio: Beautiful. If okay with you, now let’s travel in time again… Steven, you
have been diagnosed with cancer. Quentin is going through a lot of pain
because of what you’re going through. What do you think about this pain
your friend is experiencing right now?
Quentin: I don’t even know how to answer that. I don’t know. I’m wondering if
that ever even crossed his mind.
The question seemed to throw Quentin off, and for a moment, he stepped out of
the role of Steven. Perhaps seeing his pain reflected through his friend’s eyes was
simply too much for him to tolerate in that moment—another glimpse into his
ongoing struggle with vulnerability, which continued to surface from time to time.
After all, the voice of “Quentin-behind-the-mask” was only beginning to emerge,
while the performance of toughness remained a well-developed and rehearsed
narrative. Still, I chose to stay with this line of inquiry, letting awkwardness carry
me forward. It felt like an important opportunity to finally explore the pain of
losing his best friend, a long-suppressed reality that was asking to be expressed
and felt.
In the Company of Awkwardness: Counterstorying Toughness in Therapy
Journal of Contemporary Narrative Therapy, December 2025 Release, p. 88 -106.
www.journalnft.com
