There are lots of things he's saying- leading thousands of men, the battlefields of Europe, a place so far away I can hardly imagine it. Being super, being one of a kind. Being big and strong and special.

I can't tell if I feel angry or embarrassed. It feels like being made fun of, even though I can tell he isn't, he's really not. And I guess it's only embarrassing that I want to believe all the things he says so badly. Either way, my face goes hot. I'm sort of all mixed up about it, but all I can think of to say is, "I've never been farther from Brooklyn than the Bronx."