Get comfortable, this one is a bit long.
So last week I went to North Carolina with my girlfriend to visit her dad and step mom there. We stayed for a week in their new house and about 4 days into the trip their washer broke.
I didn't really want to go 3 more days with dirty sweaty clothes so I asked them to drop me off at a laundry place. My gf was going to go but her two young step sisters begged her to stay and help them with their homework.
So I figured, ok i'll go by myself just pick me up in a few hours. Her dad was nice enough to drop me off that evening to this tiny little place to get my clothes washed.
I walked in to an empty place and wondered if anyone even worked here. The place was extremely hot, and the fact that it was 80 degrees already didn't help at all.
I noticed an employee sitting in the back reading, wearing a thick grey sweater with the company logo on it and shorts.
First reaction: Is this guy nuts? I could literally see the sweat rolling down his face. So I walk over to him and the quarter machine and understand why he has the sweater on.
As he walks past me I couldn't help but notice the C cups he was sporting. I grab my change and walk by him again, now while he sat and watched TV by my laundry.
"Wow, you must be pretty hot in that thing." I said to him. He said he is OK in a rather nervous way. We chatted for bit, as I noticed his shy demenor. I try to think of a 'pleasant' way to break the ice about gyne.
"You know, I used to wear sweaters like that to cover mine up, too" I blurt out without really thinking. I caught him off gaurd. Again, nervously he says "cover what?". I reply "My chest, I had a pretty big chest at one time."
Then the gyne conversation ensues. I lift up my shirt and say, "I just had surgery in July. See the scars and the swelling on this side?". I start telling him how it changed my life for the better, helped my confidence and all that stuff. He becomes a bit more at ease and starts telling me his side of the story.
He is 38 now, and had it since he was 12 or so. His case was a bit more severe than most, probably a large C or so. He was always overweight, but not enough to justify a chest that large. He spoke about the torment in middle/high school, always getting teased and grabbed. Next came stories of female rejection, angst, and alienation.
He dropped out of college to avoid the teasing any more. The parents weren't supportive at all, they justified it by being slightly overweight, saying it will go away with weight loss. After that he became reclusive, working menial jobs with little social contact and barely stayed in touch with family. He had very few friends.
He didn't know it was called gynecomastia, but was aware it was an actual condition. I told him surgery was the way to go but he insisted he was too broke. I talked about finiacing it, or getting a loan. I speculated surgery could probably be done for $5K or less around there.
I shared a few brief snippets of teenage struggle, and going thru with surgery and how it isn't bad at all. I could see he was interested, and he mentioned he was trading in his '96 truck for something new soon. He concluded a private party sale could help him get money for it. He almost seemed excited by the possibility.
We finished talking since he had to do a few things around the building, and I started folding my laundry. The guy seemed to have vanished, so I packed up my stuff and waited outside for my ride.
I sat there in awe of the conversation, since I've never spoke of it to anyone but my girlfriend. Out of nowhere I hear a voice and turn around, "Hey" he says in an almost apologetic voice. "Thank you for thr advice, it was very inpspiring. I think I'm going to go thru with it." He extends his hand, we shake and say good bye as he goes back inside to close the place down.
In a way I felt bad for the guy. He lived his life for the longest time as a depressed, alienated person. On the other hand, I think he sounded sincere when he said he was pretty sure he was opting for surgery now. The fact is, its never too late to change your life. I'm just glad I did earlier.
Topic: My vacation gyne story... (Read 4624 times)
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