manly or not?

...this time, is whatever I want it to mean.: "I stood on the ferry the other night waiting for the boat to pull into the dock. It's a long and laborious task (well, depending on the time of day and one's mood), but I stood there as this man in front of me was text messaging his son. He couldn't have been all that much older than me, but he was writing to him offering some support in what seemed like a time of need. 'Son, just keep your grades up and your head up. I promise you that everything will get better and I miss you everyday!' he wrote to him.

I couldn't help but wonder what horrible thing was going on in this boy's life that he needed such reassurance, but it was then that I realized that this man must be absent in his everyday life and I'm sure that must be difficult for any boy. I can't imagine what my life would have been like in that same situation. I'm pretty fortunate when it comes to family life...not everyone has what I do.

It was also at that minute that I noticed the tear running down the face of the man and him wiping it away with his finger. Apparently, he needed some reassurance of his own. He just looked up, took a deep breath and regained his composure. He stood there for a split second and then he noticed I was looking and he just smiled and looked over at me. I just smiled back and nodded...almost giving him one of those, it's all good kind of smiles...a pat on the back without the touch kind of moments. He just nodded in agreement.

I don't know if we were really thinking the same thing at that moment. Maybe he was just wondering why this guy was starring at him, but I doubt it. I think he knew that I saw someone hurting at that moment and offered a 'hand'...some reassurance...that everything just might end up OK.

They say in life that it's not manly to be caught crying, but keeping it bottled up and turning cold on the inside isn't too attractive as a manly attribute either."