100 Words - Starved

 

Carlson’s unofficial diagnosis was that he was starved for affection. Though that implies that there was no one in his life willing to give him affection. There was. Following the food analogy, Carlson was a man surrounded by food, but did not know how to eat.

He was a quiet child. His parents were outgoing people and never understood Carlson’s need for a push into social situations. By the time he was a teenager he was self-sufficient. Dad never gave him the sex talk. Mom never tried to set him up with the neighbor girls. He was on his own.