Chapter 7: Ian’s Interview

Sunday morning Danny arrived at Johns at quarter to ten just in time to meet John leaving. Letting himself in the front door, John was in the hall about to go. They had a hug and a kiss then John told him he was taking his friends from last weekend out to Sunday lunch.

‘Have a lovely time,’ Danny told him as he waved him off. Ten minutes later Ian arrived. He came in and they went through to the kitchen. Danny made them both a coffee. Sitting at the table he asked Ian to tell him a bit about his life.

He was slow to get started but was soon in full swing. ‘I lived at home until I was eighteen with my mum and dad, he said ‘I had a brother five years older than me, but he moved away to work when he was eighteen getting his own flat like I did.’

‘I got a job in a garage to start with, then when I was twenty, I moved to my present job on the line in the factory. It’s a bit monotonous at times but the pay is better than the garage.’

‘How did you get on at school?’ Danny asked him, ‘Tell me about hobbies, friends and subjects you liked.’

‘I wasn’t all that good at anything really,’ Ian said, ‘Apart perhaps from technical drawing and metalwork. I quite liked most sports, but I was pretty useless at all of them, so I never got picked for any teams. I was usually the last one picked when sides were selected.’

‘Did that bother you?’ Danny asked, ‘Not really,’ Ian admitted, ‘I knew I was useless, so I just accepted it. I’ve always loved motorbikes and cars,’ he said, ‘So I guess that’s my main hobby and why I started off in a garage.’

‘What about friends?’ Danny asked. ‘I had a couple of good ones,’ Ian told him, ‘Like me they were no good at sport. We were all quiet types. One of them liked motors the same as me. The other two liked fishing. I wasn’t wild about it, but I was happy enough to go along occasionally and fish with them. It was relaxing just sitting at the side of a pond, or a stream and chatting.’

‘I’m glad you mentioned relaxing,’ Danny told him. ‘Your problem is very personal. I know you would have difficulty talking about it to anyone, let alone someone young as I am. So, in a moment we’re going to go through into the lounge where I will do my best to get you relaxed and at ease with me enough for you to feel able to open up.’

‘Let me remind you that nothing you say or do will leave here. You may decide to tell Jenny all or some of it later, but she will not hear anything from me.’

‘I’m sure you have already realised that as the problem involves sex and a close relationship, your past experiences in these fields are a necessary topic for discussion. As are your genitals and their capabilities as well as your desires.’

‘At this moment you are probably thinking, I can’t possibly discuss any of that with him, but I can assure you that everyone I have ever counselled has felt like that at the start. Also, although I have no doubt you think your problem is peculiar to you, it is very unlikely that you will tell me anything that I have not heard before.’

‘Finally, I told you yesterday that you were the only one who could spoil things. Clearly you have not done so, so there is excellent hope of a happy solution. However, there is absolutely nothing I can do to help unless I have your full co-operation.’

‘So, forget how you feel about telling me things for the moment, just come into the lounge determined to succeed and follow my guide. We will move at your speed not mine, but only you can decide at each step to move forward. Are you willing to give it a try? ‘‘Yes,’ Ian said firmly. Despite his doubts he couldn’t help to have noticed the change in Jenny since her session yesterday.

They got up and Danny led the way through to the lounge. ‘Sit on the settee for a moment,’ Danny told him. ‘Everyone is different,’ Danny said, ‘So I have to adapt my questions and my methods to suit. I think you are going to be one of the more difficult ones to relax fully. So, I can only ask you to trust me and try.’

‘In a moment, I’d like to sound your chest. That means I will put my hand on your chest and tap it with my other hand whilst you take deep breaths, have you ever had that done before?’ On Ian replying no, Danny said, ‘Please stand up and take your top things off.’

Ian did so, uncovering a broad muscular chest. He had a large area of thick chest hairs. Standing about five-foot nine high, he looked physically strong. ‘Have you ever had any medical issues?’ Danny asked. ‘I had my appendix out when I was eleven,’ Ian told him, ‘But nothing else.’

Following Danny’s instructions, Ian took a succession of deep breaths, each one he held for a while. As he did, Danny placed one hand on various spots on his chest. Then he tapped the back of his hand with his other hand. He did it four times on his front and four on the back. The sound of his tapping echoed lovely and clear. ‘Hear that nice echo, that means your chest is fine at least,’ Danny told him.

‘Now, take your shoes off and lie down on the settee.’ Once Ian was in place Danny sat on the edge of the settee alongside him. ‘In a moment

I want you to turn over,’ Danny told him. ‘I’m then going to massage down your back from your head to your feet to relax you whilst I ask you questions about yourself. If I ask you a question that you find too embarrassing to answer at that time, just say pass and we’ll move on. But remember, If I don’t get all the information from you, I can’t produce all of the solution for you.’

‘Turn over when you’re ready,’ Danny said. He waited until Ian was settled. Then rested his hands on the back of Ian’s head. He massaged it for a moment, then moved down to his shoulders. As he went down his back Danny asked. ‘How did you get on with your brother.’

Danny went down his back, over his cheeks and down his legs. As he went over his cheek’s he felt Ian tense up a little, but it passed once he moved onto his thighs. By the time he had reached his feet, Ian had told him quite a bit. ‘Until he was twelve and I was six we shared a room. We got on well enough considering our age difference. Then we moved to a slightly bigger house. My uncle had come to live with us, so we moved to a four-bedroom house. After that we had separate rooms and things were never the same.’

As Danny started back up again, he asked, ‘How was your brother different after the move?’ Danny went back up his legs, then he massaged both cheeks, this time with hardly any tension. Going up his back Ian said, ‘Apart from being in separate rooms, he wasn’t any different for a while, then he became quieter and subdued. I didn’t really notice it at the time, it’s only when I think back now.’ ‘Was he any different in attitude to you when you were alone together,’ Danny asked as he returned to Ian’s head.