2.5 Stars ( )

Give and Take by Anne Brooke is a concise and powerful short story which touches on two seemingly unrelated themes, and brings them together in a disturbingly thought-provoking manner. Well, I must qualify this statement by stating that this was my particular take on the story. Perhaps the author’s intent was something quite different.The first of these themes is that of grief and how one copes to reestablish oneself as an individual after a significant loss. David suffers the loss of his partner Patrick, to whom he was deeply devoted. The couple had shared many years together, and Patrick, being five years David’s senior, initially was responsible for much of the decision making. When Patrick fell ill, however, this burden fell solely upon David’s shoulders. Since the onset of Patrick’s cancer, David has felt burdened by these responsibilities, and after his partner’s death, David is both grief-stricken and overwhelmed by the weight of all these decisions.On what would have been Patrick’s fiftieth birthday, two years after his passing, David makes a decision to have sex. He’s a very fit, young-looking forty-five, and he feels confident (or at least he tries convincing himself of this fact) that he can hook up with someone for a single night of meaningless, no-strings-attached sex.David goes to a club looking for a partner, and meets a bartender named Jeff. The barkeep is very attractive, although nearly two decades David’s junior. The two leave the bar together, and go to Jeff’s apartment where David is abruptly confronted by memories of Patrick which threaten to dash David’s hopes of getting laid.Jeff allows David to vent his grief and anxiety, and the two spend some time talking about Patrick and about David’s feelings. Finally they do become intimate, which leads me to the second theme to which I’d previously alluded, this being the discovery and awakening of a Dom/sub dynamic within a relationship. More specifically, the story examines the manner in which the Dominant or submissive character of an individual is revealed and ultimately manifested.Our lovemaking—no wait…our sex is not something that exists within a vacuum. It is an expression of who we are, not only as personalities, but also as emotional beings who have specific needs at specific times. David had existed for two years in a grief-stricken state. He felt overwhelmed with responsibility. He felt vulnerable. He needed to be guided, to be told what to do. He needed to strive to please someone other than himself and to feel he’d been successful in his attempt.Although the story is written exclusively in one point-of-view, that of David, it is clear that Jeff experienced an awakening of his own. His character actually arced significantly during the course of these thirty-two pages. I found it interesting that Jeff initially was addressing his older customer as “Sir”. He perhaps was a bit taken by the gentleman’s good looks and charm, and I suspect he was flattered when David finally propositioned him. How deliciously ironic it is that this all changed, and so quickly.How perceptive it is, in my opinion, that this author would understand so keenly how loss and grief shape an individual within the context of a BDSM relationship. It was the grief which triggered David’s vulnerability. This vulnerability signaled Jeff and awakened his Dominant side. The two halves fit together so perfectly, and it is my sense that the couple will continue to explore their own identities. I don’t think any short story has ever given me pause the way this one has. It really gave me a lot to reflect upon. Anne Brooke is a marvelous storyteller and an amazing writer, and I bet I’m still going to be digesting this thought-provoking read for days to come. ( )

Anne Brooke has the ability to tell you an entire life in a short story. David is a 45 years old man; he is handsome and wealthy, but he is lonely; his long-lasting life partner, 13 years of life together, has died 2 years before and David has spent this time mourning. But now David realizes that Patrick is dead, but he himself is still alive, and he needs the human touch. With strong determination, David plans a night out, and he also plans to come back home with someone, not the first man he will meet, but at least someone that could be a good bedroom companion for one night.

Problem is that David, even if almost middle age and successful, gave me the idea of not being a leader. From bit pieces of memories here and there, we understand that Patrick was the leader in their relationship, and David related to him for the most important decisions, but also for their everyday routine. Now David is unbalanced: he is not a desperate middle age man without any chance to find a lover, but David has not the inner strength to be the initiator of a sexual innuendo. And if he thinks to find a partner in a night club where most of the patrons are 20 something boys, he is on for a big delusion.

But David is lucky, since he connects with Jeff, the barman, that even if younger, appreciates the union of a handsome older man who likes to be ordered around; probably Jeff finds strength in being the top of someone so obviously above him, in so many level, age, wealth, culture…

Nor David or Jeff are searching for a long-term relationship, and maybe that is not what they will find, but in the end, David’s age and experience will make their appearance, letting the reader knows that, even if David likes to be on the bottom, he is clever enough to understand that it’s a tricky game of illusion when your partner is so younger than you.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003HO5UXI/?tag=elimyrevandra-20