SO MANY OF MY FRIENDS JUDGED POTENTIAL MATES FROM THE OUTSIDE IN, FOCUSING FIRST ON THEIR LOOKS AND FINANCIAL PROSPECTS. IF IT TURNED OUT THE PERSON THEY'D CHOSEN WASN'T A GOOD COMMUNICATOR OR WAS UNCOMFORTABLE WITH BEING VULNERABLE, THEY SEEMED TO THINK TIME OR MARRIAGE VOWS WOULD FIX THE PROBLEM. BUT BARAK HAD ARRIVED IN MY LIFE A WHOLLY FORMED PERSON. FROM OUR VERY FIRST CONVERSATION HE'D SHOWN ME THAT HE WASN'T SELF-CONSCIOUS ABOUT EXPRESSING FEAR OR WEAKNESS AND THAT HE VALUED BEING TRUTHFUL.
