There was little doubt that fifteen year old Cory was a bit of a nerd. He would forever be going to the local library and taking out books. He would go to his room and read and read.
He was doing well at school of course. His mother was both proud and worried. Shouldn’t he be out doing what other teenagers do; the occasional party even? But no! He was happy to read and study. He did have other interests however; for example, he had a pet goldfish called Norman.
One day, Cory was at school and his mother was in his room putting away laundry. She noticed a copy of Playboy next to his bed. It was slightly covered over. She couldn’t bring herself to look at it. She was both disgusted and amazed. What was she meant to do? Was this a normal part of a boy’s growing up? Was she meant to point out how inappropriate it was? In one way she was pleased he was, well, pleased his interests went beyond his goldfish, and on the other hand she was deeply concerned about the matter.
In the end, she let matters lie. Had she opened the book, she would have discovered her son was reading John Millington Synge’s masterpiece, The Playboy of the Western World.