ok sorry, but, this was insanely cute:
It was a hard thing being a decent boy. Judging from everything Alipang heard and saw, worthless bums and exploiters had girls hanging on them like tags on shirts at a store; but how could HE ever even get started? It was piercingly painful to be grimly certain that he had NO chance at all with Kiom... and yet to be unable to stop wishing she would at least show a desire to TALK with him.
You are a very accomplished writer. there are too few guys like that^
It was a hard thing being a decent boy. Judging from everything Alipang heard and saw, worthless bums and exploiters had girls hanging on them like tags on shirts at a store; but how could HE ever even get started? It was piercingly painful to be grimly certain that he had NO chance at all with Kiom... and yet to be unable to stop wishing she would at least show a desire to TALK with him.
You are a very accomplished writer. there are too few guys like that^