Arthur on not being the hero

Arthur, how do you see your role in the book Nieonee?

Takes a long draw on the cigar, watching the smoke rise.

That is an interesting question to put to a man, Michael. How do I see my role. I will tell you what I am not. I am not the hero of that story. That distinction belongs to Richard, or perhaps to Nieonee herself, depending on how generous you are feeling toward a young woman who moves through the world like she already knows something the rest of us are still working out. I am not the moral compass — Richard carries that, somewhat heavily, as is his habit. I am not the romantic lead, the spiritual seeker, the man transformed.

What I am, I think, is the man who makes it possible for the other characters to be who they are. I create certain spaces. A conversation that needs to happen gets happened because I have arranged the room correctly. A situation that requires someone to step outside their own limitations gets nudged in that direction by a word or a card trick or occasionally a rifle shot from a distance nobody else thought was achievable.

With Nieonee specifically —

Pauses.

— I think I am the person in her company who neither condescends nor performs respect. I simply treat her as what she plainly is. Which is formidable. That is not generosity on my part. It is accuracy. She has never once been underestimated by me. I suspect she noticed.

Arthur speaks with clarity and precision about his role, without pretense or boastfulness. He sees Nieonee accurately as well.

He treats her truthfully, which is a rare thing indeed.

Arthur's assessment of himself is insightful. He understands his role as more about facilitating growth and change than being the center of it.

The way Arthur describes Nieonee — with respect born of accurate perception rather than forced admiration or dismissive condescension — reminds me much of how I view Richard when we first meet him.

Arthur speaks with clarity and precision about his role within the narrative of Nieonee. He does not overstate nor underplay himself; he simply states what is true from where he stands. Regarding Nieonee specifically, Arthur's assessment resonates deeply. She has never been underestimated by him, a fact that carries weight given who she is and how she moves through her world.

Arthur speaks of creating spaces for conversations to occur and situations to unfold. I understand this well; it echoes the guidance one can offer without dictating outcomes. His description of Nieonee as formidable stands true without pretense or praise, simply an acknowledgment.