I like to think that Shane’s 35th birthday treats him more gently. I like to think that some of his fears and anxieties have been softened by love and happiness. I like to think that maybe he still has some residual anxiety, he gets a little tense, but Ilya won’t allow him to feel bad. He’ll shower Shane with love and affection and compliments, he’ll hold him close and tell him how handsome and beautiful he looks, how happy he is to help him celebrate another year. And I think, that on Shane’s 35th birthday, he smiles. And that’s a newer thing, but it’s gotten easier, over the years, as he’s gotten comfortable, as he’s begun to feel more at ease. Happiness looks so good on him. 35 feels so distant from 30 in the way that it feels less suffocating, less pressurized. He is so loved, he is surrounded by love, and he has happiness he could’ve never imagined, the first time he introduced himself to an interesting boy outside a skating rink in Saskatchewan. I think, that by the time Shane reaches his 35th birthday, he doesn’t feel so bad anymore. I think he looks forward to his birthday now, even when he’s anxious. 35 looks promising on Shane Hollander.













