[Dan doesn't rush people when they're opening up to him. He's known since he was young that that's the way to get people scared off for good, not just from him, but from opening up to anyone. The stakes of vulnerability are high, and he's sure that if he gave Branch the hint of a reason to be scared, Branch would interpret that as evidence that all his walls and boundaries aren't just prudent but necessary for survival.

And Dan's patience is rewarded with the gift of Branch's honesty and forthcomingness. Trust is a gift. Dan sees trust as something precious and sacred, generous to give and a blessing to receive.]

I can't could know exactly how you feel, but...I know a similar feeling. That whole part where you're vulnerable for reasons you can't fix and you just anticipate folks taking advantage of it even if you can't wrap your head around why they would.

[He keeps threading beads as Branch selects the desired ones.]

It ain't the same as being a different size, but I can't read none. [Dan figures he doesn't need to ask Branch to keep that a bit of a secret.] It'd be really easy to take advantage of me. Folks have in the past, sometimes with malice on their mind, sometimes just because they think it's funny, and sometimes the stakes can be pretty high.

[Dan's wound up in jail quite a few times on account of his illiteracy, gone through the trauma of arrests and the humiliation of courtrooms that he didn't understand. He's been iced out of so many places in the world, had so many doors closed on him, been treated as a novelty or subhuman.]

I don't trust many folks, so don't think I'll be pushing you to.