RESURRECT!
This story was elegant and nuanced without wasted words... intricate yet solid. I'm enamored. Please forgive the novel that follows.
In the closing comments, Dave asks about the attainment of redemption-- and forgiveness.
What occurs to me is that redemption does not require forgiveness. Redemption can, and maybe should, be entirely internal. You must do right by you. Forgiveness on the other hand is about external validation, reward-seeking.
"Poor Borquil, unhappy Borquil"-- he sees himself in the simple terms of a child. He is vastly immature, and he lives with his decisions only by effort of denial and rationalization; but that's not so hard because, like a child he is easily distracted, can tune out intruding introspections with a song.
It is only being literally forced to face the repercussions of his actions-- and the beginning of suffering those repercussions firsthand-- that allows empathy to take root.
So, does Borquil expect thanks/forgiveness for freeing old whatsername? I don't think so. That would suggest his usual self-serving calculations; but we are shown exactly what he's thinking before he speaks, and there isn't time for him to rationalize. His infantile solipsism cracks with force, lashing him into this (first ever?) unpremeditated unselfish act. He gets spat on, baby feels sad, but hey, taking responsibility is the first step in building integrity and that's a hard task to start on.
One time I was working with this awful sexist douchebag disagreeable person who, when he wasn't splaining or being vulgar for vulgarity's sake, wouldn't stop narrating his life's many resentments. He told me that he was cheating on his partner of many years, didn't love her or enjoy her company and in fact wished he could be rid of her, but stayed with her because it was convenient that she took care of his kid.
I told him he should have some self-respect and come clean with her so they could both move on with their lives.
The next day he approaches scowling to tell me that he did as I advised, and got yelled at, thanks a lot!!!
Perhaps he'd had too much time to envision the rewards and praise that must surely come with doing the right thing?
One might hope poor Borquil realized the less tangible value of his action, years later, after the disappointment of not getting a pat on the head from those he wronged wore off.