Nice,' I Say, Realizing Only Afterward That

We Are All Children Until Our Fathers Die.

I Tried To Avoid Mimi. Her Presence Seemed To Call Forth Every Rejection I'd Ever Experienced-the Teachers Who'd Looked At Me As Though I Held No Promise, The Boys Who Didn't Like Me Back. Around Her, I Became Fourteen Again.

I Realize I Will Never Hear From Dena Again, And I Will Never Call Her. It Gives Me A Chill. It Is A Strange Thing To End A Friendship, Even If You Know It's What You Want. It's Like A Death; All Of A Sudden Your Experience Of A Person Become Finite.

Nice,' I Say, Realizing Only Afterward That I've Mimicked Her, A Bad Habit Of Mine; I'm Like One Of Those Animals That Imitates Its Predators To Survive.

You Have To Shrink Yourself To Fit Into This Little Life With Him.