The Silence Was Part Of The Story

Although Salinger Had Long Since Cut Me Out Of His Life Completely And Made It Plain That He Had Nothing But Contempt For Me, The Thought Of Becoming The Object Of His Wrath Was More Than I Felt Ready To Take On.

The Real Drug, I Came To Believe, Was Love.

Some Literary Types Subscribe To The Notion That Being A Writer Like Salinger Entitles A Person To Remain Free Of The Standards That Might Apply To Mere Mortals.

I'd Known Enough Flush Times And Lean Ones To Understand That Money Came And Went. And That One Day I'd Also Lose My Looks, My Seemingly Boundless Energy And Maybe The Ability To Catch The Eye Of An Attractive Man And The Audacity To Rollerblade. My Name Would Be Forgotten. So Would Bad Reviews, And Good Ones. But Loving A Child Is Something That Lasts. Long After All The Rest Is Gone, That's What Endures.

For 25 Years, I Did Take My Responsibilities As A Pleaser Of Others Sufficiently Seriously.