“

It could be any of us.

“

When I asked Sean why he hadn’t had any contact with me for five years, he said that his lover Doug was extremely jealous of me because Sean had been seeing us both at the same time. Sean was calling from the Jupiter Holiday Inn, where he was attending a conference of software users for his firm. He said it was his 23rd birthday.

“

Spiders. Don’t tell me you don’t share my fear. The legs! The eyes! The way they lurk in corners! Spiders are the worst.

“

Vito kissed me hello, then asked, “Do you ever feel embarrassed by me?” No, I told him, pretty much honestly.

“

If you use the “slow fade,” you are the ugly hobgoblin spawn of Satan. It’s just a fact. There is literally nothing worse than inviting someone to go somewhere or do something and getting a “maybe.”

“

It was like a sick joke, I wouldn’t believe it if someone had told me it happened to them.

“

“Yeah, but if I have to die with anybody, I’d rather it be with you guys,” I replied.

“

The mean in life, we must never forget, is punctuated bursts of violence and destruction and someone else’s whim.