She Said That Her Father's Death Had

Everywhere You Go, You See Women More Beautiful Than Yourself. You Imagine Him Being Attracted To Them. You're Drinking Gasoline To Stay Warm.

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.

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 Feel In Some Ways I've Had A Difficult Life. And It Makes Me The Kind Of Writer I Am, In What I Value, What I Respect, What I Hold Dear.

He Tried To Smile, But It Was Just A Shape His Mouth Made.