Lisa Fliegel / Bonnie Raitt

My new friend Chris who when I first met him I wanted to call him Steve, for some reason, said to me the other day at the Marlble House Project: “I grew up on movies, it’s as if I raised by wolves.” I told him it was the most incredible sentence; and he said “what’s the big deal; it’s just words.”

“Just words!?” I said, mortified; afterall, I’m writing a book. A great sentence is never just words; it leads you into a good story like the aroma of something delicious on the stove, you can taste the story in your mouth, even though the full story has not yet been told. It’s that economy of words that ropes us in like a tight  lasso.

Later that evening Steve, whose name is actually Steve said: “You look really nice.” He said it like three times. I of course responded by saying: “Now is that a problem for you?”

I hear my committee shouting: “What is wrong with YOU — why can’t you just say thank you like  a normal person?!”

Seriously people. Are you kidding me? I’m smarter than that.  I mean looking nice only means trouble. What’s a person supposed to do with that? I mean here I am in my unkempt domain — it’s kind of like I live in a wildlife refuge and now you want to let me out of the park to fend on my own. No way man, you can keep the compliment I’d rather be raised by wolves.