erbert

ll to his apartment building through a dam

y used to park his Porsche in the back alley so none of his fraternit

ntic. I told myself real intimacy needed no witnesses, that wi

ad ever made came floodi

inner because he had a headache and insist

master bathroom for two hours, curled up on the hard

the upscale apartment building

rm, looked up from the front

Herbert. Mr. Pittm

here to pick up some tax

evator and watched th

, I stood in front of

s. It was the anniversary of his grandmother's death,

ort and sharp, and the re

d and tr

ight blin

appeared on the dis

tly in the s

clicked fro

yway. He was still wearing his tuxedo pants, but his bow tie

h an undertone of Sherry's

his hand froze on the brass latch, a

't work," I sai

is gaze sliding past my sho

"Sherry came by to help me pick cufflinks for the gala. She said

as if he were disc

s bare feet, then at

ir of green satin heels ha

bedroom. "Did you find my silk robe? The shower wa

gid, his jaw

ce and blocked most of the d

voice full of caution. "Tyler spilled his drink on her in

ed pas

didn't have a

as only the half bath off the kitche

augh slipped o

the laugh of relief, of an

tending not to care for? Joey, you humiliated yourself at that gala tonight. Slamming a ke

rd and my birth certificate," I s

for the familiar signs: the tears of grieva

und n

till as a frozen

ised ego sent his tempe

ness function for my father's company. That's how the real world works! You hav

rawer,

nd retreated into

you get your head smashed out th

e manila envelope holding my personal documen

ssy printed brochure

said, arms crossed, leaning against the marble countertop. "Forty thousand a year, decent benef

lope and opened it t

certificat

ort was t

the library three days ago and quietly tucked be

ven bothered to o

hat my life was supposed to run on t

ics brochure lyin

eed the jo

y sc

at some nonprofit, aren't you? Joey, wake up. You have no fallback. Your gra

ted at renting a studio of my own, whenever I mentioned applyin

oneliness into a c

ting his eyes, holding them. "Which

ut before he could speak,

d in her own cream silk robe, her d

d when she saw

l, tight with alarm. "What is

dn't loo

d on me, his breath

me papers," Avery said, and e

ped the black thrift-store coat up to m

after me, hurrying to

old and turned my head

from down the hall, "I'll make it up to you. We'll go to Chicago, just the two of us. I'll even post a picture of

ught four years of humiliation could be wiped out with a weeke

y evening, Av

door shut behind me. The electronic lock c