CONTENTS
Three Introductions
I. Friends of My Youth
SPENT LARGELY IN NEW JERSEY (1958–1978)
The Alpha
The Perfect Couple
Two First Cousins
Their Mother
The Eye Doctor
The Fourth
The Cat with Nine Lives
The Man Who Could Take Off His Thumb
The Painter
The Tomb of the Unknown Yogi
The Mah-Jongg Player
Ringo
The Queen of New Jersey
The Diplomat
The Social Worker
The Golf Pro
The Second Cousin Once Removed
The Young Uncle
The Neighbor
The Classmate
The Big Sister
The Virgin
The Camp Director
The Mensch
The Thin White Duke
My Advisor
The Golden Boy
The Driving Instructor
II. The Austin Years
INCLUDING NEW ORLEANS (1977–1999)
The Warrior Poetess
The Jeweler
The Carpenter
The Publisher
The Clown
The Humanoid from Houston
The Art Star
The Showgirl
The Role Model
The Junkie
The Skater
Who Dat
Three Lost Boys
The Brother-in-Law
The Jewish Floridian
The King of the Condo
The Baby
The Photographer
The Rancher
The Twin
The Neatnik
The Democrat
The Wunderkind
The Young Hercules
The Dentist
The Sikh
The Counselor
The Second-Grade Teacher
The Velveteen Rabbit
The Werewolf
The Queen of the Scene
The Volunteer
The All-American
The Father of the Bride
The Belle of the Ball
The Southern Writer
The Competition
The Paid Professional Codependent
The Bon Vivant
The Professor of Desire
Portrait of a Lady
The Statistic
The Man of Letters
The Realtor
The Old Rake
The Graduate
III. We Were Ten Years in Pennsylvania
(1999–2009)
The Mother of Four
The Quiet Guy
The Bad Brother
The Little Brother
The Conscientious Objector
The Last Brother
The Last Straw
The Bad Influence
The Nurse
The Burning Man
The Man of Honor
The Soldier
The House
The RA
The Family Guy
The Maid
The Little Bird
The Montessori Teacher
The Ambassador’s Wife
The Playwright
Sixteen Thousand Fairies
IV. Love in the Time of Baltimore
(2009–2018)
The Belligerent Stream
The Grandmother-General
The Babydaddy
The Southern Gentleman
The Squash Player
The Assistant Superintendent
His Brother
Her Son
The Artist
The French Horn Player
The Big Man
The Very Tiny Baby
The Innocents
Two Slips of the Knife
The Missing Sister
The Very Quiet Boy
His Dog
Jack
The Talent
The Pirate
The Man Who Loved Women
The Best Student
The Happy Man
The Boy with the Wrong Story
The Bubbes and Zaydes
El Suegro
The Leader of the Pack
The VIP Lounge
The Living
Notes
Acknowledgments