Chapter 2: Developments
My answer, in response to weighing my evaluation of him and what had happened—which I did about three times an hour in the aftermath of the experience—was: no.
But it turned out I was wrong.
Two days later, in response to my “Hello,” I heard the silence and then, “You available?”
Immediately the rush came—relief, joy, excitement, and fear.
This time when we were both standing in my living room, I felt more uncomfortable than ever—and my face was burning, perhaps because I knew now what to expect. He looked around just like the previous time, and then looked at me.
“Hi,” he said.
This blew me away. He didn’t say it in a friendly way. It was just a greeting, but it was also some acknowledgment—and that felt incredibly important, though he frowned immediately af
