Chapter One
FALL 1993
A fly the size of a Huey Cobra had infiltrated the house and was engaged in strafing missions from the oaken rafters. The main targets were my sweaty neck and forearms where it would alight briefly before taking flight to buzz about my ears, hovering in mid-air only long enough for me to attempt a vain swat or two, after which the troublesome pest would spiral upwards, reveling in its victory at unnerving me. Removing my gold wire-frames, I applied thumb and forefinger to the pressure points on the bridge of my nose, a trick I’d learned from an acupuncturist to unblock my allergy-addled sinuses. It usually worked, or I thought it worked. A mind over matter cure, I suppose.
I was tempted to leave the missing sections of the next day’s lecture outline to morning but
