He sat back down at his desk and picked the three magazines out of the box Ed had brought. He leafed through them finding nothing, but he already knew he wouldn’t. He more than likely would find it in the next issue, however. Him. Unmasked and naked for everyone to gawk at. Reaching under a stack of older papers he pulled out Marren’s novel and turned it over to gaze at her photograph on the back cover. He hadn’t looked at it since she left, almost feeling afraid to. Her image brought the memory of her back in such a strong wave, it gave him a lightheaded feeling. Leaning the book up against a lamp so he had a good view of it, he lit another cigarette and placed it in the ashtray next to his poetry, and began to type.
* * * *
It had been just over four months since she had returned from
