A crowd had gathered around me and I was making them laugh so hard. I told a final joke and a woman said, I didn’t realize you were that sad.

The news was tough to watch. He turned off the television and took her hand. She pulled it away. You don’t respect my liberty, she told him.

She’s staring at me, to the point of making me self-conscious, and now she’s walking toward me and she says, I used to follow you on Twitter.

She calls me, and we make small talk. Finally she asks: What are you doing? I’m reading a book, I tell her. And then she says, You’re weird.

The sommelier brought the wine to the table and took a sniff. It’s corked, he said, angrily. It’s what I deserve, I said, offering my glass.