Marcia’s Reviews > Necessary Fiction > Status Update

Sometimes I think love is looking for whatever opportunity we can find to show ourselves or another person mercy. It is mercy that saves me. It’s also through mercy that I can hold others. I try to pay it forward.

Sometimes, I think: What if this is exactly what love is? Friendship as a place of thinking together, asking crucial questions:
“Why?”
“Are you sure?”
“Tell me more.”
“What do you need?”
“What would you like us to do?”
“How can I care for you?”

That death changed me. It changed all of us.

We were happy and tired and hopeful and vengeful and young and alive and unstoppable and hungry in all our joints, ready with all our tendons.

Before we met each other, we all had lies we needed to tell ourselves and others if we were going to live well. Maro says there’s already a term for that type of lie: necessary fictions.

Now I run a souvenir shop. I sell fridge magnets from all sorts of countries, for people who lie to their partners about traveling abroad for work. If you lie like that, you need supporting gifts.

I’ve always had a problem with introductions. To me, they don’t matter. It’s either you know me or you don’t—you get? If you don’t, the main thing you need to know is that I am a hustler through and through. I’m that guy that gets shit done. Simple.