Something Has Happened Where You Almost Never

I Am Always The Source Of The Worst Rumors About Myself.

I Started Puberty Very Late. I Was Nearly Sixteen. And For Complicated Reasons This Late Arrival Of My Puberty Caused Me To Stop Playing Competitive Tennis. But Before My Puberty Problem, I Had Trouble With My Lower Back And With My Left Testicle.

As A Child, I Wanted To Be An Athlete, A Professional Tennis Player Or Something Like That.

I Live For Coincidences. They Briefly Give To Me The Illusion Or The Hope That There's A Pattern To My Life, And If There's A Pattern, Then Maybe I'm Moving Toward Some Kind Of Destiny Where It's All Explained.

My Sophomore English Teacher Encouraged Me To Write For The School Paper, And That's What Got Me Started. Suddenly It Struck Me That Being A Writer Could Be A Romantic And Adventurous Position. Previously, I Had Thought I Would Be A Tennis Pro, Giving Lessons At A Local Club. I Thought That Would Be A Good Life, And It Might Have Been.