“Those Chinese. They’re Long Term Thinkers.”

1. Nice bag of guns I said, bracing myself for the pair watching some shooting range on TV and the game, college friends, with masters’ degrees and “interesting” jobs, being meatheads. They’re talking about dumb luck young girls hiding drugs inside their bodies and “rescuing” hookers and mules. And those suitcases and duffel bags in the room. Reminders of Scarface and the Mariel boatlift and Cuba. Time to go.

2. I like the Velvets, I said. But this empty room is a metaphor for something isn’t right. You are lovely and kind. I’m trying to sit still for longer, but I’m about to get a case of hives.

3. Do you want to go to church with us? Blink. Pause. Yes. No. I don’t know what to do with this question.

4.An email from a source, introduced to me by someone I idolize: I was hoping to score some extra time with you as you coincidentally seem to be very much like the heroine of the novel I am writing and ….. You see Ms McCart … Your similarity to my heroine is astounding. From there she is assigned to write about a vineyard/winery of mysterious ownership in Chile. Long story short, she uncovers a plot between a Columbian cocaine cartel and the Chinese government to destroy the US. ……….

5. Me: Hey, did you read that New York Times book review on the guy who wrote a novel on the sex offender who lives under the overpass?

Yeah, we broke that story.

That’s really going on here?

Yes. This is South Florida. Anything goes.

As strong as I feel and as good as work is, I’d love a week where something resonates, not one in which I’m living in Carl Haissen-flavored vignettes. Tonight, please let the wife be wearing a shirt while nursing her baby when she walks with Red Sox Fan walking his Springer, Wally. That would be great.