The Wisdom of Perversity (41 page)

Brian turned to the terrified man beside him. “You ready?” he whispered. Jeff bowed his head and leaned his temple, very slightly, on Brian's forehead. To the press, they must have look like conspirators. Jeff whispered, “I can't, Bri. I can't do this. I'm sorry. I gotta get out of here.” Jeff straightened his back. His right hand came up, beneath the tablecloth, grabbing the wooden edge as if to propel him away.

Brian reached for Jeff's other hand, out of sight from the crowd, before it could rise to help him escape. Brian pressed his flesh into another's harder than he could remember ever doing before, although that was a trick of memory. He must have held his mother's hand like that, or his father's, when he was scared or lonely or in need of comfort. And he would hold Julie's hand that way when he needed her and she needed him, at least he felt sure of that. He squeezed his old friend's hand fiercely for a moment, then relaxed his grip enough so Jeff could escape if he wanted to. This time Brian would not let himself be shy. He would lead the way, after all.

“My name is Brian Moran.” His voice strengthened. “When I was eight years old . . .” Jeff's hand slipped out partway. Brian continued talking, willing to let him go, but Jeff did not depart. He held on while Brian told their secrets, and thus comforting each other, hand in hand, they faced the future of their past.

Acknowledgments

I am eager to thank Donna Redel, Tamar Cole, Henry Bean, Susan Bolotin, Ben Cheever, Nicholas Kazan, Alison Petrocelli, Brian Platzer, John McNamara, Gene Stone, Ayelet Waldman, and Liza Zeidner for reading earlier drafts of
The Wisdom of Perversity.
They all provided valuable guidance and advice, as well as encouragement when it was most needed. I owe much more than a well-served client's debt to Lynn Nesbit. This novel would never have been published without her loyalty, persistence and intelligence. That is also true of Chuck Adams, a kind and brilliant editor, who rescued this story from its literary flaws and from the timidity of the marketplace.

RAFAEL YGLESIAS is the author of nine previous novels, including
A Happy Marriage,
winner of the
Los Angeles Times
Book Prize for Fiction, and
Fearless,
the basis for the cult film by the same name. He has written five screenplays, including
Dark Water
and
Death and the Maiden.
He lives in New York City. Find him online at
RafaelYglesias.com.

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© 2015 by Rafael Yglesias.

All rights reserved.

This is a work of fiction. While, as in all fiction, the literary perceptions and insights are based on experience, all names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously.

ISBN 978-1-61620-437-0 (e-book)