sixteen september
nine : fourteen p.m.

"how are you?" i'd already asked. he'd already faked an answer. "seriously," i added.

the typical pause.

"i'm," another pause. "i don't know."

and i'm always waiting for the day when he will know. when he'll feel something and identify it and know what to do with it.

"i don't want to leave. i don't want things to change just because i'm a certain age."