The Gift

We’ve never actually met in person. This is another case of inappropriate intimacy. We came to know each other in the spring of 2012, through my ukulele habit.

m. Then we talked about what Tye reveals and what he conceals, and why. Tye generally tells me if there’s something he wants to remain a secret or if he’s giving me information that’s OK for me to share.

of metal protruding from the ceiling. Later I learned that the metal pieces were the spine of a friend of his who had died.

ye has had some conflict with his father over the years. But then he said, “This narrative was not supposed to be foregrounded.” I figured that

If you think art has calculable monetary value, and if you divided those total fees by four audiences of four people each, then each of our free tickets was worth $125.

Tye said no, he’d chosen us for a reason.

m. Tye said to John, “You, I didn’t know, but I Googled you and saw your picture. In fact, it was somebody else with the same name, not you.

. I also occasionally get family photos or personal messages that have gone astray. I politely reply to the senders, saying, “oops, sorry, but I think you sent this to the wrong barbara! i live in new york!” Sometimes they apologize, but mostly these exchanges just fizzle out.

If he did that, the nudge was the best gift I gave him. But I didn’t get any more messages from him. I think he might have taken me off his mailing list.

The more you give, the more you have.