calypso's hold

dear madam,

it would please me to initiate a whirlwind courtship with you this summer.

if you consent, please indicate unambiguously to me that this arrangement is agreeable to you.

your faithful friend and prospective lover,

J

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it seems impossible to maintain the same level of respect for someone once you become thoroughly acquainted with their personality. cases in which respect increases are rare indeed, and even in these i strongly suspect that it is character, not personality, which has been witnessed instead

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he doesn't even bother to hide it now. he thinks of her even as we speak, i can tell. how did we get so good at hurting each other? we fight and then go out to dinner. he asks me what i want to order. why does he stay? i do not understand, but i do not complain. steak, i say. i found a smear of red on his shirt the other day. how cliche. when he leaves, i don't go through his stuff. what's the point? when he returns, the wine has come. he looks away and i watch his glass as it grows empty and miserable. i look at him; i do the same