Page 75 of Bad Words
“Have you ever read a book you hated?” I asked Kieran.
“Sure.”
“So much so that you warned a friend about it?”
“Yeah.” He was smiling now. “Okay, I see where you’re going with this. But the scale is different. Aren’t you scared that authors will—you know. Hate you?”
“Lots of them do.” I took another sip of sake. “But that’s the deal when you write anything, I think. People are going to hate your work. They’re going to hate you. That goes for authors and critics.”
“Fair,” said Kieran, still smiling.
I’d heard this word a lot on dates, too. Fair, like I’d won a point in some tennis match I hadn’t realized I was playing. I would think I was opening up a topic to discuss, and my dates would say, “Fair,” apparently thinking it was the end of the line. The only option was then to pivot away from something I’d hoped would interest us both.
I was about to ask how the past year had gone for Kieran when my phone chimed.
“I’m sorry,” I said, “I should…”
He seemed relieved to retreat. I dug in my purse for my phone and opened my email.
From: [email protected]
Sent: Dec 31, 9:16 PM
Re: Kavan Retrospective
How’s the party? Have the line graphs been decoded, boardroom table cleared, photos snapped, airbrush applied? All the usual New Year’s activiitesd1?
I stared at this email for a minute. Then I began to laugh.
From: [email protected]
Sent: Dec 31, 9:17 PM
Re: Kavan Retrospective
Parker, are you drunk?
From: [email protected]
Sent: Dec 31, 9:18 PM
Re: Kavan Retrospective
It’s New Year’s Eve and I’m sending emails to the closest thing I have to a mortal enemy. Of course I’m drunk. (How did you know?)
From: [email protected]
Sent: Dec 31, 9:20 PM
Re: Kavan Retrospective
