I’d decided to drive the family to Providence to see my old college advisor and his wife. I hadn’t laid eyes on them in more than a quarter century, and they’d never met Alex. They knew about him from my books, and I remembered them as terribly sweet and supportive people, but they’d never met him and for brunch all I knew was that we were going to be eating in some place nice enough to need reservations.

My advisor and his wife escorted us to a dining room of sparkling glasses and white tablecloths and napkins. Therein were our reservations …read more