“I throw him two bones: a smile and a nod. Both lies.”

“After a lifetime of nods, frowns and stoic smiles, they were both fluent in emotional shorthand.”

“They all babble on about "state" and "formations" and "tumbling" while I smile and nod. When in doubt, smile and nod.”

“Then they both smiled the exact same smile. Narcissism times two. Oh, get a room already.”

“Drop something?" he asked, trying to suppress a smile but failing miserably at the act.I nodded and smiled back at him sheepishly, unable to find my voice to respond in any other way."Interested in locks, I see," he commented.I nodded again."Well, here you go," he said, and he handed the book to me.I nodded. Oh crap, why did I just nod? Take the book! I screamed inside my head. Take it! I took it slowly. He kept looking at me, smiling.”

“The man smiled at him a sly smile. As if they knew a secret between them, these two. Something of age and youth and their claims and the justice of those claims. And of the claims upon them. The world past, the world to come. Their common transiencies. Above all a knowing deep in the bone that beauty and loss are one.”