I could invent all kinds of fancy thematic reasons for having taken this piece of writing out of Independence Day,   but truthfully, when Vd written about 150 pages of the book I stopped and read it all aloud. I didn't want to get way deep into the book and have something be wrong. And when I read what I had, these pages seemed to get in the way of the book's opening movements— which I wanted to be svelte and lapidary. So I yanked them. I liked the little section quite a lot, but that's not an adequate reason for keeping something— at least, not in my estimation. Things have to fit and contribute to the whole to merit their place. I might've thrown this away if it wasn't that Kristina liked it and insisted I keep it around. —R.F.

 

The other aspect of my life which made change seem like if not a lifesaver, at least a pretty damn good idea, was that intimacy had begun to matter less to me, and I was less its hopeless-hapless victim. And by intimacy I mean the real kind, the kind you …