like i said, there’s a bunch ’a shit you don’t need to hear twice, and i don’t want your sympathy, okay, i don’t, so we’ll skip the hardship stuff about when i did tell my family, and being pulled out ‘a school, the move to my aunt’s house…sound familiar? i told you before, or if i didn’t, i meant to…this story’s nothing special, really, practically the only part that’s of any interest is that it happened to me…you know? (BEAT) anyways, billie, that’s my son, billie, “william,” whatever…was born. a beautiful boy. just quite great, and although every mom goes off on that, he was. i mean it. he’s great, and, umm, without getting all shitty about it, i give birth and a bunch ’a years pass. okay? i did finally make contact with his father, sent a couple letters, and he wrote me back right away, this was, ohh, maybe a year, eighteen months later…just long enough to make him wonder, you know? i was still only about sixteen at the time, so i guess he was pretty scared about the whole thing—’s what he said on paper, anyway—and asked if i could understand, not forgive…understand. (BEAT) i, ahh, let him know that our pact was still safe, and this wasn’t, like, some money thing, i just wanted him to have, if he wouldn’t mind so much, a sort ’a relationship with billie, through the mail or whatever, i knew there was nothing for us, well, you know, not after that…but i’d send pictures and stuff, we ended up doing it through a postal box, and he got to know his son that way. that’s how it happened, a few presents now and again, and he had a son, and the son’s mother loved him, and kept the secret all while the father was away. and i know you’ll think i’m just talking shit now, but honestly, if i closed my eyes and thought about it, i could still feel his kiss on my lips. even then…

long pause.