"No strings attached, he says, just like the dirty shoelaces he wears on his feet. they're never tied, simply jostling about as he walks ahead and i don't think he notices this but when mine are untied (just like his), he reminds me that they are. With a frown, he tells me, in that tired, sullen voice of his, tie your laces or you'll fall on your face. I don't think he knows this either but i'm in the midst of falling, and his warning has come a little too late."
