Part 1
Code shift, guys.
This is the sentimental one—the one that only a few of you will read, and even fewer will understand in full. But if you’ve made it this far, I owe you something honest.
When I first dreamed up these characters more than twenty years ago, I never imagined I'd write something this substantial. What started as a lunchroom joke with friends has become the story of my heart. Somewhere along the way, these three people became real to me—living fictional lives that evolved with my own.
And then something changed.
I lost someone. Someone who never met these characters, never knew they existed. But losing her opened something in me—and Wilsonder came pouring out. Beth, this is yours as much as it is mine. If it were in print, I know you would’ve been third in line to buy it. That’s just the kind of friend you were. Wherever you are, I hope eternity is kind to you.
To my freshman lunch table, and HG the invisible man—thank you for giving them their first breath. To Courtney, Rachel, and “the real Anne,” I guess you got the job.' And while you weren’t technically part of the table, to Jim, for surviving all of the middle-of-the-night venting, sometimes loony.
To the JeDi, thank you for keeping me on track, and helping me remember to eat. And for making me laugh. And for putting up with my manic lunchtime ramblings in the window room.
To RJF—thank you for believing in me, even when the story (and I) were a little bit juvenile.
And Sarah—thank you for anchoring me, hyping me, idea-sparring with me, and helping me build this world. For fifteen years, you have been their biggest fan and my biggest cheerleader, because I think you most understand what it’s like to have voices in your head that won’t stay quiet—in the artsy way, not the clinical way that requires medication. Although, I feel like they tend to go hand-in-hand.
But most of all, thank you to Damien and Erik.
You two carried me through some very real shit. You’ve lived with me, laughed with me, fought with me. You never left. (As if you had a choice.)
Damien… can we please call a truce?