And yet there are other days, when I’m downtrodden or morose, when I find myself at my desk late at night, unable to sleep, flipping through (of all things) Oscar’s dog-eared copy of
Veidt says: ‘I did the right thing, didn’t I? It all worked out in the end’. And Manhattan, before fading from our Universe, replies: ‘In the end? Nothing ends, Adrian. Nothing ever ends’.
THE FINAL LETTER
He managed to send mail home before the end. A couple of cards with some breezy platitudes on them. Wrote me one, called me Count Fenris. Recommended the beaches of Azua if I hadn’t already visited them. Wrote Lola too; called her My Dear Bene Gesserit Witch.
And then, almost eight months after he died, a package arrived at the house in Paterson. Talk about Dominican Express. Two manuscripts enclosed. One was more chapters of his never-to-be-completed opus, a four- book E.E. ‘Doc’ Smith-esque space opera called
Only problem was, the fucking thing never arrived! Either got lost in the mail or he was slain before he put it in the mail, or whoever he trusted to deliver it forgot.
Anyway, the package that did arrive had some amazing news. Turns out that toward the end of those twenty-seven days the palomo
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I’d like to give thanks to: the pueblo dominicano. And to Those Who Watch Over Us. Mi querido abuelo Osterman Sanchez. Mi madre, Virtudes Diaz, and mis tias Irma and Mercedes. Mr. and Mrs. EI Hamaway (who bought me my first dictionary and signed me up for the Science Fiction Book Club). Santo Domingo, Villa Juana, Azua, Parlin, Old Bridge, Perth Amboy, Ithaca, Syracuse, Brooklyn, Hunts Point, Harlem, el Distrito Federal de Mexico, Washington Heights, Shimokitazawa, Boston, Cambridge, Roxbury. Every teacher who gave me kindness, every librarian who gave me books. My students. Anita Desai (who helped land me the MIT gig: I never thanked you enough, Anita); Julie Grau (whose faith and perseverance brought forth this book); and Nicole Aragi (who in eleven years never once gave up on me, even when I did).
The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, the Lila Wallace-Reader’s Digest Fund, the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University.
Jaime Manrique (for being the first writer to take me serious), David Mura (the jedi master who showed me the way), Francisco Goldman, the Infamous Frankie G (for bringing me to Mexico and being there when it started), Edwidge Danticat, (for being mi querida hermana).
Deb Chasman, Eric Gansworth, Juleyka Lantigua, Dr. Janet Lindgren, Ana Maria Menendez, Sandra Shagat, and Leonie Zapata (for reading it).
Alejandra Frausto, Xanita, Alicia Gonzalez (for Mexico).
Oliver Bidel, Harold del Pino, Victor Diaz, Victoria Lola, Chris ABani, Juana Barrios, Tony Capellan, Coco Fusco, Silvio Torres-Saillant, Michele Oshima, Soledad Vera, Fabiana Wallis, Ellis Cose, Lee LlamBelis, Elisa Cose, Patricia Engel (for Miami), Shreerekha Pillai (for spinning dark girls beautiful), Lily Oei (for kicking ass), Sean McDonald (for finishing it).
Manny Perez, Alfredo de Villa, Alexis Pella, Farhad Ashgar, Ani Ashgar, Marisol Alcantara, Andrea Greene, Andrew Simpson, Diem Jones, Denise Bell, Francisco Espinosa, Chad Milner, Tony Davis, and AnYbony (for building me shelter).
MIT. Riverhead Books.
The Family: Dana, Maritza, Clifton, and Daniel.
The Hernandez Clan: Rada, Soleil, Debbie, and Reebee.
The Moyer Clan: Peter and Gricel. And Manuel del Villa (Rest in Peace, Son of the Bronx, Son of Brookline, True Hero).
The Benzan Clan: Milagros, Jason, Javier, Tanya, and the twins Mateo y India.
The Sanchez Clan: Ana (for always being there for Eli) and Michael and Kiara (for having her back).
The Pilla Clan: Nivia Pifia y mi ahijado Sebastian Pifia. And for Merengue.
The Ohno Clan: Doctor Tsuneya Ohno, Mrs. Makiko Ohno, Shinya Ohno, and of course Peichen.
Amelia Burns (Brookline and Vineyard Haven), Nefertiti Jaquez (Providence), Fabiano Maisonnave (Campo Grande and Sao Paulo), and Homero del Pino (who first brought me to Paterson).
The Rodriguez Clan: Luis, Sandra, and my goddaughters Camila and Dalia (I love you both).
The Batista Clan: Pedro, Cesarina, Junior, Elijah y mi ahijada Alondra.
The Bernard-de Leon Clan: Dona Rosa (mi otra madre), Celines de Leon (true friend), Rosemary, Kelvin and Kayla, Marvin, Rafael (a.k.a. Rafy), Ariel, and my boy Ramon.
Bertrand Wang, Michiyuki Ohno, Shuya Ohno, Brian O’Halloran, Hisham El Hamaway, for being my brothers at the beginning.
Dennis Benzan, Benny Benzan, Peter Moyer, Hector Pina: for being my brothers at the end.
And Elizabeth de Leon: for leading me out of great darkness, and giving me the gift of light.