I used to call my old boyfriend on his birthday, but for no particular reason, I got away from the practice. It came around again last Sunday. I googled him to find a number. I didn’t find a number, but I found that he has Parkinson’s. He’s a painter, the artist kind, with a couple of pieces in the permanent collection at the Portland Art Museum. He developed a tremor in his right hand, so he taught himself to paint with his left hand. That was from a three year old news article. Then I found a seven month old interview with him on YouTube. He’s developing a tremor in his left hand.

He’s thinking about using his feet if he has to.