You won’t be surprised to hear that, since I gave that book of Keats poems to you, I’ve been thinking a lot about that day that Dana initiated me into the mysteries of love, and the days after it. I’ve been thinking too about our days together. I find myself hoping that I gave Dana anywhere nearly as much joy and pleasure as you have given me. I told you that Dana and I continued to be lovers on and off throughout my years in college, and afterward. But from the beginning, she told me what I’ve told you — to explore, and learn, and love. It took me a while to take her advice; after all, having an experienced, willing lover, even if I only saw her on break, took a certain amount of the panic out of the whole college dating scene. But there were some wonderful young women at my school and so, eventually, as I immersed myself in college life, and as I made more and more women friends, I began to notice that some of them seemed to be attracted to me, God knows why — and that I was attracted to them too.
