The Book I Found in the $1 Bin — Split Lip Magazine

I liked the cover because there was a sexy man on it and I’m easy to manipulate, so I brought it to the register and paid a dollar. In the sun, I opened the book and found an inscription: To Russel, with Love. John. On the back flap: the author photo. George Willet. He had a mustache, the kind I like. I could love him, have sex with him, kiss him, be his friend. But he died of AIDS at forty-two, right after the book was published in 1987. I read the book, and it was about a young man in NYC trying to love other men. Failing. Trying again. I put the book next to my bed and thought about Russel, who this book belonged to. He grew up on Long Island, and his boyfriend gave him the book. John was an avid reader. Together, they read aloud from the book until they wanted to concentrate on each other instead. Fuzzy torsos (still in style at the time) pressed together, legs twisted around each other. John took care of Russel until he died, then John died. John’s sister, while going through his things, found the book and it embarrassed her, but she couldn’t throw it away. She too loved books. She brought it to a used bookstore. 1993. This was my brother’s, she wanted to say but didn’t, and handed it over to the clerk. All those years, no one bought it. Please, hold onto it for me after I’m gone.

Richard Mirabella (@rpmirabella) is a writer and civil servant living in Upstate New York. His first novel, Brother & Sister Enter the Forest, will be published by Catapult in March 2023.