off a piece of my championship trophy and bury it next to her. By the end, she was barely giving a shit about any goddamn thing, but she was a good Christian and could appreciate the Old Testament ceremony of it, so I guess it made her happy.
And if we’re on the topic of confessions, I might as well: I have been here three years and failed. I don’t like to use the words “last chance,” but I’m not delusional. This is my last chance to do what I promised. It’s been so long since I’ve felt it that I’ve forgotten what choice feels like. There are scientists in the polar circles and missionaries in Micronesia, these people choose to be put in foreign, forgotten places for science or God service, and they can lean over the rim of renounced free will, they kneel down in the church and say, “I’m ready to hear about what God has in mind for me!” and get the water sprinkled on their heads. I am in North Dakota, in a town called Aiken, which