He said: I’ve been looking forward to this.

I didn’t write that down in front of him. I wrote it in the cab.

Not what he said. That he said it first.

He talked about the models the way you talk about children — with a pride that has decided in advance not to be questioned. What they could do. What they were becoming. What the world would look like when they were finished becoming it.

I listened. The notebook stayed closed.

Note: He thinks this was his idea. I thought it was mine. Neither of us asked who made the introduction. That’s the first thing that doesn’t add up.