This is a work of creative fiction.

Some Fools aren’t yours. They pass through because they have better things to do. They will leave you standing alone, wondering what you did wrong. The author guarantees it. She also guarantees that you did nothing wrong. Some Fools just don’t know how to behave.

Some Fools don’t all look the same. They come with different faces, voices, and passions. Some Fools work with their hands, hair long and greasy with a rough day’s work. Some Fools cut their hair 1962-short and tuck pencils behind their ears in case they need to impress you by doing complicated equations to figure out the tip. The most dangerous Some Fools are clean. They are clean with the face you wanted and with the voice that says all the right things. Cover your ears when Some Fools start talking. They speak like sirens. Just remember what matters. No matter how delicious the sounds were, even if you thought you would explode if you didn’t hear just one more, they were lies. If they were anything but lies, then they wouldn’t be Some Fools. They would be something else, which the author has previously detailed in an earlier volume of her work.

Some Fools try to be what you want them to be. They walk into the store and buy the costume they think will most attract you. Sometimes it listens to folk music day in and day out. Other times, it’s classy and says things like, “Oh, that’s interesting.” But costumes come off. They get too hot inside, and it’s too much pressure. Once they’re in a pile on the floor, you look at Some Fools and wonder who they are. You don’t recognize them. They are not the costume, and you cannot have the real thing. The real thing was sold years ago, and you get stuck with the copies – the Some Fools.

Some Fools believe in Jesus. Some don’t.

Some Fools always have that One Thing about Them that you don’t think you could live without. Maybe Some Fools have a laugh that sounds like some kind of music too pure for our ears. Maybe Some Fools have a quick sense of humor that you have to race to keep up with. Or maybe Some Fools have a way of making you, a very sad person, very happy. Never tell this to Some Fools. It is meaningless to them.

Some Fools are liars who work hard to pretend they care about you. They live the Carly Simon song, and yes, that is the only Carly Simon song anyone knows in the Mainstream Twenty-First Century. They hold open doors, walk with you in the dark, and spend hours upon days making you feel special. Do not be tricked. This is not because Some Fools care about you. They care about giving back to their own egos and proclaiming, “I am a Good Person.” They are not Good People. If they were, they would throw their apricot scarves in the fire and close their eyes while they gavotte. Some Fools care about Some Fools, and that is all.

It is with a heavy heart the author warns you that falling for Some Fools will be quick and easy, not unlike sipping from a glass of water on a warm day. Before you know it, you will tell Some Fools about the day you found out what your beloved father meant by “I have a meeting,” about your dreams for the future, the time you told your fifth-grade crush how you felt and the whole class heard, and more things you never thought you could admit. You feel at ease when Some Fools are around, like you can tell them anything, and they will keep it safe. You would do the same for them. Then you notice. Some Fools don’t tell you anything. They don’t have stories. They’re eager to listen to yours as though they’re loading their foolish guns with bullets you crafted yourself. You can’t take words back. Some Fools have you for as long as they want to keep you, and they don’t wish to let you go. Some Fools make a fool out of you.