The invitation said 'just a few of us.' I counted thirty-one cars on the street and a man in the kitchen explaining his sourdough starter to anyone who stood still. I found the dog, the chip bowl and the quiet corner by the bookshelf, in that order, and stayed there for two hours. A funny introvert shirt for the guest who RSVP'd on a technicality and spends the whole party on the floor with the host's dog. Somebody asked what I do for work three separate times. Same person.

THE FINE PRINT

I WAS TOLD arches across the top in heavy collegiate block capitals, THERE WOULD BE leans underneath in a small hand-lettered brush script, and NO PEOPLE runs straight and wide along the bottom in the same heavy block letters. One near-black ink, speckled and cracked all over, with no punctuation anywhere.