"I'd helped her compose an e-mail to go, with minor personal variations, to each of her closer friends. The vanilla version went like this:"Don't worr..., I've gone to be with Jack. We can be together now, and we want to be. I don't know where we'll go, too soon to tell you, but we don't want to come back, not right away at least. I'll write again after we've settled. Love, Lisa."It had only "anonymous" as a return address, which Lee explained in a p.s.—"I'm sending this from a public system, you. ” “Then I walked into this pharmacy in Baltimore because that was where the first woman I had ever loved had lived when I first met her and even though she had kicked me out of her bed and her life because of some stupid words, poorly spoken several years later and forty years ago I still loved her.” “I didn’t expect to see her there for after all that was a long time ago.” I just wanted to stop by for the memories before heading out on the rest of my journey toward death.” “It came as a. Twice, as a matter of fact.”Beth bowed her head and, just above a whisper, confessed, “I had sex with a boy.”Ms. Stewart kissed her daughter’s forehead, “And?”“I needed to find out what it was like and prove to myself I’m gay.”Ms. Stewart gathered her daughter a little tighter in her arms, “And what did you find out about yourself?”“I liked it a lot more than I thought I ever could. It’s so different from when I’m with Emily.”“And the boy?” Ms. Stewart asked.“He is a friend. I can trust him. I. Start slow. Save the double dong or strap-on dildo for future encounters. Try a nice, simple rocket vibrator. Once your sweetie is used to the vibe, you can trade up. Be gentle. Your partner may like it on the rough side, but hold back a little the first few times you play with toys. There's plenty of time to accelerate! Talk to your partner. He or she may have agreed to use the toy, but that doesn't mean your lover is 100% comfortable with the idea. Talk your way through the experience. Ask.