Thought circle. I'm sitting next to a teenager whose assignment is to add two abstract fractions. No matter how much his aunt helps him reconcile the denominators, he simply can't keep them straight. As times goes on, his aunt downshifts to an explanation of how best to thaw a frozen turkey by leaving it close to the muffler in the trunk of his car as he drives home. Outside, I am making conversation with the smokers. One girl I don't know asks me an impertinent question that seems to be an opening for a clever remark. I turn to her wildly and plant a hard kiss on my own forearm.