Drawings by Jules Weissman

This story was meant to be published in March of 2022, as part of the SMILE MOUNTAIN issue, but I wasn't able to complete all the illustrations. There was more to it, but it's lost. Anyway, in honor of Tim Bunce's retirement from Villanova Prep...

Tim Bunce has visited my studio more than a few times to pick up art donations for the Villanova annual auction. I’m not sure how he found me or who would want to bid on my art, but he was a good chatter, and I’m always looking to get rid of stuff. One day, who remembers how, I discovered he had a friend of mine as a student back when he was a teacher — English class, I think.

"...his sense of humor and how funny and unique he was and the fact that he could sit in a student desk — and I'm sure he's double-jointed — I dunno, but as you know, Joel has what anthropologists would call a very gracile build…

…He could extend his legs, completely back at the knee, underneath the seat of the desk, and then bring his feet forward and rest them on the book rack on the bottom of the desk.”

“So, if you can imagine, the leg bent completely backwards, but then the foot bent forwards, and he wears, like, a size 14/15 shoe...”