When I went back in the house the next morning, Chuck had the same predictable look on his face that he always gets. It wouldn’t matter if I walked in the door with a Hugo Award or a dead cat — he’d still look at me with that same bemused smile, as if he knows everything about me. Becky was baking bread and dealing with fussy children while Chuck presided in all his magnificence. The crying children made me want to leave, and the yeast smell made me want to stay forever.

“If you could be anything, what would you be?” asked Chuck.

 I thought about saying “You,” but I was afraid he’d take me seriously. I didn’t want to answer truthfully. What I most wanted was to be was a normal person with a wife and friends who come over and play Uno with us. If I had that, my life would be so rich and full that I wouldn’t want anything else.

“An astronaut,” I answered. Chuck’s hero growing up was Buzz Aldrin.

“You don’t realize the power that’s inside you,” he said. “All you need to do — and I mean all you need to do — is live the life of the person you want to be. If you want to be a famous writer, live like a famous writer. If you want to be a millionaire, live like a millionaire. Your desires will manifest.”

Becky was nodding her head.

“Are you coveting my wife?” he said. He got up and wrapped his arms around Becky from behind and started kissing her neck.

Becky left the kitchen trying not to cry.

Chuck sat down again and had that puppetmaster smile on his face. He knows everything about everyone.

I tried to stay there longer. I really did. While I was driving away in my car, I had in mind that I was just going out for a spin and that I’d return. I got lost and couldn’t find my way back, so I just kept going.

What a strange trip!