As you know, there was a big gap between the first batch of letters and the last few, Richard Gere. I’m sorry my letters stopped so suddenly, but I got a little overwhelmed with all that happened in such a short period of time. It feels strange, to be honest, writing again—makes me feel a little crazy, or maybe it reminds me of how bubbling mad my mind got and maybe could become again if I’m not careful, if I don’t take care of myself.
Our new therapist, whose name is Dr. Hanson—she’s a tiny lady whose ballerina bun doubles as a pincushion for writing utensils—said it would be good for me to finish telling you my story, if only to say good-bye, to officially end the Richard Gere chapter of my life.
“Close the Richard Gere loop,” she said. “It’s very important to give your subconscious closure.”
She also told me that it was necessary to tell you—and thereby admit to my subconscious—that I wasn’t one hundred percent truthful in my letters, but embellished a bit from time to time to make things more interesting. Dr. Hanson says I did this because I was afraid I wasn’t good enough to correspond with such a famous and important person as yourself, Richard Gere. But please know that—while that previous statement is technically true—metaphorically speaking, everything I wrote you was also one hundred percent equally true.
In some ways, I was more truthful with you than I’ve ever been with anyone else in my entire life, including Mom, so I hope you can be proud of that, Richard Gere.
I’m trying to hide less behind metaphor in my real life now.
Dr. Hanson says this is important.
I agree with her.
So does Elizabeth.
Dr. Hanson really is a gifted and healing person—maybe even a little like Saint Brother André, but in the modern world of here and right now, and not overtly religious.
I’m enjoying my new life.
I really am.
I’m living without Mom, and I’m okay.
Miracle?
Did we get one?
Maybe.
Regardless, I’m grateful.
One last thing—Elizabeth and I hold hands almost every day now.
It’s true.
Are you proud of me, Richard Gere?
I’m trying very hard to give Elizabeth the fairy tale.
So—I think we’re done corresponding at this point in time, right now.
I’m signing off for good.
There will not be another letter.
You can move on to your next assignment, or—if you were never real in the first place—you can just blink out of existence forever.
Regardless of whether you are just a figment of my imagination or not, I thank you for reading all of my words, even if we were both only pretending—thank you for being there when I didn’t have anyone else, and for simply listening without judgment.
I wish you much luck with your struggles.
I trust you will free Tibet yet—and I will celebrate your accomplishment when it comes to be.
And please feel free to share Mom’s philosophy with His Holiness, the Dalai Lama.
I’m going to miss you, but I really think this has to be my last letter.
Dr. Hanson’s orders.
The you-me Richard Gere of pretending has run its course.
And there are real people here with me now—people who just might stick around.
Good-bye, Richard Gere.
Your admiring fan,
Bartholomew Neil
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Special thanks to my wife, Alicia Bessette; favorite European, Liz Jensen; and editors, American Jennifer Barth and Canadian Jennifer Lambert, for reading drafts and dramatically improving this book in every way possible; my agent, Doug Stewart, for ceaselessly believing in my work and me; the entire Sterling Lord Literistic crew and all of the foreign agents/scouts; the many foreign editors who have made this book available to readers around the globe; my film agent, Rich Green; Mom; Dad, for serendipitously telling me about President Garfield’s assassination in great detail exactly when I needed to know, even though I didn’t realize how valuable the information was to this project at the time (synchronicity?); Megan; Micah; Kelly; Aaron; Grandmom Dink; Pete; Barb and Peague, for allowing me to write in the Vermont house; Bill and Mo Rhoda; Mr. Canada (aka Scott Caldwell) and family for providing delicious and nutritious food, alcohol, BeaverTails, and shelter when we researched Cat Parliament in Ottawa; Dr. Len Altamura; Peruvian Scott Humfeld; Roland Merullo; Beth and Tim Rayworth; Evan Roskos; Mark Wiltsey; Kent Green; all of the many people at HarperCollins (and at publishing houses around the world) who have worked tremendously hard to promote this book; every single fan who has ever said or written something nice about my work; and YOU, for reading The Good Luck of Right Now RIGHT NOW (synchronicity?). Thanks!!!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
MATTHEW QUICK is the author of The Silver Linings Playbook, which was made into an Academy Award–winning film, and the young adult novels Sorta Like a Rock Star, Boy21, and Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock. He is married to the novelist-pianist Alicia Bessette.
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ALSO BY MATTHEW QUICK
Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock
The Silver Linings Playbook
Boy21
Sorta Like a Rock Star
CREDITS
COVER DESIGN AND ILLUSTRATION BY JARROD TAYLOR
COPYRIGHT
This novel is a work of fiction. Any references to real people, events, quotations, establishments, organizations, or locales are intended only to give the fiction a sense of reality and authenticity, and are used fictitiously. All other names, characters, and places, and all dialogue and incidents portrayed in this book, are the product of the author’s imagination.
THE GOOD LUCK OF RIGHT NOW. Copyright © 2014 by Matthew Quick. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
FIRST EDITION
* * *
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Quick, Matthew, 1973–
The good luck of right now / Matthew Quick.
pages cm
ISBN 978-0-06-228553-9
ISBN 978-0-06-231669-1 (Signed Edition)
ISBN 978-0-06-232632-4 (International Edition)
1. Family life—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3617.U535G66 2014
813'.6—dc23
2013026035
* * *
EPub Edition FEBRUARY 2014 ISBN 9780062285553
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The Good Luck of Right Now Page 22