I love this, from Hilton Als. When I lived on the LES I used to bike back and forth to Columbia, and for a while, probably a semester but maybe a year, I’d run into Hilton in the Mill Luncheonette regularly, sometimes eating with Kevin whose last name I’m ashamed I can’t remember, but I’m pretty sure he’s an archetype for these buttoned-down ghosts. I haven’t seen Hilton in forever, but he must be now as he was then, a gentle, delightful bear with big smile that was warm and wise. My reputation preceded me back then, as they say, and I reveled in that; but even so it was secretly thrilling to be friendly with people like them. I’ve always thought of it as my own secret, but in retrospect there was probably a lot of it going around, all around, in every direction. Some of that is just youth, but that was a really special place and time.