I met Alex at Heather’s. The attraction was immediate and very powerful. I was drawn to him like a magnet and I expressed my feelings openly and directly.

Heather, my closest friend is married to Alex’s uncle, Tom. Heather had told me about the family’s loss: Tom’s nephew, Stuart, had died of an asthmatic attack while asleep. Alex had brought his brother’s body home. Alex resolved to return to South Africa after his father suffered successive CVAs. The task fell on him to administer his late brother’s estate. His visit to his Uncle Tom was a “walkabout” occasion.

“So how many men have you killed?”

“Well, if you tell me how many men you’ve slept with, I’ll tell you how many men I’ve killed.”

“I enjoy sex. I’ll need pen and paper.”

That evening, in passing, he’d whispered: “less than thirty but more than twenty.”

“Likewise.” Alex was amused. “It amuses me the things that come out of your mouth.”

And so my story begins.