Maybe Everything

‘There was a June afternoon in 1959—an afternoon that glittered with summer sunlight—when everything started. Rome Leone and his best friend Gus were standing in the middle of a forest in Halsey, New Jersey, and Rome was telling his friend that a road was going to be built where they stood. A cul-de-sac with six houses on it. One of the houses, Rome said, would be for him, Clara and Mark, and one would be for Gus. “A cul-de-sac is the safest place to raise a family, after all.” Rome was beaming, though he looked unsteady standing in his loafers on a set of tree roots. “We’ll raise our kids in this beautiful spot, Gus. Can you imagine?”