My name is Adam Pierce and I’ve been told a hundred times that it is a strong name.

They tell me at the Chicory County AA meetings after we disband. They tell me I’m the best counselor they have ever had.

They tell me at the Holy Spirit Church on Cornflower Road. They tell me that I’m the firmest pastor in the whole state.

They tell me to run for mayor. They tell me the town could use some tough love.

I don’t tell them where I live. They ask me often, the young unmarried women especially. They bat their eyelashes and tell me that I’m mysterious.

I don’t tell them about myself. They don’t hear about what’s in my cellar. They don’t hear about what’s stored in my attic.

I don’t tell them that I’ve written at least 20 articles published in esteemed scientific journals, mostly about evolution and ecology.

I don’t tell them that I once had a daughter. They will never know where I hid her.

For now I’ll just be Adam Pierce, and I’ll sit on my porch sipping my homemade moonshine. I’ll just be Adam Pierce now.