155 of 210 : Mrs. Gagneau

My high school had a graduating class of 25, with only two of us in honors French. Mrs. Gagneau was a zaftig Haitian woman with a wonderfully sharp sense of humor, a somewhat depressing home life, and a precocious young son. She happily taught us to curse like French stevadores.

154 of 210 : Margaret

My paternal grandmother had the strangest little nervous laugh; it always seemed truer than the smile she perpetually wore. An extremely kind woman, she endured a difficult marriage because it was expected, and doted on her two grandkids. She had a huge collection of pennies that I loved playing with.

153 of 210 : Jack

When he’s with a small group of close friends, he can be pleasantly chatty. When he’s in a larger group, I have never heard him utter a sound, unless directly addressed, and even then the response is minimal. I’d ascribe it to shyness, but I think he’s just studying everyone.

152 of 210 : Tom #2

Poets are wonderful creatures, most of them. This one is genteel, elegant, absurdly intelligent, and just a little shy, and he has a command of the English language that I deeply, deeply envy. His most shocking collection, and probably my favorite, is called Trash. His subject: serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer.

151 of 210 : Gigi

Gigi was the ancient Pom-Chihuahua mix my mother adopted when her equally ancient owner died. An admirable companion for Mom when I moved to Vermont, Gigi’s greatest fault was impatience. She’d demand that Mom come to bed at precisely 9:30, and if she didn’t, Gigi would literally stamp her feet.

150 of 210 : Goldie

Every morning started with The Howling. She’d leap onto Mom’s bed, settle, then begin: deep and quiet at first, quickly growing to a joyous, full-throated ululation. Two weeks before she died, she met a halfblood wolf at PetSmart. They danced together as if they’d been doing so for many lifetimes.

149 of 210 : Tasha

When she disengaged herself from that tangled heap of puppies and immediately walked over to me, there was nothing more to be said: she had chosen me. Tashuunka Wakan Heyokah Yellowdog lived almost precisely ten years. She was my constant companion, my bed mate in winter, and once, my savior.

148 of 210 : Girl

...he had a wife in tow: he had eloped! Girl was his mirror image, albeit with long hair. Such a sweet dog, but such a rebel: she’d actually entice Ransom into doing naughty things; you could see her standing by, smirking, watching him misbehave, while she kept her paws clean.

147 of 210 : Ransom

The Cruzan Mutt, while not on the AKC registry, is a distinct breed on St. Croix. Ransom was a lovable galoot who ate his food without chewing. He was affectionate yet steadfastly independent, with boundless energy and a lust for life. He disappeared for three days, and when he returned...

146 of 210 : Tina and Brutus

My doxies. Littermates and inseparable companions, though Brutus was more henpecked husband than brother. One rainy day Tina had to go out, but she wasn’t going to go alone. She barked—only once!—and he followed her into the rain, and stood meekly by until she had finished her business.

145 of 210 : Rusty

How I adored him! Everyone did, really, even the cats, who’d weave between his legs and try to trip him, or would taunt other dogs then run to him for protection. Infinitely patient, Rusty was half Boxer, half Great Dane, all heart. I thought he’d live forever. I was wrong.

144 of 210 : Cokie

My first dog (and yes, dogs count) was black, like Coca-Cola. One day my mother heard Cokie yelping his head off as I dragged him down the lawn by his tail. Moments later it was I who was yelping, as he dragged me back up the lawn by my diaper.

(Not Cokie, but darned close.)

143 of 210 : Shirley

My mother’s sister has had a difficult few years. Money problems, then the loss of their home; double pneumonia, then a coma, then a long journey back to (relative) health; then her husband dies. For all that, she is unfailingly positive. I marvel at her strength, her faith, her life.

142 of 210 : Louis

My paternal grandfather was a recovered alcoholic who never moved from his distressingly ratty easy chair unless it was to visit a fellow Friend of Bill in need, and not even then if Hee Haw was on TV. None of his three children enjoyed a particularly warm relationship with him.

141 of 210 : Howard

My grandfather was an old man by the time he was 20. Once in a while, though, a little impishness would peek through, like the time he watched all of us playing Twister, and he gave my upended butt a shove; we were reduced to a giggling heap in seconds.

140 of 210 : Sharon

My client’s AA just got a bizarre earful from me about why I’ve missed a couple of deadlines recently. My computer hard drives keep dying. Seems my incipient healing talent (I’m just a big old magnet) is wreaking havoc on them. They need a lead shield for protection from me!

139 of 210 : Dr. Wendy

I was never so excited to see a doctor in my life. Mainly because this one was an M.D. who also practiced alternative medicine and shamanic healing. Yet for all her talents, perhaps her greatest was in her ability to listen, really listen, and to be completely present to others.

138 of 210 : Augie

Kraig’s first boyfriend (well, the first I knew about) was murdered in a gay-bashing incident. The next, Augie, was a stripper, though I never saw him dance; he left the biz after finding love. He's terribly sweet, the perfect wife. And I almost always refrain from calling him Augie Doggie.

137 of 210 : Henry

We lived in Henry’s house. Perched precariously on a shockingly steep hill on St. Croix, it overlooked the most beautiful tangle of trees and flora you could imagine. When it rained, our windows opened to a world standing between life and death. Living in Henry’s house was an incalculable gift.

136 of 210 : Father Mike

He so wanted me to be a Catholic. Thought I was planning to convert, when I was only gathering data on demon possession and exorcism. He did, however, convert me to his little parish’s Saturday evening masses: quiet, comfortable, sacred in an understated way. I worshiped there for three years.

135 of 210 : B.

Ever encountered someone who irritates the heck out of you on general principle, even when they haven’t done anything particularly wrong? Every time she opens her mouth, I want to do her bodily harm. She could be telling me what time it is, and I'd want to slap her. Hard.

134 of 210 : Joe

He was 65 (but looked 85) when he was forced to retire from his non-profit organization because he was emotionally abusive and becoming increasingly irrational. He treated poor Mark like his personal whipping boy. He tried the same crap on me, but only once. Alzheimer's can only excuse so much.

133 of 210 : Vahan

A football player with a brain, Vahan was an affable jock whose teammates seemed obsessed with his circumcision—or rather, his lack thereof. Apparently they had never seen one with a turtleneck before. I was mainly struck by his startlingly light blue eyes. He reminded me of a Siberian Husky.

132 of 210 : Tony and Wife

Every November a large U-Haul pulls up at my neighbor’s home. A houseful of furniture is unloaded; a wife and small dachshund appear. Within three months she is screaming at the top of her lungs, slamming doors, cursing. The U-Haul returns; wife and dog disappear. It’s an annual holiday tradition.

131 of 210 : Connor

The nine-year-old built a Fortress of Solitude out of pillows in the middle of the living room. During a party. He just wanted to be alone. I used to play Hide-and-Seek, insist on being It, and as soon as the other kids disappeared, lay low with a good book.

(Not his actual fort.)

130 of 210 : The Guy at the Drugstore

He just stood there, talking to himself quite animatedly. As alarm was setting in, I realized he was talking on his cell phone using a Bluetooth headset. A week later I was near three people carrying on separate coversations on the damned things. It was like being surrounded by schizophrenics.

129 of 210 : Robert the Bruce

No, the Robert the Bruce. Apparently I’m his descendant, through my great aunt on my father’s side, who was a McIntyre, and gave me a tea towel with Robert the Bruce’s picture on it. “Never forget,” she’d say at every family gathering, in a nearly indecipherable brogue, “yer from royalty!”

128 of 210 : The Librarian

I’ve always loved libraries, and have often worked in them. One day Mr. N_______, our effete high school librarian, drew me aside and said he had a book he thought I’d particularly enjoy. My anticipation turned to repugnance when I saw it was a photo book of nude pre-pubescent boys.

128 of 210 : Carlyle

I remember the Rector Search Committee asking her about her sexuality, a concern the bishop had raised since she was middle-aged and had never been married. She laughed and said, "For the record, no, I am not a lesbian. But I reserve the right to be!" We hired her immediately.

127 of 210 : Corinne

She’d always get an A+++ for her Social Studies maps. Mine were perfect, how could hers be better? One day I peeked: she’d drawn 3-D contours around the land masses! So I copied her technique, though I still only got an A+. The teacher must’ve had the hots for her.

126 of 210 : Bjorn and Kjell

The most identical of twins, they were both really nice guys, but one of them considered me a good friend. Problem is, I never knew which one that was. I think it was Bjorn, but I’m not sure. Then again, I couldn’t tell them apart, so it didn’t really matter.