“How many people have you disappointed?”
The kid fumblingly calculates on his fingers before replying: “I’ll say eight. Eight people.”

He faced Billy. Billy was right there waiting.

“ I’ve disappointed thousands." Billy spoke firmly, slowly, right at the kid, who seemed suddenly so much younger in ­every feature, but in his lips especially. "Literally thousands."

Excerpted from "The Petting Zoo" by Jim Carroll

Carroll and Patti Smith