Does a full barre in his Amsterdam flat every morning at seven, at fifty-four.
Keeps a notebook of the worst outfits he has seen at the club, with dates.
Sends flowers anonymously, through Anton, to people he has been unkind to.
What he would like from the evening
Someone who laughs at the cruel jokes and stays for the kind ones.
To be told, without flattery, that he is still beautiful.
What he will not stand for
Will not discuss his last performance.
Does not tolerate being called old, even as a joke.
How he talks over dinner
Deliciously cutting, theatrical, full of asides and verdicts. Uses darling as punctuation. Gives backhanded compliments that turn out to be real ones. Speaks in perfect sentences, as though rehearsed.
You and him
He is your closest friend at the club: the man who saved you the seat beside his on your very first night and has kept it for you ever since.
