Alligators in the Trees by Cynthia Hamilton

a frozen pizza, and maybe some eggs,” she said.
    “Well, that’s not going to cut it after a workout like this,” Brody said, removing his hand from around Roberta’s waist. “What do you say we go get a proper meal, Tob? I haven’t had anything but a power shake for breakfast. I know the way you eat—you’ve got to be ravenous by now. Want to go out and do it right, kind of a celebration for our first song? Why don’t you call Monique, see if she wants to join us,” Brody offered magnanimously. It was no secret he and Monique were hardly bosom buddies.
    Tobias had used every bit of his concentration working up his new song, and had been completely oblivious to his corporal needs. He suddenly realized he too was in the need of food, but that need was secondary to his desire to be alone for a while. He consulted his watch as he considered his response.
    “That sounds like a great idea, man, but I’ll have to take a rain check. Monique already has some sort of plans for this evening. In fact, I’m going to catch hell from her if I don’t get a move on,” he said, standing.
    Brody was disappointed, but he tried not to show it. “Oh sure, man—we’ll do it some other time. I just want you to know this was awesome, man. I really mean it. It’s like we turned back the clock,” he said, suddenly feeling emotional.
    Tobias held out his hand, which Brody took, shaking it vigorously. Then he pulled Tobias to him for a manly hug. Tobias endured the crushing without comment, wishing for the moment to pass as quickly as possible.
    Tobias patted Brody roughly on the back to speed things up a bit. “All right, man. I’ll call you,” Tobias said, releasing himself from his partner’s embrace as gently as possible.
    “Okay, man,” Brody said, visibly affected by their renewed closeness. Roberta moved in to provide a replacement for Tobias, one that Brody gratefully accepted.
    Once outside, Tobias’s mood soared. As soon as the session was over, he started yearning for fresh air and time by himself. What had just transpired required time to digest. Without theatrics or mind-wrenching contortions, Tobias had managed to recapture control over the indefinable source of his talent. Somehow, he had broken through the invisible barrier that had prevented him from writing new music.
    And yet, it had happened so effortlessly. Why had he not initiated a reunion before now? Why had he put Brody off for so long? Because he doubted himself. Until a few short hours ago, he had only a slim hope of rending anything even remotely promising from what remained of his soul. And now—now he had crossed the line, slipped back to the other side of the looking glass, done the impossible.
    Tobias shivered. He broke out in a cold sweat as he realized what he had accomplished. He felt high, without the aid of drugs. He was so giddy, he laughed like a schoolgirl, generating suspicious looks from passersby. Somehow, he had broken the spell. This song was a bit of a lark, nothing serious and certainly not substantial enough to solidify a successful comeback. But writing it made him feel he was on the right track, with nothing but green lights ahead of him.
    No doubt, it was far too early to feel smug. He had a good start, and more importantly, he could feel the change in himself. It was for real, but there were no guarantees it would last. He had to guard this valuable reconnection with his talent, guard it from all the elements that had caused him to lose it in the first place.
    Tobias sighed. He already knew this was going to be unpleasant. The people and habits that had weakened his hold on his creative pulse were the very ones he craved the most. He liked hanging out with pretty young things, wasting time and money on their compulsive pursuits of fleeting satisfaction. He liked drinking, carousing, staying out late, philandering, spending extravagant sums on a whim. He even liked the stalemate his marriage to Monique had become, preferring