One day, a stranger came to town.

Of course, Boston is a pretty big town--one might call it a city even--so nobody really noticed.

"Hi, my name is James, I'm new in town," he said to everyone he saw. They all shook his hand when he offered it and nodded politely but nobody really remembered him, or at least they didn't think they did. But somehow with his big smile and naïve small-town mannerisms he was ingrained into their subconsciouses.

James said hello to everyone when he saw them a second time. They said hello back and squinted a bit, trying to remember who he was.

"James, remember?" And they always nodded back and smiled and made an excuse for why they had to leave.

Somehow, it became a pretty big story when James found his girlfriend cheating on him with someone he knew (thought this person couldn't really remember James that well until James reminded him). Soon, everyone in Boston was talking about it.

"You know that guy James?"

"James--?"

"Big smile, naïve small-town mannerisms?"

"Oh, right right, James."

"Yeah, him. Well he found his girlfriend sleeping with someone he knows."

"I didn't even know he had a girlfriend."

"Me neither."

James' story soon made the local news. Vans of reporters soon parked outside his little apartment building and bombarded him with questions whenever he tried to leave.

"James! James! How do you feel?"
"Are you getting on with your life?"
"What do you have to say to your girlfriend?"
"What do you have to say to the man involved?"
"Is there another woman in the picture?"

James just brushed past them. He only wanted to get on with the rest of his life. Some days later, he bought a handgun and shot himself. People were shocked at first but then James just sort of forgot about them. The city can be cruel like that. Chews people up and spits them out. That's what happened to James, anyway.