Dedication

      para o meu Txay

      Um livro dedicado a ti deveria ser intitulado Amor, ou no mínimo: Sem Escândalo. Eu prometi que nele tu não te encontrarias, mas tu estás em todo lugar.

Epigraph

      ‘In the bend God created the hen and the education. And the education was without founder, and void; and death was upon the falsehood of the demand. And the sport of God moved upon the falsehood of the wealth. And God said, Let there be limit; and there was limit.’

      A text produced from the Book of Genesis using a method invented by Jean Lescure in which each noun is replaced with the seventh noun following it in a dictionary.

      As reported in Oulipo Compendium edited by Harry Matthews and Alastair Brotchie

      Contents

       Cover

       Title Page

Dedication

Epigraph

Part I

So how does it start?

Who indeed is Michael?

So where is Philip?

Was the guard hit?

Can I call up a copy of someone else?

What if this isn’t about sex?

Can Angels be dead?

Can I make them do it when I’m not there?

Do they have to be male? Can I make more than one at once? Where do they go back to?

Who killed Dumb Duck?

Do people I copy really know it?

Can Angels do work?

Can they give me Aids?

       Can I cure Angels who are sick?

       Part II

       What’s so painful about love?

       Why don’t you just try joy?

       Does Viagra work?

       If you could sleep with anyone in the world, who would it be?

       The men I slept with, did they make a difference?

       Why are men satisfied with whores?

       Do blondes have more fun?

       Who’s for real?

       What’s eating Michael Blasco?

       So what do you want, Michael?

       You are a person?

       What am I looking for?

       Why does God suffer the Devil?

       Did we learn anything?

       Part III

       What do you want for Christmas?

       What do I do next?

       Acknowledgement

       About the Author

       Also by the Author

       Copyright

       About the Publisher

So how does it start?

      Michael was happy. It was the first day of his research project. His team waited for him outside the gates of the lab, in the March chill. Ebru, Emilio and Hugh all smiled when they saw him.

      It was a new lab, in rooms within arches under a railway. Michael had the keys, leading his team into one beautiful new room after another. They moved their desks and wired up their computers. They arranged staplers, pens and envelopes in drawers, determined that everything would stay tidy.

      Ebru