Horror novels had been banned in my family since I was seven, when an older kid on the bus let me borrow his copy of "Night of the Living Dummy," and it gave me such terrible nightmares that I insisted on sleeping with the lights on for a week.
I took myself straight off to the surgery again, and this time I insisted on an appointment with the woman GP who I've seen before.
Every few minutes, as an officer continued to fill out my arrest report – "failure to disperse from the scene of a riot" – I insisted again on speaking with a sergeant.
It's nothing to do with personality, I insisted: Ralph's not a grey person, it's just that the capital R is a strong, grey presence.
I insisted that Liza Bernski sleep with me because I was supposed to be practicing straight sex.
I insist!" and with that she made two sharp slices with her knife into her salmon/crème toast and pushed her salad toward me.
They threatened to cut off the relationship with me if I insisted on doing this.
Despite my uncle, the tree salesperson, and casual onlookers trying to shift my focus to another tree, I'd insist, with tears in my eyes, that we had to take that tree because, "I feel sorry for it!" Reluctantly, my uncle would purchase the tree, and off we'd go to meet with my mother's disapproval.
I recall insisting, with all due respect, that it was inevitable he'd return to the fold.
But I was insisting with these guys, "Absolutely not, let's just wash it out".
