“Changing is what people do when they have no options left.”

“I need you to be happy. I need one of us to be happy.”

“The truth is messy. It's raw and uncomfortable. You can't blame people for preferring lies.”

“This, the language of deception, we both understand. We were born to it, along with the curses.”

“I thought of how proud he was when he took the marks- cutting the skin of his throat in a long slash and then packing it with ashes until keloid scars rose up.He called it his second smile.”

“Oh- and grab the plastic bag over by my suitcase."I slug down the last of the coffee and get up. The bag contains panty hose. I put them on her desk."They're for you.""You want me to look homeless,...”

“I hug him tightly. I cant imagine my life without you, Christian. I love you so much it frightens me. Me, too, he breathes. My life would be empty without you. I love you so much.”

“Among my stillness was a pounding heart.”

“I take my hand back, like a leaf letting go. It hurts too much to hang on. So why does it hurt so much to let go?”

“Perhaps more than any other, the food industry is very sensitive to consumer demand.”