Oh,to be walking through Leningrad white night after white night, the dawn to dusk all smelting together like platinum ore, Tatiana thought, turning away to the wall, again to the wall, the wall, as ever. Alexander, my nights, my days, my every thought. You will fall away from me in just a while, won't you, and I'll be whole again, and I will go on and feel for someone else, the way everyone does. But my innocence is forever gone.

Alexander smoked and watched her from his tree stump bench. What are you doing? she would ask him. Nothing, he would reply. Nothing but growing my pain into madness.

Alexander knew that before he had light instead of darkness, he had to deserve light instead of darkness.

Live as if you have faith,” she said, “and faith shall be given to you.

....and when Tatiana lifted her glistening eyes to him, Alexander was looking down at her with his I’ll-get-on-the-bus-for-you-anytime face.

"Alexander, were you looking for me?" "All my life."

Everything comes at a price. Everthing in your life. The question you have to ask yourself is, what price are you willing to pay?