That was the one thing she knew now. Some chances came and went, and if you missed them, you could spend the rest of your life standing alone, waiting for an opportunity that had already passed you by.

What I know now about life is this: your mother is a part of everything you do and everything you are.

Nina knew the power of black and white images. Sometimes a thing was its truest self when the colors were stripped away.

That was the one thing she knew now. Some chances came and went, and if you missed them, you could spend the rest of your life standing alone, waiting for an opportunity that had already passed you by.

Their friendship was more important than any relationship. Guys would come and go; girlfriends were forever.

That was what a best friend did: hold up a mirror and show you your heart.

The falling apart of a man's life should make more noise. It should startle passesrby with its Sturm and Drang. It ought to sound like the Parthenon crashing down. Not this ordinary, everyday kind of quiet...He closed his eyes...And still it was quiet, this falling apart of his life, as silent as the last beat of an old man's heart. A quiet, echoing thud, and then...nothing.