That was the dirty secret associated with her past. Not that she'd been abused but that somehow she felt that she deserved it because she'd let it happen. Even now, it shamed her, and there were times when she felt hideously ugly, as though the scars that had been left behind were visible to everyone.

What it's like to be a parent: It's one of the hardest things you'll ever do but in exchange it teaches you the meaning of unconditional love.

Who did she know in Raleigh who took the time off to fix a house? Or read Whitman or Eliot, finding images in the mind, thoughts of the spirit? Or hunted dawn from the bow of a canoe? These weren't the things that drove society, but she felt they shouldn't be treated as unimportant. They made living worthwhile.

All characters come from people I know, but after the initial inspiration, I tend to modify the characters so they fit with the story.

I love you now for what we've already shared, and I love you now in anticipation of all that's to come.

I'd like to marry you, if you think that would be okay.

Now, she could't help but think he was just a big version of a jealous boy friend.