But when Bumby nursed, his fist clutching the fabric of my robe, his eyes soft and bottomless and locked on mine, as if I were the very heart of his universe, I couldn't help but melt into him.

I'd had my share of rain. My mother's illness ... had weighed on me, but the years before had been heavy, too. I was only twenty eight.

But in the end, fighting for a love that was already gone felt like trying to live in the ruins of a lost city.

The very rich only admire themselves

Sometimes I wish we could rub out all of our mistakes and start fresh, from the beginning,' I said. 'And sometimes I think there isn't anything to us but our mistakes.

Dogs are easy. If their tails are up and their eyes are soft, you're in.

I preferred to look at the sea, which said nothing and never made you feel alone.