My circumstances of unrelieved responsibility and permanent distraction necessitated the short story form.

I'm always learning something. Learning never ends.

You're a beautiful drunk, daughter. But you're a drunk.

You've got to work with your mistakes until they look intended. Understand?

There is no answer. It's okay. But even if it wasn't okay, what am I supposed to do?

A man can go along obeying all the rules and then it don't matter a damn anymore.

I could hear my heart beating. I could hear everyone's heart. I could hear the human noise we sat there making, not one of us moving, not even when the room went dark.