I was so thrilled that I was having a girl, because I just am so girly myself, but I think the teenage years are going to be very interesting.

Looking at the pond, all I could think was that it is an incredivle thing, how a whole world can rise from what seems like nothing at all.

Shoulda, coulda, woulda. It's so easy in the past tense.

In midair, dangling lost above the world.

Two a.m.' He swallowed, then said, "You know. The person you can call at two a.m. and, no matter what, you can count on them. Even if they're asleep or it's cold or you need to be bailed out of jail...they'll come for you. It's like, the highest level of friendship.

That was the thing about being on the inside: the world was just going on, even when it seemed like time for you had stopped for good.

There was no short answer to this; like so much else, it was a long story. But what really makes any story real is knowing someone will hear it. And understand.