“This was what Parker had learned early on about disappointment; its sting lasts only in the beginning, only until the body goes numb from its repetition.”

“Parker let the letter drop to the floor, an act she often criticized in movies for its melodrama.”

“Parker, I'm old," She said matter-of-factly. "I get away with these things." She continued to wave and smile wildly. "People treat me like an idiot so I'm allowed to act like one from time to time. It's one of the perks.”

“Parker sat on the opposite end of the couch, distracted by thoughts of the coming year and all the secrets it kept from her.”

“Parker and her mother exchanged small talk like a pair of strangers in an elevator. What a nice day it was and how loud the airplanes flew overhead and this statement and that observation to fill the time.”

“Parker soon became familiar with the one certainty of sorrow, that ultimately loneliness trumps logic.”

“Sparks fly everywhere, Parker. The world’s practically on fire. You need something more solid in your relationships than some silly little spark.”