“...but I was sure he'd been talking about the home of someone white, because he'd said, "All the pictures on the walls, they all white as lilies and smiling like alligators.”

“All the pictures on the walls, they all white as lilies and smiling like alligators.”

“Philly Joe was a bitch. If he'd been a lawyer and white, he would have been president of the United States, because in order to get there you gotta talk fast and carry a lot of bullshit with you; Philly had it all and a lot to spare.”

“Chase was gone then, and Donnie was back, alone in his room, wondering about those pictures from an art book he'd so admired. Because it felt like he'd just lived one, and it had been beautiful, so beautiful, and he'd been able to reach out and touch the lines of it, but it still hurt.”

“Was Chris a man?"Now, there was something to ponder. Was he? He'd been strong and brave, and not stubborn. He'd killed other men, he'd saved other men's lives.He kissed other men. And he'd cried and cried.I closed my eyes. But then the dog said, "What makes a man not a man?"Eyes open, I said, "Kissing another man.""Why?""Why?""Yeah. Is there something unkissable about a man?"I smirked at the black and white furry face. "No, stupid. Women kiss men.""Was Chris a man?”

“White." He spoke with conviction and I knew he'd seen. "A thousand shades of white, from mist to snow to starlight.”