“Somehow I had come to believe that because a person is in need, they are candidates for sympathy, not just charity. It was not that I wanted to buy her groceries, the government was already doing that. I wanted to buy her dignity. And yet, by judging her, I was the one taking her dignity away.”

“I love her. I need her. I gave away everything I had for her. I just wanted her to know me.”

“I want to keep her, but I don’t want to tie her. I need her to be able to run, but not to want to. I need her to knowthat. I need her to feel safe with me. Fuck it, I just need her.”

“I stood beside the U-Haul, and I just watched her. I stared at her while she looked on with the saddest look in her eyes. I wanted to know what she was thinking about, what was going on in her head. What had mad her so sad? I wanted to hug her so bad. When she finally got out of the U-Haul and I introduced myself to her, it took all I had to let go of her hand. I wanted to hold on to it forever. I wanted to let her know that she wasn't alone. Whatever burden it was that she was carrying around, I wanted to carry it for her. I wish I could, Lake. I wish I could take it all away. Unfortunately, that's not how it works. It doesn't just go away.”

“Somehow, maybe I could heal her. Even as I thought it, I knew it was delusional. A person needed to want to get better, seek their own sanity. I wanted to be her therapy. I had a Christ complex. I belived I could be her saviour. The problem was, Jesus hadn´t left us, we´d crucified him. I´d forsaken her. She was the only one who could nail my heart to a cross.”

“It was very exciting for her, taking his dignity away in the name of love.”