“Fear and bigotry don’t need explaining. They simply are, like traffic jams and taxes.”

“Women were complicated creatures. Any man who thought he had one figured out simply wasn’t paying attention,”

“Do you need me? Always, but not immediately.”

“When you’re raw you don’t want people studying your reactions, even if you’ve convinced yourself you’re just fine. Maybe especially then.”

“This was what she needed… the quiet turning to the other in the middle of the night, the wordless meeting of lips, skin, breath. The trust, unfurling one pale petal at a time, that he would be there.”

“Dogs make sense. They understand hierarchy and the need to cooperate. They come when you call them. A cat though—a cat will take your number and get back to you. Maybe. If he’s in a good mood.”

“She wasn’t entertainment for him. Hedidn’t need her to make him laugh or bolster his ego or to figure him out so he wouldn’t have to. A lot of men who said they were looking for a relationship really wanted a combination sex buddy, therapist, and mirror.”