“I need you, Pat Peoples; I need you so fucking bad.”

“I need you so fucking bad.”

“You want to be a good person, don't you, Pat?'I nod. I cry. I do want to be a good person, I really do.'I'm going to up your meds,' Dr. Patel tells me. 'You might feel a little sluggish, but it should help to curb your violent outbursts. You need to know it's your actions that will make you a good person, not desire.”

“I do wonder why women are always hemorrhaging in American literature.-Pat Peoples”

“But I'll tell you the same thing I tell my students when they complain about the depressing nature of American literature: life is not a PG feel-good movie. Real life often ends badly, like our marriage did, Pat. And literature tries to document this reality, while showing us it is still possible for people to endure nobly.”

“And I still love you in my own fucked-up way. I miss you, I really do. Can we still be friends?”

“I still love you in my own fucked-up way.”