“When she needed help most, she was abandoned—and only when she offered help to others was she beloved.”

“She looks sad. She looks angry. She looks different from everyone else I know—she cannot put on that happy face others wear when they know they are being watched. She doesn’t put on a face for me, which makes me trust her somehow.”

“She never laughs or smiles or tells a joke. She reminds me of a robot caked in meat.”

“I...have a woman in my arms who has suffered greatly and desperately needs to believe once again that she is beautiful.”

“But the next time Nikki eats too many crabby snacks, I am going to tell her she did not eat too much and that she looks too skinny anyway; I'll say she needs to gain a few pounds because I like my women looking like women and not like 'Ms. Six O'Clock-straight up, straight down,' which is another term I learned from Danny.”

“It hurts to look at the clouds, but it also helps, like most things that cause pain.”

“Tiffany and I are great friends, and I appreciate all that she is doing for me now. But she isnot you. I still love you, Nikki. And you can’t control or alter true love.”