“She'd also called me brave...unless she was talking to the catfish.”
“She hadn't chosen the brave life. She'd chosen the small, fearful one.”
“Eric called Al's suicide brave, and he was wrong. My mother's death was brave. I remember how calm she was, how determined. It isn't just brave that she died for me; it is brave that she did it without announcing it, without hesitation, and without appearing to consider another option.”
“But, though French, she was also very brave...”
“The fish meowed at me. It must be a catfish.”
“She cannot chain my soul. Yes, she could hurt me. She'd already done so...I would bleed, or not. Scar, or not. Live, or not. But she could not hurt my soul, not unless I gave it to her.”