“You asked if I was okay. I'll say I'm okay but really, inside it takes everything that I can do, to not scream and cry.”

“I tell TAMMY it will be all right. She says what will be all right? I say whatever you are crying about. She says that is exactly what she's crying about. That everything is all right. That the world isn't ending. That we'll never tell each other how we really feel because everything is okay. Okay enough to just sit around, being okay.”

“Everything was okay today, but I am not feeling okay. I think that when the things you like go away, you die a little bit inside, and I think that it takes a long time for you to feel okay again.”

“Next time I get sick, you can tell that to me. You can be my girl in the mountains.""Okay", I say."I'll be your mountain girl and take care of you.”

“Pretendin'. I'm still pretendin'.For the rest of my life, I'll be pretendin'.How ya doing? they ask,and I say,Okay, man,even though I'm not.I'm not okayand I'm never gonna be okay again.I just don't get it, how they don't see myinsides hangin' out, when it's all I can doto put these feelings into wordsbecause words don't meana thing.—Joe”

“I'll always remember taking your hand and telling you that everything would be okay.”