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“Evie, wake up,” she whispered.
ironically, I just finished another book with the main character also named evie
They turned to admire the hotel, talking quietly to one another, and the valet offered me his hand. I gave him a brief nod, unsure whether it would be proper to accept, then fumbled my way out of the car on my own.
proper to not take a hand so you don't eat shit?
During the Emergency, which continued to drag on regardless of rumors that the end was in sight, our house had never been without sugar, tea, or food. My father’s work with the government had helped him bypass the thin offerings of our ration books. Yet the general lack still forced my parents to conserve. My mother, always so pampered with her hand-tailored dresses and dainty shoes, had finally started to break.
yeah, so it sounds like your mother sucks
The thought made me feel guilty to be here, surrounded by such luxury.
you most definitely should mam
The mood in the air was strange, though. Now that something had ended, I felt the possibility of so many new beginnings.
“We should go back.” “Never go back,” she said, cheerfully. “Always move forward.”
Slowly, I brought the bottle to my lips. The sweet, warm liquid fizzed in my mouth and throat, making me cough but instantly filling me with an inexplicable joy.
is this when coca cola had actual cocaine in it lol — jk it was basically removed in 1903
Tell your father that he’s a coward for hiding out at the Declee instead of dealing with the damage.
a bad bitch is in our midst
“No one is honorable when forced to choose between doing what’s right and helping the people that they love.”
“Don’t bother with anger if someone speaks their mind.” She shielded her eyes from the sun. “Listen to the words spoken, then make your own opinion, and say it.”
“Feck, I was hoping.”
FECK
“Life will try to take things from you, to see how strong you are,” my grandmother liked to say. “Don’t let it. Find what you want, take it with two hands, and don’t let go.”
It felt so good to think that for once, I was in charge of my life, instead of letting each moment be dictated by somebody else.
“Freedom is exciting, in some ways, but it can be frightening. It’s like the sky.” She gestured at the endless gray space. “It can be easy to lose yourself in it.”
“You must be aware of the world around you. To understand the threads that bind us all together.”
I rolled my eyes. “I haven’t decided what I’m going to do in life.” “Exactly.” Her gaze was steady. “Until you know, do not waste time on promises you do not intend to keep.”
“There have been times I’ve taken shortcuts, and if I could do it all again, I wouldn’t. I’d be me, without apology. Do what will bring you joy, but don’t rush. It takes time to know everything that you are and all that you can do. I can already see that you will do a lot. I see that about you.”
How could I expect it to remain the same? Time waits for no one.”
“Fear is the greatest weapon people use to get you to do what they want. It can be a powerful thing.”
“Sleep on it, then,” he said in that charming lilt. “Your worries will always be there, waiting for you in the morning. Better to greet them with a clear head.”
“Life is full of risk, I suppose. You have to choose the ones you are willing to take.”
I nodded, but I wasn’t crying because I was leaving my childhood behind. I was crying because I was saying goodbye to a summer that had left me struggling to figure out what was right and wrong, and the type of person I wanted to be.
“Life goes faster than you’d expect. Keep making a point to do the things that make you happy, Rainey.
“I think the things that we hide from others are more about a fear of being honest with ourselves,” he said. “The world wants us to be perfect, and when we’re not, it can be hard to admit that.”
“Things happen as they should,” I said. “I don’t know about that,” my grandmother said. “I think sometimes, things just happen. Then it’s up to us to deal with the aftermath.”
He set us up at a table with a hard apple cider and a bowl of Taytos, then pulled out the chair across from me. It was too early to drink, but I appreciated the gesture and breathed in the crisp scent. It was reminiscent of a fall festival, but it also reminded me of the days when I used to bake apple pies with my grandmother.
pussy
“Isn’t life a beautiful thing? Time never stops swinging back around.”
I’d worked so hard on a bike in a gym, sweating and grunting, while Grady was out here, breathing in cool fresh air. Walking the hills and building his muscles better than I’d been building my own. It wasn’t like we didn’t have nature back home, but it wasn’t like this.
AMERICA!
“Why do you think being supportive means fixing things?” he asked.
it’s that it’s important to feel your feelings. Move through them, even if it’s hard. Then you can let them go.”
“Let her talk about her time here, her feelings. Let her know you’ll be right by her side. That’s all you can do. Life is full of sorrow. It doesn’t do us a bit of good to run from it.”
“People make mistakes,” Nora said. “It’s part of being human. It’s how we choose to handle those mistakes that shapes our lives.”
“Time heals,” Nora said. “It’s the best balm on the market.” She admired the cutouts I’d been making, then handed me a jar of green sprinkles. “You do the honors. Even in the darkest times, there’s still fun to be had.”
Time does heal, but a good apology note always seems to make it happen faster.”
