All the Colors of the Dark

by Chris Whitaker

Patch kept hold of her hand. “The shrink they make me see, she taps her pencil and frowns at me. And she talks about how we construct our ideals out of our own past mistakes. And I wonder what exactly a mistake is. A thing we should not have done, right? But if learning is built on trial and error there can be no mistakes, only rungs on a ladder to someplace better.”

“How do I know if I love him?” Saint said. “When it comes to marriage, love is merely a visitor over a lifetime. Respect and kindness, they are the true foundations. If I’m honest, I think you should marry him.”

“Time changes our ability to view the things that hurt us.” “But not the pain.” “No. Not the pain.”