Hate Notes

by Vi Keeland

Still, you know what they say about curiosity

“You were probably taught that in school when you weren’t paying attention.”

“When God was making the mold for good-looking men, he asked one of his angels what else he should add to make a man more attractive in her eyes. The angel didn’t want to be disrespectful by using foul language, so she simply said, ‘Give him a big stick.’ Unfortunately, the added piece was put on backward, and now all good-looking men are born with a large stick up their tuchus.”

But you need to figure out how to love the life that you have, while you work on the life that you want.

You can only find true happiness within yourself, not inside of other people, no matter how much you care about them. Make yourself happy, and the rest will come. I promise.”

“My grandmother always said a lady gave an angel’s smile and kept her devilish thoughts to herself.”

“It wasn’t a tragedy. I ended up with two great parents. But obviously, knowing how I came to be with them is something I can’t exactly forget. And I do feel like a huge part of me is missing. Whoever she is, I forgive her. She must have been pretty desperate, but she made sure I was safe. I’d just like to find her so that I can tell her I forgive her, in case she feels guilty.”

You don’t just lose a partner; you realize you never had one to begin with.

take some advice from an old man who has learned from more mistakes than you even realize you’re capable of making yet. One man’s overlooked blessing is soon another man’s gain.”

I. Was. Not. Expecting. That.

It was so easy for guys.

Even a diamond has a vulnerable spot where the precious stone could be split open.

“You liked it so much in the bag, I thought maybe you’d like to see it on.”

“So, if this house represented life . . . then you don’t believe you should live your life based on fear.”

There are two things we don’t have to chase after: trains and men. Because there’ll always be another one ready to pick us up right behind the first.”

Whatever incited the spark to flame didn’t matter; I wanted to feel the burn.

But then I’d realized I was afraid to not believe, which meant that I actually did believe there was something to be afraid of.

But I like to think that maybe heaven is a better place than here and death isn’t always a punishment, but sometimes it’s a reward to put people out of their pain.”

“I think it’s better to spend years treasuring a memory that might hurt sometimes than to never make one at all.”

Love wasn’t about a beautiful dress, a note, or even poignant words. It was about being with someone through thick and thin, about seeing them through not only the best moments of life but also the worst. It was about being there for someone like I would have been there for Reed if he’d let me. I thought of my birth mother. True love was also about forgiveness.

stared at the picture some more. The longer I looked at it, the less I saw the lost girl eating bread and the more I saw the independent woman. One who’d just found and lost her mother, yet who persevered anyway—and despite being in love with a man she could never have. She survived anyway. Eating cheese. Maybe this was a lesson that I’m okay just as I am—alone and experiencing whatever life throws my way. Maybe I am enough. I am enough.

Even with all that this city had to offer, it was amazing how bland a life could seem when the one person who matters suddenly disappears. I suppose it isn’t until that point that you realize just how much the person matters at all—until they leave you.

It was funny how sometimes the universe placed something in front of you that was exactly what you needed to see at exactly the right time.