The Venice Sketchbook

by Rhys Bowen

All my life I had dreamed of falling in love.

“There is something about you. You are not like the girls I know. They are bored with life and only want money spent on them. You—you are so keen to experience everything. You want to taste what life has to offer.”

“At eighteen, everyone likes beauty. Everyone has great visions for the future.”

We humans have the capacity to survive almost anything. Not only to survive but to come through triumphant. Another door will open. You’ll see. A better one. A safer one. A brighter future.”