Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World (Aristotle and Dante, #2)

by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Love took you out of exile and carried you to a country called Belonging.

You’re the rain and you’re the desert and you’re the eraser that’s making the word “loneliness” disappear. But it was too much to say and I would always be the guy that would say too little and Dante was the kind of guy who would always say too much.

And then I heard myself whisper, “Mom, why didn’t anybody tell me that love hurts so much?” “If I had told you, would it have changed anything?”

Sometimes I had beautiful words living inside of me and I just couldn’t push those words out so that other people could see they were there.

Building walls can lead to a sad and lonely existence. But we can also decide to give people visas and let them in so they can see for themselves all the wealth you have to offer. You can decide to let those who visit you see your pain and the courage it has taken you to survive. Letting other people in—letting them see your country—this is the key to happiness.

If we’re lucky. If we’re very lucky, the universe will send us the people we need to survive.

But, for me, to love was one thing. To let yourself be loved, well, that was the most difficult thing of all.

We do invent who other people are. And we invent ourselves. And we can have very unpretty and very ungenerous imaginations.”