Peripeteia Quotes

“Because we might as well dance while we wait.”
― Sarah Lyons Fleming, Peripeteia

“But you’re ruining it.” “I did warn you about my powers of fuckupitude.” “I didn’t know they could be used for good.” “Me neither, but there you go. You’re welcome.”
― Sarah Lyons Fleming, Peripeteia

“Although maybe it has an upside: There are so few people left that being a decent human makes you valuable, which is how it always should’ve been but never truly was.”
― Sarah Lyons Fleming, Peripeteia

“Guillermo told me to enjoy being a grownup, remember? Finding out how much it sucks?" Her laugh is sharp. "It sucks. I wish I could tell him that."

I wish she could, too. "The secret is to act like one when you have to," I say, "but to be as immature as possible when you don't.”
― Sarah Lyons Fleming, Peripeteia

“My dad always said that women will put up with a lot more bullshit than men, but once they're done, they're done.”
― Sarah Lyons Fleming, Peripeteia

“Rissa has turned shades paler, and now her cheeks bloom pink. She closes the door and sinks down, arms around her knees and holding back tears. I've been in that remorseful big-mouthed spot many times, and I offer her a sympathetic smile. But better to learn not to burn her bridges now, at eighteen, than wait until twenty-seven.”
― Sarah Lyons Fleming, Peripeteia

“Sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up."

"No," he says, shoulders easing some. "I'm glad you did. I felt like I was lying even if I wasn't.”
― Sarah Lyons Fleming, Peripeteia

“Guillermo, you make everyone feel important," Eli says. "And, when it comes down to it, that's all anyone wants.”
― Sarah Lyons Fleming, Peripeteia

“I'm the happiest I've ever been, which is strange but true. And it's not only Eric—it's Guillermo snoring away on a bench, Maria and Jorge dancing, Grace trying to come back from her shattered life, Rissa asking me for help, and a thousand other things. It's the soft lights on Indy's face as she laughs at Paul. It's community—something I've never had and always wanted, though I pretended it didn't matter.”
― Sarah Lyons Fleming, Peripeteia

“The more I say nice things, or speak the thought it used to seem easier to leave unsaid, the more I realize how much everyone needs to hear them.”
― Sarah Lyons Fleming, Peripeteia

“Or maybe we don't owe them. Maybe they're being nice. It's not that crazy to imagine, is it? And maybe because you won't let them be nice, you'll never find out that they are.”
― Sarah Lyons Fleming, Peripeteia

“You're kind of high maintenance."

I jab him with my elbow. "Maybe, but I maintain myself. It only counts if you ask other people to maintain you. I just know what I like.”
― Sarah Lyons Fleming, Peripeteia

“Sylvie, if you let people in, some are going to disappoint you. That's life. I think you know better than most, and I'm sorry for that.”
― Sarah Lyons Fleming, Peripeteia

“I had to make friends whenever Mom moved us to our newest shitty apartment, and it was painful to put myself out there for rejection again and again. Eventually, you pretend you don't need friends and, whether you want them to or not, people take the cue. After a while, you start to believe it yourself. I know how difficult it is to admit you're lonely the way Indy has.”
― Sarah Lyons Fleming, Peripeteia

“You're a good dad."

"I just called my kid a pain in the ass and I'm a good dad?"

"You're being honest. I would think you were either crazy or lying if you said it was always magical. I don't think your five-year-old son calling you a meanie butt qualifies as magical.”
― Sarah Lyons Fleming, Peripeteia

“Sometimes people have been so hurt that they live in fear of it happening again. They don't think they can survive it, so they push the good away even when they want it. That way it's a choice, not a rejection.”
― Sarah Lyons Fleming, Peripeteia

“See?" I say. "That's what I didn't want."

Grace faces me, her eyes red. "I can have more than one emotion at a time, Syls. I can be sad for me and happy for you, but not telling me will definitely make me upset. Even if I cry, it's okay.”
― Sarah Lyons Fleming, Peripeteia

“I’m not in over my head—I’m drowning. My crystal ball says I will fuck this up. Of course, it always says that, but it’s usually right. “Are you okay?” he asks. I shake my head because I don’t have it in me to fake it. “Would a poop joke help?”
― Sarah Lyons Fleming, Peripeteia