On Bur Oak Ridge Quotes

“I turn on my side, propping myself up on my elbow. A portion of her hair has fallen out of its entrapment of pins and curls around her neck. Reaching out a tentative finger, I brush the thick lock of hair. It’s soft to the touch, and a faint fragrance of apple and chamomile arises when I stroke the curling strand. She sucks in a quick breath when my finger brushes her chin. I stop, gauging whether to proceed or not, but Molly doesn’t protest. I see a surprised welcome in her eyes. The backs of my fingers stroke up her jawline to her cheek, on the soft, smooth side of her face.
All the sounds around us still; the birds quiet, King’s yapping fades, and the breeze no longer whistles in my ear. All I can hear is the drum of my own heart. Her eyes widen, and she appears to be holding her breath, as I do mine. Of their own accord, my eyes focus on her lips, a perfect pair of petals in the midst of a half-ravaged flower. I dare to move closer; my lips hover inches above hers, the petals quiver, and our breath mingles once more.”
― Jenny Knipfer, On Bur Oak Ridge

“I fear my heart will be forever tied to what I can’t have. The word “home” once meant everything good to me: safety, warmth, love. Now, however, I have no home. It was ripped from me by the devious dealings of Mr. Alfred Skaggs.”
― Jenny Knipfer, On Bur Oak Ridge

“I wish I knew how to encourage Samuel. He appears to be trapped in an unmovable situation, but everything is fragile. Perhaps that’s the problem—a broken relationship with his mother. I know about broken relationships. They are difficult to mend but not impossible, at least when the person isn’t physically missing or dead. My mind wanders to Jacob again. If miraculously he were found, would I want to mend things between us? The question grates at my conscience.”
― Jenny Knipfer, On Bur Oak Ridge

“The warm vapor of breath from her lungs steams out and blends with mine in the chill October air, before it dissipates. But another cloud of our combined breath replaces it quickly.
She appears to cling to the moment as much as I do; we are a foot away from each other, starched in place and reluctant to move. Our eyes meet. We hold each other’s appraisal a few more seconds, before Molly jerks her head to the side and slightly turns her body from me at an angle.
What will it take for her to be comfortable in my presence?”
― Jenny Knipfer, On Bur Oak Ridge

“I see him, but I can’t move. I stand rooted in place like a tree with my arms outstretched.
“Momma!” he giggles with glee, and he runs toward me, dangerously close to the vat of boiling water.
Water vapor rises from the vat and hangs suspended in the air in a slow, surreal way. Some soap bubbles float large and free, growing until they burst, appearing like a shimmer of glitter around the halo of Lonny’s blond ringlets.
My frozen-in-place arms strain to rescue him, but they are immovable. I’m helpless to prevent what’s coming next—”
― Jenny Knipfer, On Bur Oak Ridge

“My hate can kill a man. And it has.
To look at me, you wouldn’t think it. You couldn’t tell that a brief fire as evil as hell burned within me, eating me up until I was nothing more than a plan of destruction with legs. I’m nothing: tall, slim, and dull. I'm just a skinny reject who’s lost everything, but it’s my own fault and perhaps, partially, Mother’s, fool that she was.”
― Jenny Knipfer, On Bur Oak Ridge

“We’re better at looking back than forward. Since such is the case, our eyes would be better placed at the base of our heads. I see nothing when I gaze into the future. It appears like the purple haze of the distant hills—without definition, lacking firm, clean, and distinctive lines. In a word—smudged.”
― Jenny Knipfer, On Bur Oak Ridge