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“I can still hear the screams. They wake me in the night. Terrible, gut wrenching, painful screams; screams that can only come from the deepest and darkest recesses of the mind. These were not screams of pain. These were screams of years of sorrow and despair. These were screams that made your skin crawl. These were the worst screams I have ever heard. I cannot get them out of my head. Perhaps, they will be with me forever. I shouldn't be so lucky.”
― Not All Out of Love
― Not All Out of Love
“They say that time heals all wounds. I've never believed that. Time may dampen the severity of a wound, but no true wound is ever completely healed. A scar lasts forever no matter how much Mederma you lather on it. The memory of a tattoo will be there long after you've had it burnt off.”
― Not All Out of Love
― Not All Out of Love
“I'm thankful because I'm still alive. I'm thankful because I lived the mantra, Only The Strong Survive. I'm thankful because I have Chris Ann. And that has made all the difference. And it always will.
It always gets better. I told you so...”
― Not All Out of Love
It always gets better. I told you so...”
― Not All Out of Love
“I've really only learned one thing in my life. One thing, in my heart, as deep as the deepest ocean in the world; no matter how bad it seems, it will always get better, ALWAYS.”
― Not All Out of Love
― Not All Out of Love
“Sometimes the greatest things happen when they have no rhyme or reason to. Life and logic might be against them, but great things happen nonetheless.”
― Not All Out of Love
― Not All Out of Love
“Maybe you just don’t have it. Maybe Romanolli was wrong about you? Promise, but no follow through…” She turned and began to walk away.
“You know what, Kathy,” I said, spinning around in my chair and standing up, all in one motion. “FUCK YOU.”
The silence that spread through the floor was immense. A pin-drop. A mouse-fart. Pick your idiom. I expected the full wrath of Kathy Bohane in that moment. I expected the ax. I expected fire and brimstone and Sodom and Gomorrah.
But I received silence.
I sat back down, stared into the black emptiness of the typewriter keys in front of me, and churned out 489 words on raising a daughter as a single father in New York. I left in on Kathy’s desk and walked out of The Times building that night, knowing that I’d have to find another career.
The next day, those 489 words were on the front page of The New York Times.”
― Father and Son...Again
“You know what, Kathy,” I said, spinning around in my chair and standing up, all in one motion. “FUCK YOU.”
The silence that spread through the floor was immense. A pin-drop. A mouse-fart. Pick your idiom. I expected the full wrath of Kathy Bohane in that moment. I expected the ax. I expected fire and brimstone and Sodom and Gomorrah.
But I received silence.
I sat back down, stared into the black emptiness of the typewriter keys in front of me, and churned out 489 words on raising a daughter as a single father in New York. I left in on Kathy’s desk and walked out of The Times building that night, knowing that I’d have to find another career.
The next day, those 489 words were on the front page of The New York Times.”
― Father and Son...Again
“I’m very sorry for your loss,” Dr. Mulligan said, taking each woman by the hand. “I can offer you only one condolence. Your mother and father had true love. They had a love that spanned time. A love that will live forever.
“Your mother died of a condition known as Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy. This is commonly referred to as ‘broken heart syndrome.’ She couldn’t bear to live without your father and their love together. Her heart was broken, and I tried the best I could, but I couldn’t put it back together again.”
― John at The Bar
“Your mother died of a condition known as Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy. This is commonly referred to as ‘broken heart syndrome.’ She couldn’t bear to live without your father and their love together. Her heart was broken, and I tried the best I could, but I couldn’t put it back together again.”
― John at The Bar
“As I got closer to him, I could see that he was right. The years had not been kind to him. He was heavier than I remembered, with even less hair, and his smile was a disaster. I saw soldiers in Vietnam that couldn’t even spell “dentist” that had a better smile than John’s.
“Oh, a man can dream,” he said, brushing past me and heading behind the bar. He pulled a draft beer from the spout and placed it on the bar. “This one’s on me.”
I slammed the beer down in one sip, replaced the empty glass on the bar, and walked out. “John,” I said, nearing the door. "If I don’t get outta this place, I never will.”
I got into my father’s Mustang, put the top down, and headed for the interstate. Destination unknown. People tell me I have a nice smile.”
― John at The Bar
“Oh, a man can dream,” he said, brushing past me and heading behind the bar. He pulled a draft beer from the spout and placed it on the bar. “This one’s on me.”
I slammed the beer down in one sip, replaced the empty glass on the bar, and walked out. “John,” I said, nearing the door. "If I don’t get outta this place, I never will.”
I got into my father’s Mustang, put the top down, and headed for the interstate. Destination unknown. People tell me I have a nice smile.”
― John at The Bar
“As she spoke, I noticed her abnormal gesticulations with her hands. She seemed to flail them during unnecessary parts of the conversation for emphasis, and place them at her sides or in her pockets when they would be better served gesticulating. It was a dance I found myself enjoying watching her perform.
“I promise,” I said, watching her every move, “no funny business. I didn’t travel 400 miles to fall for some girl, get her knocked up, and not finish school. It looks like we’re both here for the same thing. At least we’ve got our priorities straight.”
“I’m glad we got that straightened out,” she said, matter of factly. “Why don’t you take me out for coffee and we can talk about our writing and what sort of reading schedule we’d like to get on?”
We went to bed together three hours later.”
― Father and Son...Again
“I promise,” I said, watching her every move, “no funny business. I didn’t travel 400 miles to fall for some girl, get her knocked up, and not finish school. It looks like we’re both here for the same thing. At least we’ve got our priorities straight.”
“I’m glad we got that straightened out,” she said, matter of factly. “Why don’t you take me out for coffee and we can talk about our writing and what sort of reading schedule we’d like to get on?”
We went to bed together three hours later.”
― Father and Son...Again
“Lauren looked up at Jason. A smile appeared across her face. “Hold me darling just a little while,” Lauren said. Jason held her close and they kissed their last kiss. Lauren died in his arms.”
― John at The Bar
― John at The Bar
“She examined it. It was covered in Mayor Quimly’s blood. A bullet had pierced the left side, passing through the top of the bag without impacting the other side. She held the bag up to the incoming morning light.
“It’s empty,” she said aloud, although no one was alive to hear her. She opened the bag, fingering a white label, stitched into the inside pocket.
She slowly made her way down from the pulpit and walked towards the exit. Her hand touched the door. As it swung open she could feel the warmth from the sunrise upon her face.
She took a step outside. She stumbled and fell.”
― John at The Bar
“It’s empty,” she said aloud, although no one was alive to hear her. She opened the bag, fingering a white label, stitched into the inside pocket.
She slowly made her way down from the pulpit and walked towards the exit. Her hand touched the door. As it swung open she could feel the warmth from the sunrise upon her face.
She took a step outside. She stumbled and fell.”
― John at The Bar
“On January 27th, 1945, The Red Army arrived. We were all free. As four soldiers entered our barracks, Pesha gave one a hug and started to cry. Mikhail and Vladimir shook the hands of all four. One of the soldiers began to lead us in “Gosudarstvenny Gimn Rossiyskoy Federatsii,” the new National Anthem of The Russian Federation. We hadn’t heard it before.
A young soldier approached me. I had been sitting on my bed, with my head in my hands, weeping. He said, “Ты в порядке?” “Are you ok?”
“Нет, я не в порядке. Я не могу жить в другой день после этого.” “No. I am not ok,” I said. “I cannot stand to live another day after this.” I hit the soldier in the stomach quickly, grabbed his standard issue Nagant M1895 Revolver from his hip, put the barrel to my head, and pulled the trigger.
Now, I was free.”
― John at The Bar
A young soldier approached me. I had been sitting on my bed, with my head in my hands, weeping. He said, “Ты в порядке?” “Are you ok?”
“Нет, я не в порядке. Я не могу жить в другой день после этого.” “No. I am not ok,” I said. “I cannot stand to live another day after this.” I hit the soldier in the stomach quickly, grabbed his standard issue Nagant M1895 Revolver from his hip, put the barrel to my head, and pulled the trigger.
Now, I was free.”
― John at The Bar
“I realized that from the moment we are born to our mothers, our lives are about nothing but loss. We will lose our hair, we will lose our teeth, our bones will eventually decay into dust. We lost our friends and our families. We acquire worldly possessions only to lose them in death. We are born with nothing and we die with nothing. And with that realization came a voice, calling out to me.”
― All This Happened, More or Less
― All This Happened, More or Less
“If he were, I would tell him so many things. I would tell him that I love him. And I would tell him that I am proud of him. But most of all, I would tell him that I was sorry. I am sorry for the man I am and the man I am not but wish that I were. I’m so sorry, James, wherever you are.”
His words were becoming softer. It was clear that the effort of all of his words was taking a lot out of him. His breathing was becoming labored.
But he soldiered on.
“I was a terrible father. I wasn’t there for him in the way that I should have been. And he had every right to hate me. I was a bad man, Robert, and that, above anything else, is my life’s greatest regret.”
― Father and Son...Again
His words were becoming softer. It was clear that the effort of all of his words was taking a lot out of him. His breathing was becoming labored.
But he soldiered on.
“I was a terrible father. I wasn’t there for him in the way that I should have been. And he had every right to hate me. I was a bad man, Robert, and that, above anything else, is my life’s greatest regret.”
― Father and Son...Again
“In the blink of an eye, Barbara had turned ninety-five. Taking her final breath in the Ottowan Nursing Home in Goodsprings, Nevada, she couldn’t believe her life would end like this. It wasn’t supposed to be this way. She had had so many plans growing up. Where did it all go wrong? Looking back, she realized it was all Roger’s fault. Roger, that bastard.
Her mother had told her once that she could be anything she wanted, as long as she set her mind to it. Barbara had wanted to be a nurse. She enjoyed helping people, and even as a young girl, felt that she could make a difference in people’s lives. After finishing high school in 1915, she had enrolled at the Johns Hopkins Hospital School of Nursing, only a short distance from where she had grown up, a little town called Fort Howard, Maryland.
That had been before The Great War.”
― John at The Bar
Her mother had told her once that she could be anything she wanted, as long as she set her mind to it. Barbara had wanted to be a nurse. She enjoyed helping people, and even as a young girl, felt that she could make a difference in people’s lives. After finishing high school in 1915, she had enrolled at the Johns Hopkins Hospital School of Nursing, only a short distance from where she had grown up, a little town called Fort Howard, Maryland.
That had been before The Great War.”
― John at The Bar
“I realized that from the moment we are born to our mothers, our lives are about nothing but loss. We will lose our hair, we will lose our teeth, our bones will eventually decay into dust. We lose our friends and our families. We acquire worldly possessions only to lose them in death. We are born with nothing and we die with nothing. And with that realization came a voice, calling out to me.”
― All This Happened, More or Less
― All This Happened, More or Less
“Jamie Schoffman
I realized that from the moment we are born to our mothers, our lives are about nothing but loss. We will lose our hair, we will lose our teeth, our bones will eventually decay into dust. We lose our friends and our families. We acquire worldly possessions only to lose them in death. We are born with nothing and we die with nothing. And with that realization came a voice, calling out to me.”
― All This Happened, More or Less
I realized that from the moment we are born to our mothers, our lives are about nothing but loss. We will lose our hair, we will lose our teeth, our bones will eventually decay into dust. We lose our friends and our families. We acquire worldly possessions only to lose them in death. We are born with nothing and we die with nothing. And with that realization came a voice, calling out to me.”
― All This Happened, More or Less
