Ah, My Daughter,ʺ He Said. ʺeighteen, And

She Stared At Me With Concern A Few Moments Longer And Then Relaxed A Little. "okay. But If You Need Anything—" "i Know, I Know. Call On The Love Phone.

We Can Retreat And Retreat And Let Ourselves Get Backed Into Corners Forever,” She’d Said Once. “or We Can Go Out And Meet The Enemy At The Time And Place We Choose. Not Them.” Okay, Tasha, I Thought. Let’s See If Your Advice Gets Me Killed.

I Also Never Would Have Imagined I'd Quote Back A Church Lesson, But When The Rest Of The Crowd Stood Up To Take Communion, I Found Myself Saying To Dimitri: "don't You Think That If God Can Supposedly Forgive You, It's Kind Of Egotistical For You Not To Forgive Yourself?" "how Long Have You Been Waiting To Use That Line On Me?" He Asked. "actually, It Just Came To Me. Pretty Good, Huh? I Bet You Thought I Wasn't Paying Attention." "you Weren't. You Never Do. You Were Watching Me.

What Matters Is That Someone—that You—know Me That Well. When A Person Can See Into Your Soul, It's Hard. It Forces You To Be Open. Vulnerable. It's Much Easier Being With Someone Who's Just More Of A Casual Friend.

Then, His Struggles Stopped. His Eyes Stared At Me, Stunned, And His Lips Parted, Almost Into A Smile, Albeit A Grisly And Pained One. "that’s What I Was Supposed To Say..." He Gasped Out. Those Were His Last Words.