You Like Me, Josie Moraine. You Just

He Threw His Burning Cigarette Onto Our Clean Living Room Floor And Ground It Into The Wood With His Boot. We Were About To Become Cigarettes.

One Day When I Was Fourteen, I Told Charlie That I Hated Mother. “don’t Hate Her, Jo,” He Told Me. “feel Sorry For Her. She’s Not Near As Smart As You. She Wasn’t Born With Your Compass, So She Wanders Around, Bumping Into All Sorts Of Walls. That’s Sad.” I Understood What He Meant, And It Made Me See Mother Differently. But Wasn’t There Some Sort Of Rule That Said Parents Had To Be Smarter Than Their Kids? It Didn’t Seem Fair.

Tragedy Was A Big Social Event, And Everyone Wanted In On It.

Some Things Just Won’t Go Away, No Matter How Hard You Scrub.

Let Me Tell You Something 'bout These Rich Uptown Folk," Said Cokie. "they Got Everything That Money Can Buy, Their Bank Accounts Are Fat, But They Ain't Happy. They Ain't Ever Gone Be Happy. You Know Why? They Soul Broke. And Money Can't Fix That, No Sir.