I leapt eagerly into books. The characters’ lives were so much more interesting than the lonely heartbeat of my own.

“I wished I had a friend in the Quarter, someone like Charlotte. Someone I could…”

“I didn’t agree with Cokie. It wasn’t just rich folks. Mother was soul broke, to…”

“Patrick explained that your father is absent. What about your mother, dear?"Mot…”

“I shut the bathroom door and caught sight of my face in the mirror. I had no id…”