A wave of intense happiness washed over me, and I told myself to carry this moment as a talisman of a time in my life when I was both truly content and lucky enough to realize it.

I remember once waiting for the Tube and thinking, as its oncoming headlights gleamed brighter in the tunnel, I could just jump. Not because I wanted to die, but because sometimes your mind dangles the worst-case behavior in front of you specifically so that you can be aware that you’re choosing to resist it.

I don’t know why it takes something monumentally destructive to remind you what you want to save.

One condition,” Cilla sniffled through a joyful smile. “We are not naming our child after any of your grandfather’s fonts.” “I wouldn’t dream of it,” Gaz said. “The only other one that crackpot invented was called the Serif of Nottingham.

The Queen Mum did walk by, but she just poked me with her cane and told me a curtsy would have sufficed.

I would never lie about shoes. I have morals.

I was just going to tell Bex that Nicholas is the patron saint of archers, hence the massive shrubbery up there.” Clive grinned. “He’s also the patron saint of repentant thieves, but that’s harder to capture in horticultural form.

Bea said I didn’t owe everyone my patronage, but no one taught me the distinction between that and loyalty.

During the ensuing seconds of silence, I must have burned a thousand calories just keeping my face impassive.

How did you not know they broke up? You usually monitor his social media like he’s al-Qaeda and you’re the CIA.