“Pudge/Colonel: I am sorry that I have not talked to you before. I am not staying for graduation. I leave for Japan tomorrow morning. For a long time, I was mad at you. The way you cut me out of everything hurt me, and so I kept what I knew to myself. But then even after I wasn t mad anymore, I still didn t say anything, and I don t even really know why. Pudge had that kiss, I guess. And I had this secret. You ve mostly figured this out, but the truth is that I saw her that night, I d stayed up late with Lara and some people, and then I was falling asleep and I heard her crying outside my back window. It was like 3:15 that morning, maybe, amd I walked out there and saw her walking through the soccer field. I tried to talk to her, but she was in a hurry. She told me that her mother was dead eight years that day, and that she always put flowers on her mother s grave on the anniversary but she forgot that year. She was out there looking for flowers, but it was too early-too wintry. That s how I knew about January 10. I still have no idea whether it was suicide. She was so sad, and I didn t know what to say or do. I think she counted on me to be the one person who would always say and do the right things to help her, but I couldn t. I just thought she was looking for flowers. I didn t know she was going to go. She was drunk just trashed drunk, and I really didn t think she would drive or anything. I thought she would just cry herself to sleep and then drive to visit her mom the next day or something. She walked away, and then I heard a car start. I don t know what I was thinking. So I let her go too. And I m sorry. I know you loved her. It was hard not to. Takumi”
“You can t know how much a mother loves.”
“I ll teach you, Tiger Lily offered with a shrug of her shoulders. Did your mother teach you? he asked. I don t have a mother, she said. Like you. For some reason, Peter was glad to hear it.”
“Me acordé de lo que me había dicho mi madre: Allá me oirás mejor. Estaré más cerca de ti. Encontrarás más cercana la voz de mis recuerdos que la de mi muerte, si es que alguna vez la muerte ha tenido alguna voz. Mi madre... La viva.”
“Authority is just and faithful in all matters of promise-keeping; it is also considerate, and that is why a good mother is the best home-ruler.”
“Mamă, soție, fiică – trei generații de femei... în palma mea...”