Carolina Moon

Oh, go to hell." But there wasn't any heat in the response. "You're not supposed to smile when you say that.

She gazed toward the marsh that grew thicker, deeper, greener with approaching summer. Mosquitoes whined in there, breeding in the dark water. Alligators slid through it, silent death. It was a place where snakes could slither and bogs could suck the shoe right off your foot. And it was a place, she thought, that went bright and beautiful with the twinkling of fireflies, where wildflowers thrived in the shade and the stingy light. Where an eagle could soar like a king. There was no beauty without risk. No life without it.

could never explain it to anyone, the way a fear can live inside you. The way it dictates how you think and how you act, what you say, what you don’t dare say.

I am what I am and I can't change it. I know how to cope and how to get by. I don't want or expect anyone to stand with me. I don't need anyone to. I've learned to accept my life just the way it is, and I don't give a damn if you or anyone else doesn't.

If you need to be pissed off at me today, you’re going to have to get in line. There’s quite a wait.