#usergabi

“There’s a Theodore Roosevelt speech about the importance of being in the arena, whether you fail or you succeed, or you make a complete idiot of yourself, as long as you’re doing the best with what you have, using whatever knowledge you have to bring to the table at that moment. And you continue to keep learning. I think my mistakes have made me much stronger. It’s nice to know that things don’t ultimately break you; that you need to go there to know.”

“Kevin had worn a ‘2’ since his first days in the Moriyama’s cruel care. Riko and Kevin used markers for years, writing over their numbers any time they threatened to fade. As soon as they were old enough they’d switched to a more permanent ink. Now that number was gone, covered up by a jet-black image of a chess piece. Neil’s knowledge of chess was hazy at best, but he knew for sure that wasn’t a king.”