I dusted the piano and the china cabinet, wiped the table and the countertops with soapy water, shined the mirrors, washed the sinks, made up the bed and mopped the floors, folded laundry, sewed three dangling buttons on and mended the shoulder seam of the orange satin blouse his mother gave me. Then I ironed sleeves and collars, plackets, cuffs. All of it driven by a longing to touch my life, hold it near.
- Jane Flint