At this age, people are nothing but their differences.
Jocelyn couldn’t understand why Raleigh and Bettina continued to live together. According to her, there was nothing between them. Jocelyn even told him once that Bettina didn’t seem “anything like” him. Raleigh didn’t need his niece’s conformation of the truth he had accepted a long time ago. It was Jocelyn’s youth and all-or-nothing attitude speaking. At that point of their lives, the majority of married couples were “nothing but their differences.” Of course, they could separate and start a new life, but neither Raleigh nor Bettina considered it as a solution. Raleigh just accepted the fact that they were different.
How did a person have confidence if they didn’t believe in the future?
Aunt Sophie wore heels “higher than anyone else’s” and always “walked briskly, with confidence.” She wanted to turn her life into a never-ending party full of beauty, laugh, and smiles. Even a terrifying disease that was going to put an end to her celebration of life couldn’t prevent her from enjoying those last moments of bliss. Her niece wondered, “how did a person have confidence if they didn’t believe in the future?” The answer was rather simple. Aunt Sophie believed in the present day and always tried to find something to be happy about. The future was too vague to worry about.
Did I know I was fucked?
Jocelyn didn’t always behave reasonably. She was a teenager whose world had been suddenly turned upside-down. Contrary to her own opinion, she didn’t know everything about her mother’s life. The news about her Myrtis’ new boyfriend, worries over the house that could be taken by the bank, the boy she fancied was still in hospital. She believed that her life “was fucked.” Neither Raleigh nor Bettina could convince her otherwise. However, as soon as she calmed down a little bit, she did realize that it wasn’t the end of the world. Jocelyn started maturing.
