" That apple orchard is still in flower," I told myself. "Time has passed it by, leaving it behind in a moment that does not pass. An idea that seems as insane as the beauty of those flowering trees that will never bear fruit. But to believe in it gives a supreme meaning to our lives, our encounters, our loves."

Then I caught myself mentally addressing Kira, as on so many occasions during these last twenty years.

The truth is, I have never stopped walking beside her along an endless corridor lined with snow-clad boughts. "

― Andreï Makine , Brief Loves That Live Forever