" No, this is serious, Ollie. So I'm watching this spider building its web in the corner of the window. First it does the main parts, then the little connector rods. It's like so careful and precise, right? And then just when it's done, Mrs. Halverson comes over and says, 'It's so stuffy in here I can hardly breathe. Let's have some air,' and opens the window. And boom, all the spider's work was gone." He paused. "Made me think, man, that was just like life."

I touched his cheek. "What do you mean, silly boy?"

"You work and work, and all it takes is one bitch to ruin everything."

Ollie stared ahead steadily and said, "I think it shows that sometimes for one person to keep breathing, something else has to stop. "

― Michele Jaffe , Rosebush