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21 " Below us, the ocean moved like a giant dish of blue Jell-O under the sweeping winds. "
― Kien Nguyen , The Unwanted: A Memoir of Childhood
22 " Their arrival was like an attack of locusts in a rice field, fast and uncontrollable. "
23 " In the dense air, a gong reverberated. I wondered if it was to announce the end of my journey or the beginning of a new one. "
24 " Don't let this anger ruin your life any more than it already has. If you want to every achieve happiness, don't dwell on the past. Instead, start living. What is the point of obsessing that has already happened, and that you cannot change? Live! And be merry. "
25 " Just remember, life is short. You have to enjoy every moment before it passes you by. "
26 " Night overtook us like a skillful thief. "
27 " People talked to each other in between purchases to find out information. The buzz of their whispers made it sound as if the air were filled with flies. "
28 " Each time we stopped in front of a group of people to ask for information, the reaction we received was the same: they all looked at us dumbly at first, then smiled with courteous sincerity. If they knew of an escape, their knowledge would remain hidden behind their smiles before they, too, disappeared into the crowd. "
29 " The mistress and her servant - you two are sharing the same man, aren't you? Don't lie to this old woman, some gigolo must have grabbed both of you like a pair of chopsticks. "
30 " Death had kissed her long and hard with its frozen lips, and her body was stiff. I held her in my arms, hoping the warmth of my body could bring her back to life. Ignoring my brother's presence, I wept uncontrollably. With Lulu in my arms, I walked toward the front lawn. I had chosen a burial site for Lulu - a strip of land under the cherry tree overlooking the street. "
31 " For the remainder of her days, my grandmother lay in bed, staring past the window into space. It was if a part of her mind had died before her body had time to give up. "
32 " As soon as she opened the door to her office and invited us in, a blast of cold wind from the air conditioner swallowed me in its gentle, westernized embrace. I took in a deep breath, and suddenly, America was inside my lungs. Next to me, my mother began to cry. "
33 " The city was like a fish dying on hard pavement, hopelessly gasping for air. "