Re: Elaine/TJ
Elaine shook her head, but she was smiling. "You're as bad as your father," she said affectionately. "Wasn't your life, too? You might not have wanted it or even liked it, but we've dragged you through it with us. I know our choices affected you regardless of what you wanted."
She still wasn't sure that she understood completely. She'd never searched for herself, always too busy getting to the next step: college, law school, North Carolina, projects there, the White House, Illinois, back to State. "Do you hear the difference? You want to find yourself. We knew what we were going to do. It's not the same thing, but then you're right. We never had time on who we are. We're too busy doing things. Or were too busy."
Elaine sighed. "I can't blame him. Like it or not, our lives are over. Your grandmother said that I should start discovering who I am, but I don't care about who I am. It's what I can do, and I can't do anything here. The nation, the politics, the law, they gave us a reason for being. We have none of that. The only thing your father and I have now is you and your brother. We won't be able to give him what he wants. God knows we've tried, but we can give you your happiness."