“She was so busy forgetting, she couldn't take a single step into the future.”

“So many steps a woman takes in her life will not be remembered. And most of her tracks will be erased. But there will always be those certain steps she'll never regret, the ones she'd never forget - those glistening steps she took for herself.”

“She's like a Philistine on a Sunday, the way she won't take but so many steps a day. Except every day's Sunday around here.”

“She takes another long haul, lets the smoke settle in her lungs-- she has heard somewhere that cigarettes are good for grief. One long drag and you forget how to cry. The body too busy dealing with the poison.”

“Francie said nothing more. Katie knew that she was letting them down. But she couldn't help it, she just couldn't help it. Yes, she should go with them to lend the comfort and authority of her presence but she knew she couldn't stand the ordeal. Yet, they had to be vaccinated. Her being with them or somewhere else couldn't take that fact away. So why shouldn't one of the three be spared? Besides, she said to her conscience, it's a hard and bitter world. They've got to live in it. Let them get hardened young to take care of themselves.”

“What people forget is a journey to nowhere starts with a single step, too.”