“It was late in Ruana and Ray's visit when Samuelstarted talking about the gothic revival house that Lindseyand he had found along an overgrown section of Route 30. Ashe told Abigail about it in detail, describing how he hadrealized he wanted to propose to Lindsey and live there withher, Ray found himself asking, "Does it have a big hole inthe ceiling of the back room and cool windows above thefront door?" "Yes," Samuel said, as my father grew alarmed. "But itcan be fixed, Mr. Salmon. I'm sure of it." "Ruth's dad owns that," Ray said. Everyone was quiet for a moment and then Ray continued. "He took out a loan on his business to buy up oldplaces that aren't already slated for destruction. He wantsto restore them," Ray said. "My God," Samuel said. And I was gone.(Susie finnally giving up on earth and moving on)”

“It wasn’t. Ray was too alive, too vital, too much of everything. Everything about him was real, solid. He couldn’t be these things the doctor described. Not breathing on his own. No brain activity. Not Ray. “I don’t have home without him”, Carrie said when doctor asked her to go home. “I won’t give up on him. Do you hear me, Doctor? Don’t you give up on him!”

“In the past, I would’ve listed things such as common interests, mutual attraction, worldliness, and higher education. My freedom above all else. If I had found love, it would have had to be the kind that overwhelmed and overpowered all else.I passed a hand between Ray and Me. “Once you told me that this,” I said “is a beginning.” I searched his face. "But how do you know, Ray? How do you know it’s the beginning of something good?”“I know.” His breath was warm on my face as he moved in closer.” Because someday, you’re bound to forgive yourself.”

“I remember once I came into his room alone, when no one was with him. It was a bright evening, the sun was setting and lit up the whole room with its slanting rays. He beckoned when he saw me, I went over to him, he took me by the shoulders with both hands, looked tenderly, lovingly into my face; he did not say anything, he simply looked at me like that for about a minute: "Well," he said, "go now, play, live for me!" I walked out then and went to play.”

“Martha Raye slipped up to the colonel and she said, 'Sir, where do we eat?' He said, 'You mess with the men.' 'I know that,' she said, 'but where do we eat?”

“You were gullible," he said. And then, "When you were really little, you hated carrots. You wouldn't eat them. But then I told you that if you ate carrots, you'd get X-ray vision. And you believed me. You believed everything I said." I did. I really did. I believed him when he said that carrots could give me X-ray vision. I believed him when he told me that he'd never cared about me. And then, later that night, when he tried to take it back, I guess I believed him again. Now I didn't know what to believe. I just knew I didn't believe in him anymore.”