“...up until that point, I'd thought that whatever existed between Cal and me was separate and distinct from the rest of the world. It hadn't occurred to me that a stranger could sense and recognize something so private.”

“In the weeks between my father's visit and Cal's death, I hurt my friend in ways that frightened me.”

“That's what Cal would tell you about me. "Jason's the nice one," he'd say. "He'd give you all his stars.”

“We should make up our own phrase," I suggested. "Add our own contribution to nautical lore."Cal thought about it for a while and then said, "How about, the starboard sea?""What?" I asked. "Like the sea on the right side of the boat? That doesn't mean anything.""No," Cal insisted, "it means the right sea, the true sea, or like finding the best path in life. It's deep. I'm telling you, it's going to catch on. By this time next year, everyone will be using it.”

“I'd thought of her with unblinking eyes, moving always, across the pages of opened books with rapid precision, but as she stood in front of me, her eyes looked slow and watery. I capsized into them.”

“I was surprised," I said, "to find someone here with you. I'd rather you existed only when I was around.”

“You know, I'm going to make it a point whenever I see you to be like the ocean. You can look to me for relief.”