“Thank-you, son,’ said his father. ‘I want you to know we’re bothproud of you. Take care, and keep in touch if you can.’‘Or even better, visit!’ said his mother, ‘our home isn’t completewithout you!”

“You are your father's daughter,' he said, the skin around his eyes tightening. 'Trent is his father's son. Apart, you are annoying. Together...you have the potential to be a problem.”

“It’s called Two and a Half Men,” Dermot was telling his guest.“I understand,” Bellenos said. “Because the two brothers are grown, and the son isn’t.”“I think so,” Dermot said. “Don’t you think the son is useless?”“The half? Yes. At home, we’d eat him,” Bellenos said.”

“You know," my father said sprinkling nutmeg on his brandy Alexander, "if you sniff too much nutmeg, you could die.""You can die from anything, really," my mother said "You can die from eating too many apricots.""How many apricots?" I said, afraid that the World's Most Pathetic Death could happen to me.”

“Lockie stood with his arms by his sides as she ran her hands over his hair and squeezed his arms. Tina could see how uncomfortable Lockie felt at being touched. Margie hugged him again and again. She didn’t notice Lockie’s face or she would have stopped. When Margie stood up she was crying. Pete, meanwhile, was watching Tina.‘Start talking,’ he said to her and Tina could see he had already decided who was to blame for Lockie’s disappearance. ‘Her name’s Tina,’ said Lockie. ‘She saved me. Can you take us home, Pete?’Pete looked at Lockie. ‘You know I will, Lockie, but first —’‘Please, Pete,’ said Lockie. ‘Can you just take us home?’‘Oh god,’ said Margie. ‘Doug and Sarah—we have to call them. We have to let them know.’ She kept touching Lockie, on his head, on his arms and on his back. Tina could see Lockie wince. People wouldn’t know that they needed to be careful when they touched him. Some touches can make you feel sick.”

“Sacrifice,” The Captain said. “You made one. I made one. We all make them. But you were angry over yours. You kept thinking about what you lost.You didn’t get it. Sacrifice is a part of life. It’s supposed to be. It’s not something to regret. It’s something to aspire to. Little sacrifices. Big sacrifices. A mother works so her son can go to school. A daughter moves home to take care of her sick father.”