“You may be running short of create juice because you mind isn't interested. Eddie isn't naping because he's tired; he's napping because he's bored out of his mind. Drool is running down his chin. So wake him up. BAM! WHERE DID THAT COME FROM, EDDIE?! THERE'S A BODY ON THE KITCHEN TABLE?! WHAT'S GOING ON?!Eddie will jump out of his recliner in a panic. WHAT? A BODY?! AN EXPLOSION? WHY WOULD THE HOUSE EXPLODE? WHAT'S GOIND ON?!”

“When uncle Eddie does his impression of 'Like a Virgin' it's like Madonna is coming out of his body!'Christ what an image.”

“Your father was no longer a young man. he was already in his fifties.'Fifty-six,' Eddie said blankly.Fifty-six,' the old woman repeated. 'His body had been weakened, the ocean had left him vulnerable, pneumonia took hold of him, and in time, he died.'Because of Mickey?' Eddie said.Because of loyalty,' she said.People don’t die because of loyalty.'They don’t?' she smiled. 'Religion? government? Are we not loyal to such things, sometimes to the death?'Eddie shrugged.Better,' she said, 'To be loyal to one another.”

“What the hell is the matter with Eddie? Ruth was thinking. If he doesn't stop staring at me, I'm going to drive off the road!Hannah had also noticed that Eddie was staring at Ruth. What the hell is the matter with Eddie? Hannah was thinking. Since when did the asshole take an interest in a younger woman?”

“But by God, he was going to stop running from his cowardice. He had to own his shit - even if it made him hate himself to the core. Because maybe if he did, he'd stop trying to distract himself with sex and drinking, and figure out what he did want.Apart from Blay, that was.”

“i g l o o his name was Eddie and he had abig white dogwith a curly taila huskielike one of those that pulled sleighsup near the north poleIgloo he called himand Eddie had a bow and arrowand every week or twohe'd send an arrowinto the dog's sidethen run into his mother's housethrough the yelpingsaying that Igloo had fallen onthe arrow.that dog took quite a few arrows andmanaged tosurvivebut I saw what really happened and didn'tlike Eddie very much.so when I broke Eddie's legin a sandlot football gamethat was my way of getting evenfor Igloo.his parents threatened to sue myparentsclaiming I did it on purpose becausethat's what Eddietold them.well, nobody had any money anyhowand when Eddie's father got a jobin San Diegothey moved away and left thedog.we took him in.Igloo turned out to be rather dumbdid not respond to very muchhad no life or joy in himjust stuck out his tonguepantedslept most of the timewhen he wasn't eatingand although he wiped his assup and down the lawn afterdefecatinghe usually had a large fragrant smear ofbrownunder his tailwhen he was run over by anicecream truck3 or 4 months laterand died in a stream of scarletI didn't feel more than theusual amount of griefand lossand I was still glad that Ihad managed tobreak Eddie's leg.”