“There was something odd for him about not feeling lonely. The very fact that he had ceased to be lonely caused him to fear the possibility of becoming lonely again.”

“By marrying her, Tony Takitani brought the lonely period of his life to an end.When he awoke in the morning, the first thing he did was look for her. When he found her sleeping next to him, he felt relief. When she wasn't there, hefelt anxious and searched the house for her. There was something odd forhim about not feeling lonely. The very fact that he had ceased to be lonelycaused him to fear the possibility of becoming lonely again.”

“The church grew very lonely about him, and he began to feel like a child whose mother has forsaken it. Only he knew that to be left alone is not always to be forsaken.”

“But a mother-son relationship is not a coequal one, is it? He is lonely with only you just as you are lonely with only him.”

“Sure, he was lonely. Sure, they had a lot in common. Sure, he was attracted to her, and it was clear she felt the same about him.”

“I was feeling lonely without her, but the fact that I could feel lonely at all was consolation. Loneliness wasn't such a bad feeling. It was like the stillness of the pin oak after the little birds had flown off.”