“I nodded with genuine synthetic sympathy.”

“It was such an unexpected and genuine smile that if I only had a soul I'm sure I would have felt quite guilty.”

“I think that's nice, and if I could have feelings at all I would have them for Deb.”

“Of course I had. That's how I do it.”

“Because I am an inhuman monster, I tend to be logical,...”

“I let it ring. I wanted to breathe for a few minutes, and I could think of nothing that couldn't wait. Besides, I had paid almost $50 for an answering machine. Let it earn its keep.”

“But what could I do? Be stupid for a while? I wasn't sure I knew how, even after so many years of careful observation.”