“Then let me be your mercy,” he said. “I’ll never be able to give you smart answers about why we suffer, but I can come into your world and try to be some kind of help to you.”

“Our circumstances are unusual and we come from different worlds, but if you’ll let me, I’ll take you to the gates of heaven. I’ll love your body and give you pleasure that you never thought possible.”

“Listen to me, he said, when your dreams are of some world that never was or some world that never will be, and you're happy again, then you'll have given up. Do you understand? And you can't give up, I won't let you.”

“What’s your answer, Elle?”“Yes,” she said.“Then here’s the rest of what I’ve been doing during your party,” he said.He knelt and slipped the ring onto her finger.“I’ll never be able to wear this in the pen,” she said. “It’s so heavy I won’t be able to run with it on.”“No problem,” he said. “I’ll be right there outside the gate holdin’ it for you until you come back.”

“Dear Lord,' he said. 'let me be like Aron. Don’t make me mean. I don’t want to be. If you will let everybody like me, why, I’ll give you anything in the world, and if I haven’t got it, why, I’ll go for to get it. I don’t want to be mean. I don’t want to be lonely. For Jesus’ sake, Amen.”

“Ruby, give me one reason why we can’t be together, and I’ll give you a hundred why we can. We can go anywhere you want. I’m not your parents. I’m not going to abandon you or send you away, not ever.”