“Sure, Mom." There are worse punishments than tailing Patrick all summer. Don't contractors usually work without shirts?”

“Mom was getting really worked up, and tears began to trickle down her cheeks. As I’m sure you know, it’s a really, really bad sign when your mom starts crying. It can’t get much worse than that. Mom tears are one of the most powerful forces in the universe.”

“The mother of the heating contractor does notHave the same problem as the mother of the poet.When the mother of the heating contractor talks about her sonIt's usually understood, from the beginning, that her son,The heating contractor, is not pretending to be a heating contractor.”

“A few minutes later, she comes out of my bedroom wearing one of my t-shirts, and it might almost be worse than seeing her in no shirt at all.”

“I felt sucker-punched. It wasn't God's fault Patrick had been treated worse than dirt, as I'd let myself believe. It was mine.”

“It seemed Lady Luck hated me worse than usual.”