“If I get home, I'll be so stinking rich, I'll be able to pay someone to do my hearing.”

“I don’t know what the explosion did, but it damaged something deep and irreparable. Never mind. If I get home, I’ll be so stinking rich, I’ll be able to pay someone to do my hearing.”

“If he dies, I'll never go home. I'll spend the rest of my life in this arena, trying to think my way out.”

“Fine. I'll train. But I'm going to the stinking capitol if I have to kill a crew and fly there myself." Says Johanna."Probably best not to bring that up in training," I say. "But it's nice to know I'll have a ride.”

“One time, my mother told me that I always eat like I'll never see food again. And I said, "I won't unless I bring it home." That shut her up.”

“I'll tell them how I survive it. I'll tell them that on bad mornings, it feels impossible to take pleasure in things because I'm afraid it could be taken away. That's when I make a list in my head of every act of goodness I've seen someone do. It's like a game. Repetitive. Even a little tedious after more than twenty years. But there are much worse games to play.”

“If I'm going to cry, now is the time. By morning, I'll be able to wash all the damage done by the tears from my face. But no tears come. I'm too tired or too numb to cry. The only thing I feel is a desire to be somewhere else. So I let the train rock me into oblivion.”