“I’m trying now to exaggerate the essence of things, and to deliberately leave vague what’s obvious.”

“Now I have a question," Otto wrote. "Fire away.""What do you see in him?""Apart from the obvious?""What’s the obvious? I’m afraid I’m not a teenage girl.”

“Now, Doc—“ “Yes, Shiloh?” She interrupted with exaggerated sweetness, and fluttered her eyelashes. Shiloh grinned. “I dunno, I musta gone crazy there for a minute. I was actually going to try to talk you out of something. But don’t worry, I’m okay now.”

“I think it should be obvious by now that I’m not necessarily interested in reality.”

“You just don’t get it. The point I’m trying to make—the point you’re deliberately ignoring—is that tomorrow it might all go away. You have to do what you want and take what you want now.”

“I’m not a bicycle. Don’t try to ride me and leave me in the garage. I’m a treadmill. Walk on me and leave me in a guest room.”