“If only God would give me some clear sign! Like making a large deposit in my name at a Swiss Bank.”

“Each day of our lives we make deposits in the memory banks of our children.”

“I would give up the unessential; I would give up my money, I would give up my life for my children; but I wouldn't give myself. I can't make it more clear; it's only something I am beginning to comprehend, which is revealing itself to me.”

“Lucy, a girl's name for Lucifer. That my mother would have found me devil-like did not surprise me, for I often thought of her as god-like, and are not the children of gods devils? I did not grow to like the name Lucy-I would have much preferred to be called Lucifer outright-but whenever I saw my name I always reached out to give it a strong embrace.”

“I'm a virgin, Ariel," I whispered conspiratorially. "Sealed up like a Swiss bank account.”

“Not sure if there is a God or why some all-powerful being would give half a damn about the likes of me.”