I look at him, look at the book, remember, this book, this moment, the first book I ever loved

He looks sad. Or maybe that's just how he looks when he isn't doing something else with his face.

Long ago, men went to sea, and women waited for them, standing on the edge of the water, scanning the horizon for the tiny ship. Now I wait for Henry. He vanishes unwillingly, without warning. I wait for him. Each moment that I wait feels like a year, an eternity. Each moment is as slow and transparent as glass. Through each moment I can see infinite moments lined up, waiting. Why has he gone where I cannot follow?

Clare seems so pleased with the idea of me as a pirate that she forgets that I am Stranger Danger.

And Clare, always Clare.

I'm sorry. I didn't know you were coming or I'd have cleaned up a little more. My life, I mean, not just the apartment.

When we met I was wrecked, blasted, and damned, and I am slowly pulling myself together because I can see that you are a human being and I would like to be one, too.