He tried to remember how this happened – how she went from someone he’d never met to the only one who mattered.

(Because being assaulted with maxi pads is a great way to win friends and influence people.)

Well,” she said. “I’m frustrated.” “Don’t make me angry-kiss you.” “Give me the laundry.” “Tempers rising, faces flushed … This is how it happens.

Or maybe, he thought now, he just didn't recognize all those other girls. The way a computer drive will spit out a disk if it doesn't recognize the formatting. When he touched Eleanor's hand, he recognized her. He knew.

Sometimes writing is running downhill, your fingers jerking behind you on the keyboard the way your legs do when they can’t quite keep up with gravity.

A landline is an anchor - busy signals, long distance bills, missed connections and all.

That was the beauty in stacking up words--they got cheaper, the more you had of them.