“I love you as the mother of my child”: the kiss of death.Mother of His Child: demotion. I am beginning to see this truism: Mothers are not always wives. I have been stripped of a piece of self.”

“He announces that lately he keeps losing things. “Like your wife and child,” I want to say, but don´t. At fourty, I´ve learned not to say everything clever, not to score every point.”

“They feel life is for the taking, and that everyone deserves happiness no matter what the cost. I must remember these tricks if I ever decide to have my soul surgically removed.”

“Someday I will have revenge. I know in advance to keep this to myself, and everyone will be happier. I do understand that I am expected to forgive N and his girlfriend in a timely fashion, and move on to a life of vegetarian cooking and difficult yoga positions and self-realization, and make this so much easier and more pleasant for all concerned.”

“The snag about marriage is, it isn´t worth the divorce.”

“So many events and moments that seemed insignificant add up. I remember how for the last Valentine´s Day, N gave flowers but no card. In restaurants, he looked off into the middle distance while my hand would creep across the table to hold his. He would always let go first. I realize I can´t remember his last spontaneous gesture of affection.”

“Roen snorted. “You two have the strangest relationship in the Dells.”Archer smiled slightly. “She won’t consent to make it a marriage.””I can’t imagine what’s stopping her. I don’t suppose you’ve considered being less munificent with your love?””Would you marry me, Fire, if I slept in no one’s bed but yours?”He knew the answer to that, but it didn’t hurt to remind him. “No, and I should find my bed quite cramped.”

“I used to loathe ambivalence; now I adore it. Ambivalence is my new best friend.”

“People generally didn’t cheat in good relationships.”

“I remember one desolate Sunday night, wondering: Is this how I´m going to spend the rest of my life? Marrid to someone who is perpetually distracted and somewhat wistful, as though a marvelous party is going on in the next room, which but for me he could be attending?”

“Cheating and lying aren’t struggles, they’re reasons to break up.”

“Stop cheating to be rich. Stop stealing to be wealthy. Stop siphoning the valuables of other people to keep for yourself.”

“She had thought he was dead, or at least not totally alive, and you could not still be dating someone you believe had an autopsy, so it was not really cheating.”