“Dates can make you regular.Dates can make you happy.And…Dates can help you keep track of the days.”

“Without a calendar, where would the week go?”

“I sound contemptuous, but I am not. I am interested–intrigued even–by the way time erases real lives, leaving only vague imprints. Blood and spirit fade away so that only names and dates remain.”

“Finally, Charlie gave up the hunt and placed (the puppy) back on the floor, dispatching fleas was not his idea of a romantic evening, unless you happened to be a twisted exterminator, he thought.”

“Nellie grinned. “I always wanted to go to Venice. It’s supposed to be the romance capital of the world.””Sweet,” put in Dan. “Too bad your date is an Egyptian Mau on a hunger strike.”The au pair sighed. “Better than an eleven-year-old with a big mouth.”

“Don’t answer the door in a wedding dress and veil, he might not think you’re joking.”

“Excuse me? Tonight you represent every dateless woman in this city, every woman who’s about to sit down to a lonely meal of Weight Watchers past primavera she’s just nuked in the microwave. Every woman who will get into bed tonight with a book or reruns of Sex and the City as her only companion. You are our shining hope….But no pressure.”