“It suddenly struck me that Dawsey is a lonesome person. I think it may be that he has always been lonely, but he didn’t mind before, and now he minds.”

“For the first time in my life, I felt the pain of missing people I had not yet left.”

“I will never claim to know what you are thinking. I only hope I am on your mind.”

“There’s nothing like that feeling of waiting for a guy. It’s the loneliest feeling in the world. Holding that cell phone in your hand as you take out the trash, use the bathroom, change the litter box. Fearful that the one second you aren’t looking will be when they call. Pathetic. And something I have done as recently as last week.”

“It was long since I had longed for anything and the effect on me was horrible.”