May 28, 2008

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  " ... Theirs had been a life different from that of other families.  Jack might be gone for three days, home two, and that schedule would continue for two or three months.  And then, the next month, he might have four days off, six days on, and Mattie and Kathryn would adjust to that rhythm.  They didn't live by routine, as other families did -- they lived in segments.  Bits of time when Jack was home, longer bits of time when Jack was gone.  And when he was gone, the house would seem to deflate a bit, settle quietly in on itself.  And no matter how much attention Kathryn paid to Mattie or how much they enjoyed each other's company, it always seemed to Kathryn that they were suspended -- waiting for real life to begin again, for Jack to walk back in the door."

   -- Anita Shreve, The Pilot's Wife

  • 6:16 am
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