"Have some more cake, someone has to eat all this cake."

"It's good cake."

"A little dry, if you ask me."

"May I propose a toast ..."

"Good idea."

"I've never had champagne before."

"Neither have I."

"Really?"

"Delicious."

"Like ginger ale, only sour."

"Ah, look at the bubbles rising."

"You're supposed to sip sip it, Richard." it, Richard."

"Here, have another gla.s.s, Judith."

"If you're sure there's enough ..."

"Lovely."

"Tea is plenty good enough for me."

"Here's to marriage."

"Here's to the bride and groom."

"Here's to the future."

"Happy days."

"I love you, Eugene."

"Charleen, Charleen."

Nothing is what it seems. Our plane flying west is defying a basic natural law which says that on any given day the sun sets only once; but here it is setting over Lake Superior, again over Winnipeg, over the prairies, over the mountains. We're diving into its fiery, streaming trail, we're chasing it down to its final, almost comic, drowning. Don't tell me about the curve of the earth. Don't tell me about the curve of the earth.

Eugene, peering down through grey mist, says, "What we should do is buy a farm. A few acres. For weekends, you know. Maybe grow some vegetables, have a horse for the kids. Might even be a tax advantage there ..."

My childhood is over, but at the same time-and this seems even more true-it will never be over. Say it fast enough and it sounds like a scuttling metaphysic of survival. Who ever said you can't live without logic. Who ever said you can't live without logic.

"Ladies and gentlemen," a voice says, "this is your captain speaking." But how do we know it is our captain? But how do we know it is our captain?

"We've just been told there's a light rain over Vancouver-" A light rain, a light rain, the beginning of a poem, a light rain. A light rain, a light rain, the beginning of a poem, a light rain.

"But visibility is excellent-" Watch out for symbolism now. Watch out for symbolism now.

"We hope you have enjoyed your flight. This is your captain wishing you a good evening." Good evening, good evening. Good evening, good evening.

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Novels

Small Ceremonies

The Box Garden

Happenstance

A Fairly Conventional Woman

Swann