“Howie?” Arthur says. “What?” “Why do you want me to freak out?” He asks it sort of gently, which makes it worse somehow. “Because you make me freak out all the time.” Maybe I’m not so totally chill, but whatever,… — Hannah Johnson Copy Share Image
“Now, okay, important knitting life lesson right here: don’t go acrylic. Just don’t. Acrylic’s what you’re gonna find at, like, Wal-Mart, and acrylic is… — Hannah Johnson Copy Share Image
“Afterwards, we don’t head straight back to work. Instead, we stop at McDonald’s. Kristy gets a Happy Meal. Cora gets like four pies, which… — Hannah Johnson Copy Share Image
“I’ve got this perception of Beethoven where he’s just, like, really pissed all the time. Yeah, ol’ Ludwig, he had a lot to pound… — Hannah Johnson Copy Share Image
“Kristy smiles at both of us, the kind of smile that makes Julie Andrews look like a jaded crack whore.” — Hannah Johnson Copy Share Image
“Arthur reaches over to take them. As he does, his thumb brushes my thumb, and it’s so cold, this sudden shock of cold. The… — Hannah Johnson Copy Share Image
“I use my mom’s shampoo sometimes,” I blurt out. “I know I shouldn’t. I know it’s lady shampoo. But it smells better than mine,… — Hannah Johnson Copy Share Image
“Arthur finally winds up just linking his arm through mine, real tight, and we walk really slow. There are other people around, but I… — Hannah Johnson Copy Share Image
“Mitch is perhaps the most reassuring sight of all. He’s sitting up really straight – like, somebody put a leather-bound tome on his head,… — Hannah Johnson Copy Share Image
“Shhh,” she orders, reaching across the table and pressing her finger against my lips. “This is Mommy’s Lifetime monologue.” — Hannah Johnson Copy Share Image
“He doesn’t quite kiss me, even though he’s close enough to. I look at him, loving the quiet and the quirk of his mouth… — Hannah Johnson Copy Share Image
“I spot something that looks distinctly footstoolish. Hello, antique ottoman. We meet at last.” — Hannah Johnson Copy Share Image
“This is going to be hideously trite,” he says. “Prepare yourself.” “Prepared.” “It’s Christmas. You love them. They love you. More than anything else,… — Hannah Johnson Copy Share Image
