« Alice was waiting for Paul on the dock. He had left an inaudible message on the answering machine, to warn that he would arrive by the afternoon ferry. It was all him. He could not say whether he was taking the 1:20 p.m. or 3:55 p.m. would be taken. She had been there for ages, standing in front of the schedule sign, trying to guess her intentions. In cursing herself internally, Alice had positioned herself on the pontoon as early as 1:20 p.m., knowing full well that he would not be on board the first boat. She had vaguely watched the faces of the passengers who were coming down, repeating to herself that, anyway, she had come for nothing. She had sat on a bench a little away, barefoot, her book on her lap, to avoid having to come into contact with anyone. In thought, she would debunk him: "I know you're not in that boat, Paul! Don't think I'm making up my mind." But even then, under his control, he remained teasing and unpredictable. Before the 3:55 p.m. ferry arrived, she put balm on her lips and brushed her hair. The next one was at 6:10 p.m., which Paul would reasonably have called "evening." Unless he missed the "afternoon ferry," as he said, which was quite possible. »

« The famous phone call post first appointment. If the guy calls back within three days, he likes you. If he waits a week, it is because he had nothing better to do and he tried his luck out of desperation. If he doesn't call back, well, that's clear. »

« Why did the sight of one person and not another take you so hard guts? If Bridget had been in God's place, she would have decreed by law that she would have felt such feelings for a person without sharing them. »