Clare Abshire Quotes

“My body wanted a baby. I wanted someone to love who would stay: stay and be there, always.”

“Do you love her?” “Very much” I’m astonished to see that tears are streaming across her face “It’s just that I thought maybe you were married to me.”

“You made it impossible for me to find you in the present; you said it would just happen when it was supposed to happen.”

“I keep myself busy. Time goes faster that way.”

“When I was growing up Henry came and went, so I always had this intense, unsatisfied feeling. Henry is constantly touching me, kissing me, making love to me. And he tells me things! But the best thing of all is that I know where to find him.”

“It’s beautiful.” Clare nods, satisfied, for a moment, that her mother really did love her.”

“I can reach into Henry and touch time… he loves me.”

“Henry is glancing around us, worrying that readers, co-workers are noticing us, searching his memory, realizing that some future self of his has met this radiantly happy girl standing in front of him.”

“And this astoundingly beautiful amber-haired tall slim girl turns around and looks at me as though I am her personal Jesus. My stomach lurches. Obviously she knows me, and I don’t know her. Lord only knows what I have said, done, or promised to this luminous creature.”

“I am conducting conversations with Henry as though he were here with me, as though he could see through my eyes, think with my brain.”

“It is only memory that holds me here. Time, let me vanish. Then what we separate by our very presence can come together.”

“I realize that I have forgotten my present Henry in my joy at seeing my once and future Henry, and I’m ashamed. I feel an almost maternal longing to go solace the strange boy who is becoming the man before me.”

[Clare] “If you could stop, now… if you could not time travel any more, and there would be no consequences, would you?” [Henry:] “If I could stop now and still meet you?” [Clare:] “You’ve already met me.” [Henry:] “Yes. I would stop.”