“I wondered if the fire had been out to get me. I wondered if all fire was related, like dad said all humans were related, if the fire that had burned me that day while I cooked hot dogs was somehow connected to the fire I had flushed down the toilet and the fire burning at the hotel. I didn’t have the answers to those questions, but what I did know was that I lived in a world that at any moment could erupt into fire. It was the sort of knowledge that kept you on your toes.”
“I am a nuisance in the lobby. Mr. Salomone said so. He is the Manager. I always say ‘Good morning, Mr. Salomone’ and he always says ‘Good morning, Eloise.”