The Sparrow (The Sparrow, #1)

by Mary Doria Russell

She laughed. ‘Lemme tell ya something, sweetface. I have been married at least four times, to four different men.’ She watched him chew that over for a moment before continuing, ‘They’ve all been named George Edwards but, believe me, the man who is waiting for me down the hall is a whole different animal from the boy I married, back before there was dirt. Oh, there are continuities. He has always been fun and he has never been able to budget his time properly and – well, the rest is none of your business.’ ‘But people change,’ he said quietly. ‘Precisely. People change. Cultures change. Empires rise and fall. Shit. Geology changes! Every ten years or so, George and I have faced the fact that we have changed and we’ve had to decide if it makes sense to create a new marriage between these two new people.’ She flopped back against her chair. ‘Which is why vows are such a tricky business. Because nothing stays the same forever.

Head against the wooden door, hands gripping the frame, he listened until the weeping was over, and learned the sound of desolation.