UR

by Stephen King

They were in some ways perfectly matched, at least for the short term; she was fiery iron, straight from the forge, and he—in his apartment filled with books—was the water in which she cooled herself.

Books have a smell, for instance. One that gets better—more nostalgic—as the years go by.

It occurred to him that spite was a kind of methadone for lovers. Was it better to go cold turkey? Perhaps not.

Wesley felt pride on Ellen’s behalf when he saw that, and was once more ashamed of his spite…which she (lucky him!) knew nothing about. She actually seemed to think he had bought the Kindle as a way of sending her a message: Maybe you’re right, and maybe I can change. Maybe we both can. He supposed that if things went well, he would in time come to convince himself that was indeed so.

It is a very good moment to catalogue. The idea that something you did out of petty spite was interpreted as something supportive and positive, and realizing you prefer that feeling inside you until it becomes true.

Living well isn’t the best revenge; loving well is.”

A man’s life was five dogs long, Cortland believed. The first was the one that taught you. The second was the one you taught. The third and fourth were the ones you worked. The last was the one that outlived you.

curiosity rather than rage was the true bane of the human spirit.

The parking lot of Banty’s Bar was paved, but the buckling concrete looked like something left over from an Israeli bombing raid in Gaza.

Written in 2009

They moved to the door, the hems of their coats making loathsome liquid chuckling sounds.