How we cite our quotes: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
After my third vodka cooler, I straddle his lap and drape my arms around his strong neck and whisper things in his ear that I shouldn't be whispering. I say things that I shouldn't be saying. (2.8.16)
Alcohol loosens Vera's inhibitions. And since she's an eighteen-year-old girl getting drunk and hooking up with a twenty-three-year-old, she may find herself in over her head.
Quote #5
She has no idea that when she came in the house stinking of liquor, part of me wanted to hop off this seventeen-year-old wagon and tap into her veins to suck out the booze. In one way, I hope she never understands this. (2.11.1)
Ken Dietz understands why Vera is drawn to alcohol—heck, he still has a hard time resisting it even though he's been sober for decades. This addiction will always be part of his life, and he doesn't want Vera to have the same problems.
Quote #6
In the end, I went to AA first, after one night babysitting Vera when she was seven months old. She wouldn't stop crying and it started to drive me crazy, and I thought, just for a split second—a split second that would turn out to be life-changing—that I should shake her or stuff her head in a pillow or something to make her stop. (2.11.24)
Ken Dietz finally quits drinking when he realizes that his alcohol addiction has taken over and is clouding his judgment; he almost hurts Vera while he's under the influence, even though she's just a little baby. Talk about a wake up call.