How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
"And I'm sick of spending the evening alone and half the night, for the matter." She rose to her feet, confronting him.
"Marjorie, I'm sorry, my dear. I hadn't realized… Look, I'll stay home tonight, if you feel that strongly about it. I thought… I mean, I know I've neglected you of late but this work means an awful lot to me—it's vitally important, Marjorie." (21.114-15)
Renfrew has been having a hard time balancing his work and family life and the balance has definitely shifted here. We're sure staying home that evening will solve the problem, though… right?
Quote #8
They had been tense with each other since the marriage thing came up. Maybe a short separation would help. Let the whole subject drift downstream into the past. (27.35)
Good luck with that, Gordon old boy. The past doesn't drift into the past to clear the way for the future—in Timescape, the past directly influences the direction of the future. It crops up in the ecological disasters of 1998, and you can bet it'll creep up again in Gordon's relationship.
Quote #9
"God, John, sometimes I feel as if you'd been away for months. The chickens were stolen weeks ago. All of them. And I know I told you. As for the vegetables, am I supposed to go slopping around there in the rain looking for a leftover potato or two? It's the end of September. The garden's a swamp now anyway." (36.50)
Checking in with Renfrew again, turns out that night off didn't really solve the problem. The balance in Renfrew's life between his family life and his work has tipped completely toward work. He didn't even know the chickens were stolen? Poor Mrs. Cluckles.