Estelle Laack

“By bedtime Nanny was at my side as usual, arriving with a large sweet potato, its tummy open with a spoon sticking out of the middle, tiny wisps of steam curling upwards and condensing on the handle. There is something about a sweet potato that cheers you up when you are low and it celebrates with you when you are happy. Sweet potatoes baked in their jackets have a very large comfort factor built into them.”
― Bryce Courtenay, The Power of One

“Wadsworth opened the bottle and handed me the cork. What the heck? What do I do now? Take it? Smell it? Lick it? A slight trickle of sweat ran down the nape of my neck as he, Margeaux and Deloris stared at me.
“Uh, what am I supposed to do with it?”
“Take a sniff, sir. Just to make sure.”
“Of course, of course.”
Smelled just fine to me and I looked up at him with a big silly grin on my face as he poured a small amount of wine into my glass. I stared up at him.
“Aren’t you going to fill my glass?”
“Take a sip, sir. Just to make sure.”
“Make sure of what?”
“That it is to your liking, sir.”
It was all I could do from turning red-faced. But I took that sip and smiled again. He then poured the wine into our glasses, nestled the bottle in the silver wine chiller and left. At that point I burst out laughing and my sweet ladies joined me.”
― Behcet Kaya, Appellate Judge

“Read it out loud, dear,” Grace ordered, as Angela opened the card tied to the yellow-ribboned box. To the bride-to-be in the kitchen stuck, An asparagus cooker and lots of luck. from Cookie Barfspringer “Thank you,” Angela said, wondering which one was the Barfspringer. The next gift was an egg poacher. The box in pink ribbons contained another asparagus cooker. “I sure hope Doctor Deere likes asparagus,” someone remarked.”
― Ellen Raskin, The Westing Game

“There are two types of men, Karolina. The ones who can admire the greatness of the little flower. Or the ones who try to control it.”
― M. R. Noble, Karolina Dalca, Dark Eyes