Margot Pitero

“There was always something abrupt about that word. It wasn't, "See you later!" or "Take care now!" or even "Ciao!" "Later" was a chilling slam dunk salutation that shoved aside all our honeyed European niceties. "Later" always left a sharp aftertaste to what until then may have been a warm heart to heart moment. "Later" didn't close things neatly or allow them to trail off. It slammed them shut. But "later" was also a way of avoiding saying goodbye, of making light of all goodbyes. You said "later" not meaning farewell but to say you'd be back in no time. It was the equivalent of saying "Just a sec," when my mother asked him to pass the bread and he was busy pulling apart the fishbones on his plate.”
― André Aciman, Call Me By Your Name