im impressed , ken responded in mock awe , although i knew he was at least a little bit surprised i had pulled these facts out of my memory bank . i saw nothing except the road in front of us winding off into the winter-dead hills . his voice was purity itself , so beautiful that no one could resist it , least of all her . rub it in our faces a little . her son , the light of her life , the one she thought about when nothing made since , was missing . 