he 'd dropped the rough , tell-me-or-else attitude and was now trying the you-can-trust-me routine . billy can almost taste the last decaying spots of jock 's saliva . that was enough to send me soaring to the heavens . i get very serious about the little things like cleaning my toenails or tying my shoelaces . we are almost ready to sail . she wanted it to be over , forgotten , and maybe she could forget . well , we can do without magic for a couple of years , ca n't we ? '' 