We thought we knew everything about each other that mattered and none of what would come to matter was even a mote in our golden light. We had new love and this beautiful country, reckless and wide.
-- Hick (Prologue)

Importance: Hick recalls going on vacation to Vermont with Eleanor in the early years of their relationship. It was an idyllic trip, and they were passionately in love. The author places this story early on in the novel so that the reader knows how deeply Eleanor and Hick love each other, how long they have been together, and also to provide a contrast for the later years of their relationship. As the women have aged, the passion has cooled, but they still love each other like soul mates.

I said that rich or poor, people struggled with their demons and then I added that what I really meant was, people struggle and it's better...
-- Hick (Luck Is Not Chance)