Julian sat alone in the back seat and read the trees and houses and road signs. He said almost nothing, but Mrs. Olinski was never not aware of him. Finally, she said, “Julian makes each mile a journey of quarter inches.”
Mr. Singh replied, “It is a skill he learned when we lived on the cruise ship, Mrs. Olinski. He learned to be a passenger. He learned to read the ocean by the cupful. He also learned to regard each port of call as part of the journey and not as destination. Every voyage begins when you do.”
“When you fill your pen,” Mrs. Olinski said.
Mr. Singh smiled. “Yes, Noah told us.”
– E.L. Konigsburg
