How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
Would any of you say you're religious?
"Each of us in our own way." Dime.
Have you become more so in your time over there?
"Well, you can't see some of the things we've seen and not think about the big questions. Life, death, what it all might mean."
(All American.230-233)
Dime's just trying to delicately dodge the question, since religion is such a touchy subject. You don't want to make a public statement about religion and war without having thoroughly thought it through first, folks.
Quote #5
"Did you do the USO tour last spring?"
"Oh my God NO and I SO would've gone but I only made the squad this summer. Listen, I'm DYING to do a trip like that, no way they're gonna keep me off that plane next time it happens. The girls who did it? They came back so enriched and that's the thing about service, people say, 'Oh, you're so good to be giving so much of yourselves,' but really it's the other way around, we get so much back. To me that's been the most satisfying thing about being a cheerleader, serving others. The spiritual aspect of it. Like it's another stage in the journey, the quest." She pauses; her eyes hold Billy's for a long, searching moment, and just before she speaks he knows what's coming. "Billy, are you a Christian?"
(Dry-Humping.80)
This is the first time we've heard that there's a spiritual benefit to wearing tiny outfits and waving pom-poms at overpaid athletes…but hey, who are we to judge?
Quote #6
"You've been tested in so many ways, I know. But a lot of the time that's how it works, life gets so dark until we think all the light's gone out of us. But it's there, it's always there. If we just open the door a crack the light comes pouring in." She smiles and ducks her head, emits a shy chuckle. "You know how we kept looking at each other during the press conference? And I was thinking to myself, Now, why out of all the people here does he keep looking at me and I keep looking at him? I mean you're cute and everything, you've got gorgeous eyes…" She giggles, regroups her seriousness. "But now I think I know why, I really do. I think God wanted us to meet today."
Billy sighs, his eyelids flutter and his head tips back, meets the wall with an understated thunk. For all he knows every word she says is true.
"We're all called upon to be His lights out in the world," she continues, brushing a pom-pom against his arm, and thirty seconds into the story of how she came to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, Billy quietly, slowly, firmly, reaches underneath her pom-pom and takes her hand. Because, why not. Because he's moved. Because in two days he's back in the s*** and what's the worst that can happen compared to that?
(Dry-Humping.88-90)
Although it sounds suspiciously like Faison is just regurgitating some of the phrases she's heard in church, there's no doubting her sincerity. Do you think she would be able to say these things in quite the same way if she had seen the kind of things Billy has seen? Or does this kind sincerity also kind of depend on a certain innocence (or ignorance) regarding the way the world really is?