One Day in December

“Call it wishful thinking, but I’m sure I see the same thunderbolt hit him too; as if an invisible fork of lightning has inexplicably joined us together. Recognition; naked, electric shock in his rounded eyes. He does something close to an incredulous double take, the kind of thing you might do when you coincidentally spot your oldest and best friend who you haven’t seen for ages and you can’t actually believe they’re there.”

This is the pivotal moment when Laurie sees the mystery man, feels a jolt of love at first sight, and sees that he feels it, too. The imagery of being hit with a thunderbolt is significant to the almost impossible absurdity of falling in love with a stranger at first sight. The feeling that they are friends who haven’t seen each other for ages is an apt foreshadowing of what their friendship will eventually become. 

“I really need to take life lessons from Sarah—she sees what she wants and she grabs it with both hands. I wish for the millionth time that I’d had the balls to get off that bus.” 

This quote is significant in a couple of ways. First, it presents a juxtaposed quality between Sarah and Laurie that will remain consistent throughout the novel. While Sarah knows what she wants and goes for it, Laurie is timid in aggressively pursuing her dreams. Secondly, had Laurie been a bit more like Sarah, she could have reached the mystery man before Sarah eventually meets him. There is a deep irony in this quote: Sarah is giving Laurie advice that Sarah will unknowingly use herself to get the attention of the same man Laurie is pining after.