Tom Collins Quotes

“It’s a dead silent morning. One of those mornings where even the clouds are wondering why you’re out of bed. ‘Look, at this idiot,’ they whisper to each other.”
― Douglas Vigliotti, Tom Collins: A 'Slightly Crooked' Novel

“Envy masks itself as fondness. The jealous like to get close so it’s easy to strike.”
― Douglas Vigliotti, Tom Collins: A 'Slightly Crooked' Novel

“Here’s how I see it. You can break people up into three groups. The pre-midnight crowd, which is your average stiff. Saddled by their spouse, kids, and American idealism, easy to peg and rather uninteresting. Then, there’s the after-midnight crowd which is pretty interesting. They’re the people who can talk about the dark side, but not really go there, maybe they danced with it in college. But they still know how to have some fun. Then there’s the after 4am crowd that really opens your eyes to the world. You want empathy for people? Smoke a joint with two hookers who drive over two hours at 4.30 in the morning just to earn a living. Say what you want about morality, but that’s as real as it gets. All of sudden, 9-to-5 doesn’t seem so bad. Neither does the grumpy neighbor or that a-hole cousin. Plus, it’s quite liberating. You can say whatever you want. It’s all on the table. There’s nothing you can say that’s going to offend the underworld. What can be more extreme than the reality these two girls live?”
― Douglas Vigliotti, Tom Collins: A 'Slightly Crooked' Novel

“Just don't kill yourself with consumption, kid.”
― Douglas Vigliotti, Tom Collins: A 'Slightly Crooked' Novel

“They’re just wearing costumes until they get the chance to be who they really are. Everyday is Halloween.”
― Douglas Vigliotti, Tom Collins: A 'Slightly Crooked' Novel

“I watch our breath leave a trail in the night sky. It’s a stolen moment of happiness in a precarious situation. A reminder that we’re only human.”
― Douglas Vigliotti, Tom Collins: A 'Slightly Crooked' Novel

“Every organ in my body knows this is a bad idea, except my penis. The problem is: the penis is like the foreman. He bosses everyone around and the only way you get out of doing what he says is to quit the job. It’s a love-hate relationship. The foreman gets the job done, but you’re powerless.”
― Douglas Vigliotti, Tom Collins: A 'Slightly Crooked' Novel

“Look at the ocean, it just goes and goes for miles, and the waves keep tumbling in. The rain falls on the surface and doesn’t even affect it. Sure, it gets rocky, but it just keeps moving along.”
― Douglas Vigliotti, Tom Collins: A 'Slightly Crooked' Novel

“Her clothes sprinkled all over my living room remind me of the scattered thoughts I had about our predicament. But her body is a glowing light pole in the night. Just leading me further into the abyss.”
― Douglas Vigliotti, Tom Collins: A 'Slightly Crooked' Novel

“I feel like someone ripped my heart out, smashed it with a meat tenderizer until it resembled a piece of jerky, then gave it back to me and said, ‘Here you go, you’ll be fine, go live the rest of your life.”
― Douglas Vigliotti, Tom Collins: A 'Slightly Crooked' Novel

“Just don’t kill yourself with consumption, kid.”
― Douglas Vigliotti, Tom Collins: A 'Slightly Crooked' Novel

“Just like a footprint in the sand, things sink only where they need to, everything else just floats.”
― Douglas Vigliotti, Tom Collins: A 'Slightly Crooked' Novel

“There’s a fine crack in the ceiling paint. I follow it across the room. It reminds me of all the little things in life that go unnoticed.”
― Douglas Vigliotti, Tom Collins: A 'Slightly Crooked' Novel

“I pick up my Tom Collins, swirl it around, and take a gulp. The ice bumps my upper lip and reminds me of how cold reality can be.”
― Douglas Vigliotti, Tom Collins: A 'Slightly Crooked' Novel

“The dilemma is more like wet cement. You can get rid of wet cement before it dries, but, once it hardens, you’re fucked. The dilemma dried and hardened. I’ve been fucked all day.”
― Douglas Vigliotti, Tom Collins: A 'Slightly Crooked' Novel

“I’m only a couple of cocktails deep, but there’s a glaze spread over my eyes. I’ve learned to love the glaze. It’s the sweet spot, eyes that are perfectly gin-dipped, and it’s happening at the right time.”
― Douglas Vigliotti, Tom Collins: A 'Slightly Crooked' Novel

“Sometimes people flash into your life like a shooting star and remind you of all the possibilities that exist.”
― Douglas Vigliotti, Tom Collins: A 'Slightly Crooked' Novel

“In Miami, there’s a natural sex appeal that drips into the water supply. It taps the city’s main vein and leaks out of every pore. You can’t escape it.”
― Douglas Vigliotti, Tom Collins: A 'Slightly Crooked' Novel

“We share a laugh and it is our last. The rest of the night is spent howling like two wolves while confetti pours down from the moon.”
― Douglas Vigliotti, Tom Collins: A 'Slightly Crooked' Novel

“Last week, I was the golden goose and this week I’m the golden dipshit.”
― Douglas Vigliotti, Tom Collins: A 'Slightly Crooked' Novel

“She’s stuck in my mind like gum on a shoe. Even after you scrape it, small remnants linger, just hoping the rain will wash it away, but knowing the cold, hard ground will only embed it.”
― Douglas Vigliotti, Tom Collins: A 'Slightly Crooked' Novel