1 2 3 Meme: Tag, We're It

Apparently we've figured out how to do chain letters in the blog-o-sphere. And since our friends at Afghanistanica and Kings of War have tagged us, we feel obligated to partake. Here are the rules:

• Pick up the nearest book ( of at least 123 pages).
• Open the book to page 123.
• Find the fifth sentence.
• Post the next three sentences.
• Tag five people.

For most people, these are simple rules. These people have not seen Charlie's nightstand / floor. Indeed, sitting next to aforementioned nightstand is a stack of books approaching 2 feet tall. (There's another mini-stack in the nightstand itself, currently dominated by Murakami and McEwan.) None of this is to say she has a lot of books (I mean, she does, but not as many as say, The Bateman), just that it's difficult to discern which is "closest." Fortunately for you, dear readers, The Quiet American is on top of said pile (next down is The Lucky Shopping Manual, and most of you probably don't need a primer on "how to make a plain suit sexy." Actually, neither does Charlie, but it's in the book regardless).

Anyway, the 6-8th sentences on page 123 of The Quiet American read thusly:

Of all the days I visited him, I remember one in particular. I had given up asking him how he was for fear the question sounded like a reproach, and it was alway he who inquired with great anxiety about my health and apologized for the stairs I had to climb. Then he said, "I want you to meet a friend of mine. He has a story you should listen to."

Ha! Now you're hooked! And for our five-way tagging:

Phil at Intel Dump
Spencer at The Washington Independent
Noah at Danger Room
Josh at The Plank
And the amazing Cintra Wilson