Chicago Quotes Novels & Stories

"Remember one thing: this is Chicago, Liliana. The city belongs to us. We are the judge, jury, and executioner." "A tyrant, you mean." "I am rarely wrong about certain predictions. I think we will have another chance of acquaintance."

I say. And outside, Chicago does what Chicago does on a Wednesday evening in November. Keeps going. Ordinary and enormous. Making room for everything.

Then she reached out and brushed my hair back gently. “Sophie,” she said, “some people are born to lead from the front. Some from the shadows. And some from the center, holding everything steady so others don’t fall.” I swallowed. “You don’t have to carry us,” she continued softly. “But I’m grateful you choose to stand with us.” I leaned into her then, just for a second. The next morning, as our convoy pulled away from the city skyline, I looked back once. Chicago had given us many things. But it had also shown me something important. The world would always try to claim what it did not understand.

I finally asked, my voice sounding much smaller than I intended. “To Chicago,” he answered, as casually as if he were telling me the time. I actually turned my head toward him because I thought I had misheard. “What?” “We are going to Chicago.” The tone he used gave nothing away. No explanation. No apology. No concern. Just a statement, absolute and unchangeable. For a moment I wanted to laugh because there was no way he meant that literally. People like him joked strangely sometimes. At least that’s what I told myself.

I felt suddenly overdressed, my clothes marking me as clearly as a neon sign. I approached the oldest of the group, a man whose face spoke of decades under the sun. "Excuse me, I heard you might have an opening for someone to handle your books?" His eyes narrowed as he studied me, taking in everything from my shoes to my hair. "Where are you from?" "Chicago," I answered proudly. He grunted, shaking his head slightly. "Figured as much. That accent's thicker than molasses." I swallowed the retort that rose in my throat, keeping my expression straight as he gestured toward the trailer.

“That was what I did. Now, do you remember what happened next?” I take a deep breath and close my eyes. “Can we please forget that part?” “Nope. Never. When it comes to you, I don’t want to ever forget a second. And I want to keep learning. Tell me something about you that I don’t know.” “I love New York pizza.” He shakes his head. “No way. Cop-out answer. Everyone loves New York pizza. It’s the best in the whole world. Tell me something else.” “Well, I have family in Illinois who would wholeheartedly disagree. Chicago has pretty good pizza, too.”

“You were in Chicago?” My eyes close for a minute, remembering the day so clearly. It was over a year ago now, but it’s still burned in my memory. I remember it being shockingly warm as I stepped out of the airport. In my mind, Chicago was always cold and cloudy. It wasn’t cold or cloudy that day. The sun was beating down on my skin as I waited for my Uber to pick me up. “Yeah,” I finally get out. “I came to tell you everything I should’ve said the day that you left Sutten.”

"When you get to Chicago, can you bring me something back?" "What would you like?" She rested her chin on both hands. "Anything." I smiled. "That's not very helpful." "It doesn't matter." She grinned. "I just want something that came from Chicago." I looked at Theo. "And you?" He closed his magazine. "A robotics journal would be nice." Lena looked at him. "That's boring." "It isn't." "It is." He reached for his glass. "You'll forget about your souvenir in a week." "I will not."

"How loaded can he be, Theo? The boy rides one of those death traps and got tattoos up one side and down the other. I don't think they hire that type in any respectable company." "Shows what you know, Deke. I heard from Ms. Lucille that he's rolling in it. Got his own company in some big city somewhere, I think Chicago, she said." "Chicago? He ain't one of them mob types is he?" "Don't be an ass, Charlie, it ain't the damn thirties when Capone and them boys ran the streets. No, this is respectable business from what I hear." "He's a good-looking fella, look strong. And if he's any kin to Clancy, then you know he's from good stock. That girl deserves some good in her life. I think it's a sham

“I'm not asking you to make this decision solely for me or for us. But consider the possibilities, Hannah. You have a home here, Hannah. What is in Chicago?” The question hit me like a brick, maybe because that's the same thing I've been asking myself. .what exactly is in Chicago. _But Chicago is safe_ “My work,” I whispered, the excuse sounding weak even to my ears. “Come on, Hannah, you are a web dev. Your job is a remote one.” I huffed, “You do make sense. I will think about it,” A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips, “That's all I ask, Hannah. Whatever you decide, know that we'll support you.”