I've Become A Pachyderm

　　"Elephants do have good memories," he says. "But that isn't why I chose it as my symbolic name."

　　"Then why?" I ask.

　　"Well . . . I've become a pachyderm."

　　"Is that a religion?" I ask.

　　His face twitches a bit. "No. An elephant is a pachyderm. It means an animal with a thick skin."

　　I guess we're all pachyderms, then. Or we pretend to be.

　　His fingers picks at the side of his thumb. "Elephants feel a wide range of emotions, but their behavior reamains constant. On the outside, happy and sad often look the same."

　　I can't remember the last time I had nothing to say about something. All this time, I thought Albert was the science guy with as much feeling as a pinecone. But I was wrong. All that watching he does. All that thinking. He really does understand things. He definitely gets me.

Fish in a Tree, P235
Lynda Mullaly Hunt
ISBN 978-0-399-16259-6