“He’s okay,” I said, even though he wasn’t. He had taken to writing late into the night on the living room couch. I could see the light from beneath my door while I lay awake well past midnight, checking my phone repeatedly as if I were a rat trained to push a button. In the morning when I came out to the kitchen after a few hours of restless sleep, my dad was often drinking coffee alone, red-eyed and drained, and I wondered whether he’d slept at all.

“Promise me you’ll keep an eye on him,” Mom said. “He’s not like you and me. He needs people like us to keep him grounded.”

“People like us?” I said stiffly.

“You know what I mean,” she said, as if we shared a secret. “We get things done when we have to. Make sure he gets something to eat besides coffee.”

How had she known he wasn’t eating?

A memory rose: Mom rolling out scallion pancakes. I was small enough that I needed to stand on a chair to reach the counter. She poured oil over the dough and sprinkled on salt, telling me to spread it out with my fingers. It felt like slippery sandpaper. The scallions smelled fresh and sharp. These are your dad’s favorite, she said.

“. . . emailing you an article from my cousin Eddie,” Mom was saying. “I’m sending it now.”

“What?”

“I’m sending you something from cousin Eddie,” Mom said again, sounding strangely patient. “I thought you might like to see it. I was really surprised because I met them both, but I guess I didn’t understand at the time.”

I had missed something, but before I could ask what it was, Mom was saying goodbye.

“I have to go now. Make sure you eat something, too. I’ll call you after the memorial.”

A moment later my phone vibrated. A surge of hope—but it was just the email from my mom. The subject read: “FWD: Just married . . . finally!”

I opened the email.

Dear friends and family,

Congratulations are in order! I’m happy to share the news that my beloved sister, Lily, has finally married her longtime partner, Kath Miller. They celebrated their nuptials last week in a beautiful small ceremony (photo attached). I’m also forwarding an LA Times story about many of the same-sex marriages that have taken place this summer, which includes Lily and Kath! They have not registered for gifts because as Lily told me, “We already have everything!” But if you’re inclined to give, she invites you to donate in their name to Lambda Legal. Lily advises me that both brides have chosen to keep their names.

With much joy,

Eddie Hu