It’s just that I don’t think you’re one of those people. It’s not that I don’t believe you, or that I refuse to believe you, but I don’t think you’re that important a person. Today, you’re just a run-of-the-mill guy sitting in his room all day and cursing out writers as you fix their spelling mistakes. You’re as ordinary as I am. And what does that make me, who likes this loser so much?

I wanted to say all of these things, but I kissed him instead. Just so he couldn’t say anything more.

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Olympic Park that fall was more beautiful than it had ever been.

Umma’s cancer treatment was entering its final stages. To keep her strength up, she force-fed herself meals despite a complete lack of appetite. She also made herself go on walks. Despite all the food being stuffed into her mouth, her face became as gaunt as a skull. On a walk one day, she picked up a fallen leaf from the ground and said to me:

—I keep thinking of the time you were in high school.

—Jesus, now what?

—That time when you were sick. I don’t know why I keep thinking about how I wasn’t able to take care of you.

—I wasn’t the one who was sick, you were. The person you weren’t able to take care of was your own damn self.

Umma didn’t seem to be listening and walked toward a flower patch instead. “Oh, look at this,” she exclaimed, bent over a patch of decorative kale. They were shaped like ordinary kale, but their purple and red tint made them look almost alien.

—Ew, it looks weird. Umma, don’t touch that.

—I used to really hate this plant.

—Why? You love anything that’s a plant.

—This type of kale was the first thing I noticed after I failed to get into college. They were planted all along the street outside the school gates I’d walked out of after seeing my name wasn’t on the acceptance lists that were posted. The purple color made me so nauseous, I had to hold down vomit. Such incredible disappointment. My whole life felt like it had ended back then, but look at me now, still alive.

—I’m impressed they even had kale back then.

—They did. They had everything we have now.

I thought about all the other things that had always been there as I supported her back to her hospital room.

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