“It blew me away, too, and I’ve seen it before!” Zoe says. “I identify so much with those characters. Fiona, who tries so hard to smooth things, to make everyone happy, and Chris, who feels like a drop-in and aches to reconnect with a past that will always be hidden from him.” She turns to me and says, “Is it just me and my particular issues, or were a lot of the themes kind of universal? I mean, wasn’t it kind of amazing?”

“It was everything,” I say. But I hope she knows what I really mean when I say that.

You’re everything.

Zoe

Sam’s enthusiasm about the play fills me up — and helps distract me from the ache of not being in the show. The way she appreciates even the small details of the set makes me feel like my contribution was more valuable than I realized — although honestly the best thing I brought to the set was her painting. And I couldn’t bear the idea of her never seeing her artwork in the show, never witnessing the way it sang on that set and imbued the scene with meaning and richness. I hope this helps her confidence, hope it helps show her how good she really is. She’s so brilliant, and she’s the last to know.

I want her to know.

She is unusually animated in the car, despite her death grip on the wheel and granny-like adherence to the speed limit.

“Do you like driving?” I ask her.

She sighs. “That is not a simple question.”

“It seems simple,” I tease.

“You’re right,” she says with a laugh. “It’s a simple question, but the answer is complicated. I should love driving. It’s me and a piece of machinery, and I control it and I decide where I go. It’s almost perfect.”

“So what’s the flaw?”

“One guess.”

The dark expression that clouds her face is clue enough.

“Your mom,” I say.

“Bingo. Oh, shitballs,” she mutters as we approach a merge sign. She signals and glances over her shoulder to move into the other lane. “See, this. This. My mom won’t let me drive, so I have barely any experience at something I should be really good at. The only reason I was able to get my license at all is that Will’s parents took me out to practice with him.”