“You’re weird.” She shakes her head, still smiling, and then tucks her legs into a crossed formation, balancing on the seat, as if she were on a yoga mat. “So, you said just your parents live here, right?”

I nod.

“Do you have any brothers or sisters?”

“Nope. I’m an only child.”

“Oh no. I guess that means you’re a spoiled brat, huh?”

“Of course not. I just know that I’m always right, and everyone else thinks I’m the greatest thing that’s ever walked this earth.”

“Wow. How have you remained so modest?”

“It’s definitely a struggle, seeing as how I’m totally awesome. But I manage.”

We’ve both got straight faces, but I notice hers start to crack.

“I wouldn’t want you to strain yourself.”

“Only a normal person would strain themselves. Luckily, I am abnormal.”

That does her in. Holly covers her face as the giggles spill out. She’s still holding herself back, but I’m getting closer.

Once she calms down, she starts digging deeper. “Okay. Real question though. So, if you can have this whole setup in the house, why haven’t you gone to peritoneal dialysis?”

Back on my kidneys again. At least, when Holly asks me questions, all I pick up on is genuine curiosity, not morbid pity. And it’s a valid question. Peritoneal is more portable and can happen while I’m sleeping. If I had the choice, I’d switch to it in a second.

“I tried, but I kept getting infections. So, it just made me sicker. This works best for me. And, besides, now, I get to sit around for hours at a time. It’s the American dream.” My joke falls flat, only earning a polite smile from Holly.

What I wouldn’t give to not have to be reminded of my physical failures almost every day of the week.

“Do you mind …” Holly hesitates before going on. So far, she hasn’t seemed like someone who’d censor herself, and I’m not disappointed. “Can I ask how you ended up on dialysis?”

I don’t talk about it much. But again, Holly looks at me in a different way than everyone else. Others tend to stare at the machine like it’s a magnet, even when I’m having a conversation with them. Holly waits for my answer, eyes on my face. It’s refreshing and disconcerting at the same time.

Then, there’s the fact that she’s my cure. She deserves to know how I got sick.

“Have you ever heard of the Pacific Crest Trail?”

At her eyebrow raise, I can tell she’s got an idea about it.

“I saw that movie Wild with Reese Witherspoon. About the woman who hiked on her own. Are you saying you did that?”

She seems impressed, but before she can build up an image of me in her mind, I set the record straight.

“That was my plan. Fred and I were supposed to go after my freshman year of college. We were actually both putting off college for at least a semester to do the whole thing.”