When We Collided

Jonah is making oatmeal for his mother. He keeps thinking about the kiss he shared with Vivi and is worried about “the pressure for the second kiss” (56). Jonah watches as his mother attempts to reorganize the books on her bookshelf. When she comes across her favorite book by Gabriel García Márquez, inscribed with a note from her deceased husband, she is inconsolable. The note from Tony says: “For you, amore mio. Of Course” (57). Jonah helps his mother back to bed. After, Jonah is in the kitchen with his head in his hands when Vivi finds him. She makes tea for them both and an extra cup for his mother. Instead of asking any questions, Vivi gives Jonah scavenger hunt clues with directions to the super market so that his younger siblings can help him grocery shop.

Vivi, Jonah, Silas, Bekah, Isaac, and Leah then go to the movie theater. On the way home after the movie, the younger kids are pretending to be characters from the movie while Vivi makes Jonah give her a piggyback ride. They meet Officer Hayashi who affectionately calls Vivi a “troublemaker” (59). Bekah and Leah get into an argument and Jonah mentally prepares himself for Vivi to leave, thinking: “Because, really, who wants to spend their summer listening to this? Who wants to witness Silas try to break it up without tears?” (59).