The Memory of Things

Kyle is shocked by the sight of military personnel with weapons on the bridge. He turns and starts for home, then changes his mind, intuitively determining that the girl must be on or near the bridge. He finds her at a stranger’s direction against a stone wall on the underpass. She tells him she does not want to be more trouble to him, but Kyle tells her, “I don’t want to be alone in this” (124). Soon he convinces her, and they leave for Kyle’s apartment. He sees she has Kerri’s New York City snow globe, which “snows” red apples.

On the way home, along the Promenade, they see countless posters and signs searching for missing persons from the attacks. The girl tells Kyle she does not want to go to a hospital, and he tells her she won’t have to. She tries to explain how more memories are “pressing in on [her]” today (127). Kyle asks her to name simple things she likes, and she lists several, which he names back on the walk home: Rainier cherries, Mario Kart, dance steps, watermelon Blow Pops, Alanis Morissette. Kyle tries to explain that he thinks knowing even simple things about her is important “because it matters to [him] that [she’s] here” (131).