Epilogue

Summary

• The chapter is an epilogue, set ten months after the events of the main story, dated September 28, 2019.
• It opens with a reflection on the survival of bees despite natural selection suggesting that traits like sterility in worker bees and the fatal act of stinging shouldn't be passed on.
• The protagonist is preparing beehives for impending winter, showcasing their connection to beekeeping.
• Ava Campanello, whom the protagonist hasn't seen since Asher's trial, unexpectedly arrives as the protagonist is waiting for someone named Mike to come over.
• Ava's car is full, suggesting she's moving, and she has a dog named Boris with her.
• The protagonist feels anxious as Ava approaches and expresses uncertainty about her reason for visiting.
• Ava announces she's leaving town for good and plans to hike the Appalachian Trail with Boris, with uncertain plans thereafter.
• An emotional conversation ensues where Ava speaks about the loneliness of grief and the fading concern of others over time.
• The protagonist asserts that they haven't forgotten Lily, to which Ava inquires about Asher.
• The protagonist defensively mentions Asher is at Plymouth State, implying there is tension or history concerning Asher.
• Ava expresses relief that the protagonist did not have to lose a child, revealing she once lost a son but found comfort in gaining a daughter—now feeling like she has nothing after Lily's death.
• The protagonist wants to comfort Ava but struggles to find the right words or actions.
• Before Ava leaves, the protagonist offers her a jar of honey, symbolic of immortality and continuity.
• Despite Ava's claim of disliking honey, she takes the jar and departs with a reflective moment, leaving the protagonist to watch her go.
• The protagonist muses that one day Ava might use the honey, possibly forgetting where it came from, but the honey will remain unchanged, waiting for her.