Living Versus Understanding

Summary

• The chapter begins with a hospitalized woman waiting for her brother, who arrives after hearing her voicemail and getting contacted by the hospital.
• The brother reveals that he has been distant because he was coping with their mother's death, a messy break-up, and his excessive drinking problem which caused him to isolate himself.
• The brother also opens up about struggling with their father's expectations for masculinity and with his own hidden sexuality, acknowledging his past mistakes towards his sister and asking her not to leave him alone.
• The sister recounts moments of grief from their past, implicitly forgiving her brother's past actions and reaffirming their bond.
• The brother goes to retrieve the sister's clothes and phone. After seeing a heartfelt message from a friend named Izzy, she expresses joy and responds.
• The sister also discovers a picture of a former companion, Ingrid, on a research institute's Facebook page. She decides to donate some money to their cause once she gets her own funds.
• The brother and sister then leave the hospital in an Uber taxi, with the brother mentioning his interest in looking for freelance work as a sound engineer, which the sister enthusiastically supports.
• The brother mentions a potential romantic interest named Ewan; he is unsure if Ewan is gay. The sister insists that he is, and urges the brother to ask Ewan out.
• When they arrive at their destination, Nora tells her brother that he doesn't have to understand life; he just has to live it.
• As they arrive home, the brother is surprised to learn that their neighbor, Mr. Banerjee, was right about Ewan's homosexuality and he thanks Nora.
• Nora appreciates the beauty of life and their neighborhood, noticing a formerly overlooked feature in Mr. Banerjee's garden and finding joy in the sight.