Summary

Theo recalled his youth. His mother was mentally ill and his father addicted to painkillers. Theo began drinking heavily as a teenager, but his life turned around in college when he was given an internship on his bacteriologist professor's field expedition. He went on to study microbiology in graduate school and that is how he became an astrobiologist. One day, while Theo was in grad school, he was approached by a woman in the library who needed help accessing the university file system. He helped her and they started talking, and this is how he met Alyssa. Alyssa became an animal rights attorney and the two moved into a house in Madison. Robin was an unplanned pregnancy.

In the present, back at home in Madison, Robin asked Theo if they could watch videos of Alyssa giving speeches on YouTube and Theo agreed. However...