Rachel

Rachel is the main character and first-person narrator of the short story. In the narrative present, she is a 59-year-old, single woman. She lives in New York City with her ex Nick's 26-year-old daughter, Nadia. Though she and Nick broke up a long time ago, and her relationship with Nadia had a rocky start, Nadia has come to rely upon Rachel after growing disgusted with her own parents. Rachel works in human resources for a hotel chain, and spends most of her time either with her younger brother, Saul, or with Nadia.

When Rachel learns that Saul has been diagnosed with liver cancer, she struggles to know how to respond. Not long later, Saul tells her that Kirk, his boyfriend of 20 years, is leaving him. This is a revelation that Rachel immediately knows how to process. She blames Kirk for everything. She was once friends with him, but...