Summary

One night, Okenwa had a dream that he and Raphael were "practicing for a fight" with Bruce Lee (8). In the morning, his eyes were stuck shut with a "pale ugly fluid” (8). Something inside of him seemed to be melting. Okenwa's mother yelled at Raphael, blaming him for infecting Okenwa. Raphael remained silent. Okenwa blurted out a lie, saying he had contracted the infection from a classmate.

In the days following, Okenwa felt suffocated by his parents' attentiveness. He worried they would sit by his bed at all hours like they had when he had had malaria. The doctor came. His cologne was so strong it made Okenwa nauseous. His parents patrolled the house, making sure Okenwa did not get out of bed. "They took turns" administering the drops, unaware that Okenwa could do it himself (9). Whenever they did so, Okenwa thought of Raphael's...