Summary

The narrator is dating a man who once dated Robin Ross. Robin is currently dying of a cancerous brain tumor. The narrator considers going to visit Robin, but decides to visit her in the morning instead, thinking she’ll be better rested and better prepared to receive visitors. Robin dies overnight. The narrator and Robin are members of a college theater department, and it is ZJ, the chairman, who first breaks the news about Robin’s death.

Isabel and Pat collect the narrator and go over to Robin’s house. Outside, the narrator looks at the gardens and trees – including juniper trees – that Robin had planted. Inside, they encounter the spirit of Robin, and present her with gifts: a painting from Pat, a new dance from Isabel, and a rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” by the narrator. Robin tells the narrator she...