Chapters 18 and 19 Summary and Analysis

Chapter 18: A Can of Worms

When in Los Angeles, David and Hugh had lunch with Hugh's friend, Anne. She was a professional photographer and worked all around the country for a magazine. Anne and Hugh reminisced about their college days where they had originally met. Since David didn't know who they were talking about he got distracted by the other patrons of the diner and people-watched. Two men sitting nearby were talking about the can of tiny worms called nematodes that had survived the Columbia explosion and had been discovered in the Texas plains. One of the many mysteries of life—all the astronauts died and the worms lived.

Anne ordered a piece of pie for David and told him that it was tradition to eat the pie from crust to the point and then make a wish...