Summary

In Chapter 8, Mika wakes Hana early Saturday morning. Charlie, Tuan, and Hayato are all coming to help clean. Mika leads Hana into choosing things they can throw away, cleaning the fridge, and even dealing with boxes Hana had never unpacked when she moved in. They work in the yard as well. Hana waters an obviously dead maple tree, saying she bought it with her ex-girlfriend and plans to “love it back to life” (84). Mika feels they have made progress at the end of the day. Penny texts, saying she hopes Mika is not going to any trouble for her visit. Five days later, the house has been cleaned with minor repairs done and the lawn mown. The mantle includes faked photos of Mika in settings around the world.

Mika creates a scrapbook of her childhood as a gift for Penny. Mika declines to...