Summary

In “Departure,” while on her way to visit her friend, Lindy, May saw a woman carrying a bag printed with a friendship quotation. Because she had not kept in touch with her friends over the years, the bag intrigued her. May had been “having an unusual year” (3). Visiting her friends felt odd. This was why she had named her suitcase Grendel.

In Part I, “A Crossroads,” at 40 years old, May had “reached a point where” her past “seemed to outweigh the future” (7). For a time, taking medication helped May’s imbalanced feelings. It helped her remember who she was and what her life contained.

May lived with her cat Hester and her father Earl in her childhood home in Anneville. She worked “as a gardener” for the local university (9). Although bad with plants as a child and young adult, she grew to...