here to experience… life. I think.”
“Yes.” Dr. Tung gently stuck in a needle in Alex’s forehead. “Yin Tang. Third eye point.”
“Hey!” He jumped halfway off the table. “What are you doing? This feels weird.”
Dr. Tung put a hand on his shoulder and gently pushed him back down. “You have energy shut off from accident that happened about four years ago.”
“You were in an accident?” I asked.
“You’re not an official Angeleno until you’ve had your first fender-bender,” Alex said. “It’s practically a rite of passage.”
Dr. Tung stuck a needle in Alex’s chest and then— bam, bam, bam, three needles in his right ankle and foot. “You need to release that energy so chi flows. So life flows.”
“I’m not a human pin-cushion, you know?” He squirmed.
“Stop moving,” I said. “You’re going to screw up the needles. You don’t want to do that.”
Alex frowned but stopped fidgeting. “Fine. But, I’m doing this for you, Sophie.”
Dr. Tung stuck a few needles in his ear. And one in his nose.
He sneezed, which didn’t help matters. “Dammit!” He was filled with needles, half naked and wearing a stupid gown. He looked at me like a miserable puppy that was getting shots at the vet.
I started giggling. I knew it was wrong. Very wrong. But I couldn’t help it.
“Stop laughing,” Alex hissed. “You’re going to screw up the needles. God knows you don’t want to screw up the needles. Because we could actually be having a normal date.”
“But we’re not on a date,” I said.
“Whatever. We could be catching a movie. Going to a party. But no, we’re in Chinatown. And not for Dim Sum. We are quite possibly screwing up the needles.”
I couldn’t stop laughing. “Dr. Tung. Dr. Tung?”
“Yes?” he asked.
“I think Alejandro needs his Yin Tang opened a teensy bit more.”
Dr. Tung moved toward Alex and eyeballed his forehead. He twisted the needle deeper.
“Ow!” He hollered.
“I come back in fifteen minutes. You two be quiet. Do not scare other patients.” Dr. Tung quickly left the room.
“This is like hitting me with the kickball in middle school, isn’t it?” Alex asked. A grin grew on his face. “I think this means you like me.”
“Get over yourself,” I said.
* * *
Summer school continued. I learned about genotypes and genetic predispositions. I even heard about the time, several semesters back, that a student in this class discovered the man who was raising him wasn’t, technically, his dad.
I talked to my mom. There had been no alien centipede invasion of my hometown but she did have news. Nana had decided to move out of our house into an assisted living retirement community.
“Why didn’t you talk her out of it?” I asked. “Like, what are we going to do without her? She’ll miss us. This isn’t good for anybody! If I was home I could have talked her into staying.”
“When’s the last time you talked your grandmother out of doing something she’d already decided?” Mom asked.
“Oh,” I said. “Right.”
“I tried, Sophie. But she does what she wants when she wants. Besides, I think she’s tired of me mothering her. Or as she calls it, ‘smothering.’”
“What about coming out here to mother…I mean…visit me?” I cringed because I sounded like a needy child asking for attention. I didn’t want to be that person. Unfortunately, I was spot-on, exactly that person.
“I’d love to visit, kiddo. But right now I’m not going anywhere without your Nana. Talk her into it and I’ll book the flights.”
I called Nana and left numerous messages, which apparently she didn’t pick up or return. I yakked into her voicemail about the Pacific Ocean, the park where you could watch airplanes take off right over your head and even tempted her with the magical guacamole. When I finally got her on the phone I begged her to visit me in L.A.
“Sophie, my favorite granddaughter, I
“Yes.” Dr. Tung gently stuck in a needle in Alex’s forehead. “Yin Tang. Third eye point.”
“Hey!” He jumped halfway off the table. “What are you doing? This feels weird.”
Dr. Tung put a hand on his shoulder and gently pushed him back down. “You have energy shut off from accident that happened about four years ago.”
“You were in an accident?” I asked.
“You’re not an official Angeleno until you’ve had your first fender-bender,” Alex said. “It’s practically a rite of passage.”
Dr. Tung stuck a needle in Alex’s chest and then— bam, bam, bam, three needles in his right ankle and foot. “You need to release that energy so chi flows. So life flows.”
“I’m not a human pin-cushion, you know?” He squirmed.
“Stop moving,” I said. “You’re going to screw up the needles. You don’t want to do that.”
Alex frowned but stopped fidgeting. “Fine. But, I’m doing this for you, Sophie.”
Dr. Tung stuck a few needles in his ear. And one in his nose.
He sneezed, which didn’t help matters. “Dammit!” He was filled with needles, half naked and wearing a stupid gown. He looked at me like a miserable puppy that was getting shots at the vet.
I started giggling. I knew it was wrong. Very wrong. But I couldn’t help it.
“Stop laughing,” Alex hissed. “You’re going to screw up the needles. God knows you don’t want to screw up the needles. Because we could actually be having a normal date.”
“But we’re not on a date,” I said.
“Whatever. We could be catching a movie. Going to a party. But no, we’re in Chinatown. And not for Dim Sum. We are quite possibly screwing up the needles.”
I couldn’t stop laughing. “Dr. Tung. Dr. Tung?”
“Yes?” he asked.
“I think Alejandro needs his Yin Tang opened a teensy bit more.”
Dr. Tung moved toward Alex and eyeballed his forehead. He twisted the needle deeper.
“Ow!” He hollered.
“I come back in fifteen minutes. You two be quiet. Do not scare other patients.” Dr. Tung quickly left the room.
“This is like hitting me with the kickball in middle school, isn’t it?” Alex asked. A grin grew on his face. “I think this means you like me.”
“Get over yourself,” I said.
* * *
Summer school continued. I learned about genotypes and genetic predispositions. I even heard about the time, several semesters back, that a student in this class discovered the man who was raising him wasn’t, technically, his dad.
I talked to my mom. There had been no alien centipede invasion of my hometown but she did have news. Nana had decided to move out of our house into an assisted living retirement community.
“Why didn’t you talk her out of it?” I asked. “Like, what are we going to do without her? She’ll miss us. This isn’t good for anybody! If I was home I could have talked her into staying.”
“When’s the last time you talked your grandmother out of doing something she’d already decided?” Mom asked.
“Oh,” I said. “Right.”
“I tried, Sophie. But she does what she wants when she wants. Besides, I think she’s tired of me mothering her. Or as she calls it, ‘smothering.’”
“What about coming out here to mother…I mean…visit me?” I cringed because I sounded like a needy child asking for attention. I didn’t want to be that person. Unfortunately, I was spot-on, exactly that person.
“I’d love to visit, kiddo. But right now I’m not going anywhere without your Nana. Talk her into it and I’ll book the flights.”
I called Nana and left numerous messages, which apparently she didn’t pick up or return. I yakked into her voicemail about the Pacific Ocean, the park where you could watch airplanes take off right over your head and even tempted her with the magical guacamole. When I finally got her on the phone I begged her to visit me in L.A.
“Sophie, my favorite granddaughter, I
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