He is kind, thoughtful, and laughs easily. Parents love him—he asks for the recipe after eating my dad’s chicken, he is there for IT support if my mom accidentally deletes a voicemail. He leaves messages for me on Post-Its on my fridge after each visit.  I am anxious, short-tempered, and moody. I show him I’ll miss him by asking him several times if he’s remembered to pack his allergy meds.  He is Indian, I am Chinese with a Jewish father. We argue over whose house has the best cuisine, and have agreed that it’s a tie: his mom’s goat curry, my mom’s mapo tofu, my dad’s sweet potato latkes. We have been close friends for nine years, since high school, and the pandemic brought us closer. In August 2020, we were both in a bad place mentally after...

Continue reading