The Night We Met
by Abby Jimenez
Contents
7: Chris
Overview
Chris navigates a bizarre pharmacy encounter, revealing his competence and dry humor. Mike, Larissa, and Woofarine surprise him, underscoring Chris and Larissa’s growing rapport through shared dog care. After lunch, a call confirms his mother’s headstone is complete, confronting Chris with the finality of his parents’ deaths.
Summary
At the pharmacy counter, Chris confronts an unusual request: a woman explains her boyfriend has been taking her birth control to curb her mood. Chris clarifies it is unsafe for men and ineffective as contraception, listing side effects that shock the customer into abruptly leaving.
Waylon checks in, and a drive-through visitor turns out to be Mike with Larissa and Woofarine. They invite Chris to lunch and a group walk, highlighting the easy camaraderie among them.
Chris reflects on co-parenting Woofarine with Larissa: shared photos, supply handoffs, book swaps, and the dog’s mischievous prey drive and escape-artist antics. He appreciates the arrangement that keeps the dog from being alone and notes his growing fondness for Larissa’s presence.
Mike later brings sushi without Larissa. During Chris’s break, the cemetery calls to say his mother’s headstone is finished. The news lands with a heavy finality, reminding Chris that completing the headstone is the last thing he can do for his parents and stirring regret over what he cannot change.
Who Appears
- ChrisPharmacist and narrator; handles a misuse-of-birth-control case, co-parents Woofarine with Larissa, and receives news of his mother’s finished headstone.
- LarissaVisits with Mike and Woofarine; co-parents the dog with Chris, exchanging photos and books, strengthening their connection.
- MikeArrives with Larissa and Woofarine, invites Chris to lunch and a walk, later delivers sushi.
- WaylonChris’s pharmacy tech; observes the startled customer and comments on Larissa.
- Unnamed customerAsks to change contact for birth control; learns her boyfriend taking it is unsafe and leaves shocked.
- WoofarineSmall, speedy dog co-parented by Chris and Larissa; mischievous hunter and escape artist.