"it tasted like exactly where you are" he said, and i almost laughed, like he could taste the salt on my skin, the way the sand always finds its way into everything, the way it feels to be finally breathing the same air as my life, or what i think is my life, because it still feels so improbable, like i'm watching someone else's movie, you know, and i just walked in halfway through and now i'm supposed to pretend i know what's happening. but it tasted like mango and something deeper, like the sun itself had been juiced and blended with actual joy. i can be both grateful and terrified, still, huh, even here, even now, and that's probably fine, it's probably just… being human. or the closest i’ve come to it, anyway.