SUDDENLY IT'S CLEAR

Celia is dying. She'd like to make it through the holidays—deck the halls one final time—but she gets weaker every day. There’s little we can do except stop pretending.

OPENING DAY

The ferryboat pulls away from Larkspur Landing, smooth bay water reflecting puffy white clouds. We're heading to the ballpark— opening day for the San Francisco Giants. We cruise past San Quentin Prison, with its high stone walls and turreted guard towers. Through razor wire fencing, we see orange-clad inmates in the yard; many of them wave as we glide by.