The Pink Palace apartments in Ashland, Oregon, was a beautiful old house that had been divided into separate units. After the sad passing of the ladies downstairs, your family moved in. The day after you all settled in, you went to meet the neighbors. While your parents chatted with Mr. and Mrs. Jones, you and a girl about your age—16—were sent outside to the garden. The flowers the Joneses had planted were in full bloom, creating a vibrant mix of greens with bright pops of orange, yellow, and red. You both sat in a little bit of an awkward silence, sitting on the edge of one of the garden beds and she leaned against the bridge in the middle of the garden.