“What do you think of Kurt Cobain?” I ask.
Jerry stuffs his mouth with pancakes.
“Why do you ask?”
I pick up my empty glass and shake it in the air.
“I think he might be immortal.”
“That’s stupid,”—Jerry talks with his mouth full—“like, he didn’t die or something?”
I reply, “Not exactly,” still shaking my glass. When I see the waitress crossing the diner towards us, I repeat, “Not exactly.”
“They say Courtney did it. And you know what he was listening to? On his Walkman.”
“Can I get more—thanks.”
“REM.”
“What song?”
“I don’t remember. What a band. . . .”
Jerry then asks for more pancake, more syrup, before turning back to me.
“Wait, why did you ask again?”
“I’ve been thinking about immortality,” I say. “I’ve been thinking about nirvana.”
Author, poet, translator, and doctoral student in Spanish Creative Writing at the University of Houston. Iván Brave lives in his hometown of Houston, Texas, with his wife and son. His vision is to see the next generation of Houstonians create, read more, and thrive. Humor, love, and the humanities are the themes closest to his heart.