Chapter 20 Summary and Key Takeaways

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

⚠️ This page contains detailed plot points from Chapter 20 of The Collected Regrets of Clover. If you haven't finished the chapter yet, consider reading it first before continuing.

Summary

After Rhonda and Sebastian drop Clover off at Washington Square, she lingers to watch the dogs at the park. This is a tradition she shared with her grandfather: every Sunday, on their way home from the bookstore, they would spectate and commentate on the social hierarchies among the dogs. She notices two recurring archetypes—an exuberant, confident pup that others follow, and a timid dog standing at the edge, overwhelmed by the socializing. Clover admits she relates to the latter, finding participation in the world overwhelming at times.

Clover then heads to a pharmacy on Sixth Avenue to buy vitamins, having missed her earlier chance after running into Sebastian at Duane Reade. Inside, she spots Leo leaning against the counter, charming the young pharmacist with stories about the good old days. She waits until he tips his trilby and turns toward her. They exchange playful banter—Clover teases him about disappearing, and Leo explains he's been busy with visitors in town, wanting the local's tour. Clover notes she's never had a visitor in her life.

She notices the white paper bag with a prescription in his hand and asks if everything is okay. Leo shakes it like a maraca and jokes that he's stocking up on cholesterol pills so he can keep eating cheeseburgers. When Clover points out that's not how cholesterol pills work, he scoffs and says he prefers his interpretation. He invites her to get a bite at the diner, and her stomach rumbles in agreement. The vitamins can wait.

At the diner, Clover observes that the place looks almost exactly the same as always, though faded—like a postcard left out in the sun. She appreciates that it hasn't changed, calling it a time capsule that also keeps her fed. Leo is in his element, sharing neighborhood gossip. Though her grandfather always told her not to encourage Leo's idle chatter, she indulges him occasionally.

Leo recounts the bodega cat drama: the fat ginger tabby at the bodega on Grove, the one who gave birth to kittens between bags of potato chips, went missing last Tuesday. She mysteriously returned three days later—but as a different gender. Clover is hooked, asking who would do such a thing and whether there are security cameras. Leo reveals the cameras cover everywhere but the potato chip aisle. His theory is a cat-breeding ring, and he suggests watching for an uptick in ginger kittens at pet stores later in the year.

After eating, they walk the few blocks home. Leo's shuffle is even slower than usual; Clover is used to reducing her pace, but today it feels like she only needs one step for every two of his. She holds onto the crook of his arm as they weave through oncoming pedestrians, and he leans into her more than once.

The early-March weather turns suddenly. Fat raindrops splatter the pavement, escalating from sporadic to relentless within minutes. When Clover tries to guide Leo beneath the narrow awning of a jazz club, he resists, insisting it's just a little water and that there are only so many times in life you get to play in the rain. He turns his face skyward, grinning, and says he might as well enjoy it while he can. Clover takes a mental snapshot of the moment so she can always treasure it, squeezes his arm tighter, and follows his gaze. For the next ten minutes, they stand side by side, letting the raindrops tumble over their cheekbones.

Key Events

Clover watches the dog park, recalling her grandfather's tradition of spectating and commentating on canine social hierarchies.
She runs into Leo at the pharmacy, where he's picking up a prescription for cholesterol medication.
Leo invites her to the diner; she postpones her vitamin purchase.
Leo shares the bodega cat story: a ginger tabby went missing and returned as a different gender.
On the walk home, Leo moves noticeably slower and leans on Clover for support.
Rain begins; Leo refuses shelter and insists on enjoying it.
They stand together in the rain for ten minutes, and Clover captures the moment as a mental keepsake.

Character Development

Clover shows her characteristic self-awareness and tendency toward social observation. Her identification with the timid dog at the park—feeling that participating in the world is overwhelming—reinforces her established outsider sensibility. Yet this chapter also reveals her capacity for presence: when Leo insists on enjoying the rain, she doesn't retreat into her usual reserve. Instead, she consciously takes a mental snapshot, actively choosing to treasure a fleeting moment. This aligns with her professional focus on death and dying, but here she applies that awareness to her own living.

Leo emerges as a figure of gentle defiance against aging. His slower shuffle and the way he leans into Clover signal physical decline, but his refusal to take shelter in the rain is a small act of rebellion—a declaration that joy matters more than comfort. His line about there being only so many times in life you get to play in the rain carries weight, suggesting he's acutely aware of his own mortality. His playful gossip about the bodega cat and his insistence on his own interpretation of cholesterol pills show a man who prefers his own version of reality, one that prioritizes pleasure and connection.

The dynamic between Clover and Leo deepens here. Their banter is warm and familiar, and Clover's willingness to slow her pace and hold his arm shows a quiet, unspoken care. The chapter positions Leo as a mentor figure in living fully, even as his body begins to fail him.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Mortality and impermanence are woven throughout. Leo's slowed pace, his prescription, and his comment about limited opportunities to play in the rain all point to his awareness of time running out. Clover's mental snapshot is her way of holding onto something that won't last.

Cherishing fleeting moments is the chapter's emotional core. The rain scene is a deliberate act of presence—both characters choose to stand in it rather than escape it. Clover's decision to memorialize the moment internally echoes her work with the dying, but here she applies it to her own life.

Nostalgia and tradition appear in the dog park ritual with her grandfather and in the diner's unchanged appearance, which Clover describes as a time capsule. These elements ground her in continuity even as change presses in.

Social observation and outsider feeling are evident in Clover's identification with the timid dog and her commentary on the park's social dynamics. She is more comfortable watching than participating.

Community and neighborhood life come through in Leo's gossip, the bodega cat saga, and the diner as a gathering place. The chapter paints a portrait of a close-knit urban neighborhood where everyone knows everyone's business.

Living in the present is embodied by Leo's rain-soaked stance. He refuses to defer joy, choosing instead to savor what's in front of him.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter quietly advances the novel's meditation on how to live well in the face of death. Leo's insistence on enjoying the rain is a small but potent lesson in presence, one that Clover internalizes by taking a mental snapshot. The chapter also deepens the reader's understanding of Clover's emotional landscape: her outsider feelings, her nostalgia for her grandfather, and her growing willingness to participate in life rather than merely observe it. The bodega cat subplot adds warmth and humor, grounding the story in the texture of neighborhood life. Most significantly, the rain scene crystallizes the novel's central question—how do we honor the fleeting nature of existence?—and offers an answer: by standing in it, together, and letting it wash over us.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why does Clover relate to the timid dog at the park, and what does this reveal about her character?

Clover identifies with the timid dog that stands at the edge of the park, overwhelmed by the raucous socializing. She explicitly states that participating in the world is overwhelming sometimes. This reveals her ongoing struggle with social engagement and her tendency to observe rather than fully participate—a trait that contrasts with Leo's embrace of life.

2. What does Leo's refusal to take shelter in the rain signify, and how does Clover respond?

Leo's refusal signifies his conscious choice to savor life's fleeting pleasures rather than protect himself from discomfort. His comment about there being only so many times in life you get to play in the rain reflects his awareness of mortality. Clover responds by taking a mental snapshot and standing with him for ten minutes, showing her willingness to embrace the moment rather than retreat.

3. How does the bodega cat story function in the chapter?

The bodega cat story serves multiple purposes. It establishes the texture of neighborhood life and community gossip, provides comic relief, and reveals Leo's playful, storytelling nature. It also subtly echoes the chapter's themes of transformation and impermanence—the cat returns changed, just as Leo's body is changing.