Chapter summaries The Night We Met Abby Jimenez

Chapter 38 (Chris): Anger, Enabling, and the Danger of Carelessness

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

Summary

Chris finds that Mike has not cleared the pantry of nuts, despite Larissa’s severe allergy. While checking the kitchen, Mike pulls him aside to show off a Christmas gift for Larissa: a box of Parisian macarons. Chris immediately recognizes they are made with almond flour. Mike is shocked and upset, admitting his relationship with Larissa is strained over a ruined carpet. Chris offers to find a replacement gift. He drives alone, suffers a panic attack on the roadside, and reflects on his enduring love for Larissa and his fury at Mike’s carelessness. Chris eventually buys a hydro planter from a hardware store, wraps it himself, and realizes he is enabling Mike. He considers moving away from Minnesota to escape the pain of watching them together.

Key Events

  • Chris checks the pantry, fridge, and freezer for nuts because Mike neglected to clean it out again.
  • Mike shows Chris a box of macarons he bought for Larissa, not realizing they contain almond flour.
  • Chris silently rages at Mike’s ten-month failure to remember Larissa’s allergy.
  • Mike admits his relationship is “not good right now” because of an accident with the carpet.
  • Chris volunteers to go find a last‑minute gift so Larissa has something to open on Christmas.
  • Alone in the car, Chris experiences a panic attack, contemplating how easily Mike could have killed Larissa.
  • Chris purchases a hydro planter from a hardware store and wraps it himself, bypassing Mike.
  • He concludes that he is enabling Mike and that leaving Minnesota may be his only escape.

Character Development

  • Chris: In this chapter, Chris’s internal conflict reaches a new peak. He admits his love for Larissa is “self‑sustaining” and that he will love her in silence forever. His protective instinct turns into rage at Mike, and he recognizes his own enabling behavior. The decision to consider moving shows growth—he is finally acknowledging that staying close only prolongs his suffering.
  • Mike: Portrayed as well‑meaning but dangerously forgetful. He values Chris’s help without addressing his own carelessness. His admission that the relationship is struggling hints at deeper issues, but he remains unaware of how his actions affect Larissa and Chris.
  • Larissa: Off‑page, but her presence looms. Chris’s fear for her safety and his memory of her meticulousness highlight her own vigilance—contrasted with Mike’s negligence.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

  • Allergies as a Metaphor – Larissa’s nut allergy represents the constant, invisible danger in her relationship with Mike. Chris’s obsessive checking symbolizes his hyper‑vigilance born of love and fear.
  • Enabling vs. Tough Love – Chris recognizes that his interventions allow Mike to avoid learning. Helping Mike perpetuates the cycle, yet stopping feels unbearable because it could put Larissa at risk.
  • The Self‑Sustaining Nature of Love – Chris’s reflection that love “doesn’t get weak and die when you don’t feed it” reinforces the theme of unrequited love that persists regardless of distance or time.
  • Christmas Gift‑Giving – The failed macarons and the substitute hydro planter underscore the disparity between Mike’s performative effort and Chris’s genuine understanding of Larissa’s needs.

Why This Chapter Matters

Chapter 38 is a turning point for Chris. He moves from passive pining to active consideration of uprooting his life. His panic attack and self‑analysis force him to confront the reality that staying near Larissa is damaging his own well‑being. The chapter deepens the romantic triangle and sets up a possible physical separation—a major shift in the story’s trajectory.

Study Questions and Answers

1. How does Chris’s reaction to the macarons differ from how he would react if the allergy belonged to Becca? What does this reveal?
Chris says that if it were Becca’s allergy, he would have been “disappointed” but not filled with “unbridled fear and bubbling rage.” This difference reveals that his feelings for Larissa are fundamentally romantic and primal. His protective instincts are magnified because he loves her, and his anger at Mike is intensified by jealousy and a sense that Mike does not deserve her.

2. Why does Chris blame himself for enabling Mike? What alternative does he consider?
Chris realizes that every time he steps in to fix Mike’s mistake, he removes the natural consequences of Mike’s carelessness. Mike never learns because Chris cleans up after him. The alternative Chris considers is moving away from Minnesota so he will no longer know what is happening, thus ending his role as enabler.

3. What does Chris’s decision to buy the hydro planter reveal about his character compared to Mike?
Chris selects a gift that reflects Larissa’s actual interests—cooking, herbs, and charcuterie boards. Unlike Mike, who chose a generic “specialty food” without thinking about allergens, Chris demonstrates deep knowledge of Larissa’s life and a desire to truly please her. This contrast highlights Chris’s emotional intimacy with Larissa, even though he cannot have a romantic relationship with her.

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