ON REMEMBERING MY FRIENDS, MY FIRST JOB, AND MY SECOND-FAVORITE WEEZER CD

In Delgado’s novella, a father recalls the senior year that shaped him.

In the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, Cody Taitano’s son uncovers an old, battered CD of Pinkerton(1996) by the rock band Weezer, which, for Cody, stirs memories of events from more than 20 years before. He feels driven to write about them because he realizes that, as time has gone on, he’s “lost track of time and of what friendship means.” His desire for what once was carries him back to 1999, in the sleepy upstate New York town of Canandaigua. At the center of the recollection is an account of Cody’s developing identity. He comes from an Indigenous Chamorro family from Guam, and he’s one of only a few kids of color at his high school; people frequently mispronounce his name, and he often feels misunderstood. Familiar coming-of-age tropes unfold, involving fast-food shifts, first dates, and the widening generation gap. James, Cody’s best friend who teaches him confidence, grounds his sense of self, as does Cody’s love interest, Nicole, who’s also misunderstood by others. At times, the novella recalls nostalgic works like the 1986 film Stand by Me (itself based on a 1982 novella by Stephen King), but Cody’s experience is seen through the lenses of race and class—most visibly in his encounters with storekeepers, guidance counselors, and, most frighteningly, the police. The author effortlessly showcases themes of teenage angst, connection, and societal isolation in his prose: “My silence was all Dad needed as proof that he was right. He left me in the living room without saying a word, which was how a lot of our conversations ended back then.” Ultimately, Delgado’s most brilliant move is showing how high school ties naturally fade away, rather than break.

A well-crafted ode to what one can learn from one’s teenage years.