The First to Die at the End

Férnan was not called by Death-Cast, and he feels touched by Valentino’s generosity. He thinks his mother would call their meeting lucky, and Férnan feels it could not have come at a better time. He’s been clashing with Rufus, who is closer to Férnan’s wife (who, coincidentally, is the doctor working with Orion and Valentino) than with Férnan himself. The bike may give him a way to blow off some energy. Valentino’s business also feels like a sign to keep and reopen his business.

First, however, he’s going to spend time with his son.

Orion enjoys photographing Valentino’s New York firsts, which include going to a bodega, seeing a payphone, going to the Strand bookstore, and buying a copy of The New York Times. On the paper's cover is a photo of Joaquin Rosa on the phone, which was likely taken when Rosa was calling Valentino. Orion suggests it’s a piece of history, but Valentino doesn’t agree. Orion explains that he remembers looking at the paper the day after 9/11—it was “proof of [their] lives changing, all on page one” (311). Valentino accepts this and then asks Orion where they should go next. He thinks of a place even he hasn’t been.

At 9:47 a.m., Rolando waits in a café to meet with a Decker. It is against the rule for Death-Cast heralds to meet with Deckers, but Rolando is no longer employed by the company. He knows from talking to Clint Suarez, an elderly Decker, that he comes to this café every Saturday at ten o’ clock.

Waiting for Clint, Rolando sees Valentino throw away the New York Times. Shortly after, an older man enters, and hearing him greet the kitchen staff, Rolando knows it’s Clint. He invites the man to sit with him and then introduces himself. He asks what he can do for Clint, and the man asks if he’ll stay for breakfast. Rolando hopes someone will show him the same kindness on his End Day.

Valentino likes the idea of being a ghost because he’d get to hang out with Orion and watch over Scarlett. He tells Orion he has an invention that Orion should make, saying that it would be a tracker to keep up with a Decker’s journey on their End Day so that friends and family can retrace their path.

Orion tells him this is a dumb idea, and when Valentino calls him a “jerk” in return, Orion challenges him to swear since he doesn’t usually. When he does, a man slams his window closed nearby and tells Valentino to shut up. Orion takes his picture, saying it’s for the first time he was told to be quiet by a New Yorker.

Then, Orion drags him up a flight of stairs, bringing him to an elevated freight line that’s been turned into a park called the High Line. He explains that this place might inspire Valentino because the area used to be called “Death Avenue” since people would die crossing the train tracks. Then, cowboys were hired to stop people.

They stand there together, looking at the park, and Orion explains that he was going to come here the previous year, but he ended up in the hospital and took it as a sign that he shouldn’t try.

He wanted to bring Valentino to the High Line because people fought for the space to be transformed rather than torn down, and he sees it as a reminder that even though Valentino is a Decker, his life can still be beautiful.

Valentino replies that his life will continue on through Orion having his heart. He then looks at the Hudson River and comments that he’s never been on a boat. Orion encourages him not to make that a first since drowning sounds like a terrible way to die. Valentino agrees.

Orion says he’s going to make sure that Valentin dies happy and goes to take a picture of Valentino there. Valentino invites him into the picture.

The plane captain, Harry, is unsure of why he feels threatened now that the plane is empty. In the plane's cabin, he has a heart attack and dies.

Orion feels lucky to hang out with Valentino. They wait for the bus, and, as they talk, Orion says that he likes the sound of Valentino’s voice, and they talk about their names when Orion says that he likes Valentino’s name. The other boy explained that he got his name because his mother’s favorite holiday is Valentine’s Day, and Scarlett got hers because of the color.

Orion was almost named Jesus, but his parents didn’t like that he could be teased. Then, his mother became interested in constellations.

Eventually, Orion wonders if Valentino has thought about calling his parents anymore, and he confesses that he’s worried that they won’t grieve him. He wishes his parents were like Orion’s and then asks about Ground Zero, where the Twin Towers once stood. Orion has never been to it. Valentino grabs his hand, saying that he thinks Orion could handle it.

Orion is amazed that Valentino is holding his hand, even more so when Valentino suggests going to Ground Zero. Wanting to be where his parents last were, Orion agrees.

Rolando and Clint sit together, and Clint recounts his life story. He is from Argentina and came to the United States when he was 11. Clint’s mother was worried that her husband would kill her, making Rolando talk about Gloria and how she won’t leave Frankie because of their son. Clint sends Rolando off to find Gloria and watches Rolando call her from the window of the café.

Gloria supports Paz’s dreams of being an actor but worries that it’ll make him grow up too fast, wondering, “Is it so wrong for a mother to want her child to be a child for as long as possible?” (341). Then, she reflects that he’s already witnessed the abuse at home.

She felt so free when they were filming in Brazil and appreciated that the writer of the book the movie was based on gave everyone a signed copy of the book. She thinks it is good for Paz since the author is a queer, trans woman, and she suspects Paz is queer.

Paz comes out of the audition, and Gloria’s phone rings. She worries that it’s Frankie, but it’s Rolando. Learning that they’re going to get lunch, Rolando asks to join, suggesting the restaurant he first said “I love you” at when they were in college. Gloria begins to wonder if she should follow her heart.

Orion texts Dalma that he’s going to see Ground Zero, and she calls him immediately. He feels slightly bad that she isn’t with him, but she says it’s okay. They also talk about his feelings for Valentino, which have only grown throughout the day.

As they approach the construction of the memorial at Ground Zero, Orion becomes nervous that Valentino might be in danger here. The construction site barricades most of the area off, and Orion doesn’t think trying to get a closer look is a good idea.

He always expected to cry when he arrived at the site, but he doesn’t. There’s a part of him that feels like the fact that their bodies were never found leaves some hope that they’re alive. Reluctantly, Valentino helps him to process that that isn’t the case. He doesn’t think they would’ve gone this long without contacting Orion.

Orion asks him to tell his parents he loves them and that Valentino is the first boy he’s brought to meet them, and Orion is heartbroken by the fact that they can never fall in love and have a long relationship.

Valentino takes his picture, and Orion thinks about all that brought him here, beginning with September 11th itself. He thinks about moving to live with Dalma and the rest of the Young family, giving DNA swabs to the police to test against possible remains, returning to school, and so much more. It has taken him so long to get here, he thinks, and he wants to live the life his parents would’ve wanted for him.

Scarlett did not die because the pilot received a call from Death-Cast and decided to ground the plane. However, she’s worried that if Death-Cast was right about the pilot, it might be right about Valentino. She tells a customer service representative that Death-Cast called Valentino and that she needs to get on a plane.

Twelve hours earlier, Valentino found out he was the first Decker. He thinks that Orion has ensured that he made it this far.

The two look at Death-Cast’s website to see what is going on that day for Deckers. Then, Scarlett calls to say she’s boarding a flight to New York. Orion then comes up with two places for them to go: One is a classic New York spot, and the other is a hidden gem. Valentino opts to remain surprised. Still thinking about Scarlett, he knows there’s no chance his parents will ever see him again.

Orion blindfolds him, and they take the train to the mystery location. On it, Orion mumbles in Valentino’s ear to distract him from the train operator’s announcement about their station. Valentino asks him to tell him a secret and feels giddy, hoping Orion will tell him “what [he] would say if he asked [him]” (362).

Aboard the train, Orion whispers that he’s afraid to die without having been in love. Then, he removes Valentino’s blindfold. The train is empty, as it just came to its last stop. They’re going to a secret train station, moving between cars to get there. It’s the old City Hall station. Valentino is amazed he got to see something that most New Yorkers won’t. He hugs Orion, deciding his new mission is to help Orion to understand that he deserves good things in his life.

At 12:15 p.m., Gloria waits nervously in the restaurant. When Rolando first told her that he loved her, she didn’t return the sentiment. She was worried she loved him but wasn’t in love with him. At the beginning of her relationship with Frankie, she enjoyed the passion but missed the warning signs.

Rolando enters and hugs Paz, then Gloria. Paz asks him if he cried at work and says that he would cry, and Rolando explains that that’s because he has a big heart. However, Rolando didn’t cry and explains that he quit.

When the waitress comes and Rolando opts for only a drink, he explains that he just came from a meeting, and Gloria worries that he was on a date. She wants to be happy for him. They make plans to go to the park, and Gloria decides to at least enjoy the day with him.

Orion is taking Valentino to the Brooklyn Bridge. On the way there, they talk about Orion’s secret: He is afraid he will never be in love. He doesn’t think he’s meant for it, though he also thinks that Valentino is someone he could love.

Orion asks Valentino if he’s ever dated anyone, and he says he was interested in another model. He almost kissed the other boy, but he didn’t because it didn’t feel special enough. Orion affirms this choice and asks Valentino if he believes in soul mates, and Valentino does. They talk about how it’s illegal for queer folks to get married.

Valentino has given marriage much thought, thinking about how his parents probably wouldn’t come, so he’d invite friends. He thinks that one of the worst parts of dying is not knowing if gay marriage will ever be legalized. Orion thinks that if Valentino had been in love, he wouldn’t have been able to get married on his End Day.

Orion thinks about how his parents experienced struggles as Puerto Ricans that differ from his struggles as a gay man. He thinks about how they all should still be together and how he likes to imagine they died holding one another. When Valentino asks about marriage, Orion says that he hadn’t given it much thought because he was always worried about his health.

They move on to kids, and Valentino wants them, having already thought about names. Orion gets emotional thinking about how Valentino won’t experience these moments, and Valentino agrees that it’s terrible but adds that at least someone will remember for him. He has never told anyone before that he wants to name his son Vale, and Orion offers to name his son that in Valentino’s honor.

They look at each other, and Orion confesses that he’s been interested in Valentino since they met. Valentino returns that Orion has given him a great End Day and that there’s one more first he’d like to do. They kiss.

Valentino and Orion kiss, and Valentino relishes it. When they break apart, Vale thanks Orion for showing him the life he hoped to have in New York. He tells him to enjoy his life, write a book, find love, and have a family.

Orion then says that he’s going to take him on his first date.

Joaquin returns to the Death-Cast headquarters and goes to find Naya. She asks vaguely if he found the problem, knowing that a camera could be anywhere trying to figure out what the secret behind Death-Cast is. Joaquin says he had some success and asks how many deaths there have been. The number is at 11.

Joaquin says he will release a statement but that the company will continue, which slightly disappoints Naya. He adds that he believes one more Decker will die without being called.

Valentino and Orion hold hands and try to figure out what to do for their first date. They walk past a fence with locks on it that were put there by couples. Then, spotting a wooden bench, they carve their names into it as one word: “VALENTINORION” (387).

Valentino then says he wants to return to Times Square because that’s where they first met. Orion is nervous but agrees to go.

Joaquin Rosa begins a broadcast live from the Death-Cast website. He apologizes for the errors in the Death-Cast system. He says that the company will continue and tells people that the issue has been resolved beginning the next day. He says to “[l]ive life to the fullest, but don’t live it as if you’re invincible” (390).

At 2:02 p.m., Valentino and Orion get back on the train. He hopes that he’ll see people dancing on the train. They pass the “PRINCE STREET” station sign, and Valentino takes a picture (393). Then, Orion stands up and yells, “SHOWTIME” (393). He begins dancing, though he is not a particularly good dancer. Still, Valentino values what the other boy is doing for him.

Valentino begins clapping, and slowly other passengers join in. Orion sits down and explains that he wants Valentino to pretend their subway car is a runway. Orion stands up, introducing Valentino as the first Decker, and people immediately focus on what is happening. Valentino is grateful that people will have the chance to see him for who he is, and they applaud him.

Right before their stop, Valentino walks down the makeshift runway again and begins taking off his overshirt and undershirt. He then kisses Orion.

Afterward, he thanks Orion, and they get off the train. They arrive at Times Square, which is different in the daylight. It is still crowded, even though someone died there the night before. Valentino thinks that he’s done a lot of living that day.

Scarlett’s plane still hasn’t taken off, and she is very worried that she won’t get to see Valentino. Then, one of the pilots announces that he has news. Scarlett feels like Death-Cast has called again.

Valentino and Orion talk about spotting each other in Times Square. They take a picture on the bench where they first spoke to one another. A man offers to take their photo, and they kiss. They watch the man walk away with his son, Mateo, and talk about their parents.

Then, they decide to get a caricature done together. Before they do so, Dalma calls and delivers the news that Death-Cast has made a mistake and that some Deckers did not receive a call. Orion begins to panic and wonders if today is also his End Day.

Orion starts crying and explains that Death-Cast has erred. Valentino comes over to comfort him but is also spiraling, thinking about whether or not his call is a mistake or if Scarlett is going to die.

Orion is furious, feeling like he’s tired of living with not knowing whether or not his death is coming. Death-Cast was supposed to remove that worry from his life, and they messed up. Valentino watches as Orion loses his excitement. Then, his phone rings, and it’s Scarlett.

All planes have been grounded, and Valentino is devastated to know that he won’t see his sister again. Scarlett is also panicking, so he says that maybe he’ll live, recounting all of the places in New York he has gone to that day and wants to take her to. He says he’s going back to their apartment and will call her.

Orion asks if they can stop back at his home so that he can also say goodbye to his family if it’s his End Day too. Valentino says it would be nice to be around family.

Gloria feels like she’s at the park with her family but corrects her thinking to being there with her son and best friend. She thinks she must live with her choice to turn him down. She sends Paz to play.

Rolando explains that working at Death-Cast made him understand that it is important to make the life he wants while he’s able to. He asks if Gloria thinks that she’s living, pointing out that most of what she does is for Paz. Rolando reminds her that she is also important. Gloria tries to say that it’s too late for it to change, but Rolando says that it isn’t. He says that she is making him unhappy, but in the sense that she shouldn’t wait around to change her life. He doesn’t want Frankie to kill her.

Gloria responds that she’s afraid of starting over, and Rolando concedes that it’s terrifying, “[b]ut that’s the only way forward” (423). He says that he’s in love with her.

Gloria decides to divorce Frankie.

Rufus is not dying and has not been called by Death-Cast. Instead, he is riding his new bike around Althea Park. He is grateful for the talk he had with his father because it taught him to feel his emotions.

On the train, he, his father, and his sister Olivia played Traveler, a game they invented where they make up stories about the people they see on the train. He wonders what someone would see in him if they were playing Traveler.

Dr. Emeterio arrives at the park and compliments Rufus’s new bike. When Rufus asks how she is, she says it’s been a long day, explaining—without using names—about Valentino and Orion. Férnan realizes that the two boys in his wife’s story are the same two who came to his pawn shop. She hopes that they’re having a good day. Férnan starts to seem off, and Rufus wonders what’s going through his head.

Férnan explains that Valentino’s parents haven’t been good to him, and he doesn’t want his family to be like Valentino’s. He wants to be able to say goodbye to his family. Rufus would never want that, but he believes it’s a long way off, and he is going to live his life.

Mateo did not receive a call from Death-Cast. He is afraid of it, though, having been terrified that the service would call his father. His mother died while giving birth to Mateo, and Mateo is afraid that he will die and leave his father alone.

He is a shy little boy and doesn’t understand why anyone wants to be his friend. At the park, he wants to play with others, but he feels stuck inside of his own head.

His father, who goes by “Teo,” asks what’s going on in his head, and Mateo explains that he doesn’t know how to be like other kids. His father says he’s special and only has to be himself. His father encourages him to talk to someone.

He remembers seeing Orion and Valentino in Times Square, and it makes him think of a conversation he had with his father about love. Teo responded that “love is a superpower” and that he shouldn’t be afraid of it (437).

Mateo says he will try making a friend but asks if they can go home if it doesn’t work out. His father replies in the affirmative.

At the park, Mateo recognizes a boy from a movie he enjoys, and it’s Paz. He begins to speak, but then Gloria calls for him.

He also sees Rufus, but he rides off on his bike. Returning to his father, he says he tried, and Teo takes him home.

They take the train to Orion’s home. Orion is worried about how he might be treated in the Bronx if he is openly affectionate with Valentino. He’s worried that his body language could easily give away that he’s gay. However, they arrive at the Young home.

They meet Floyd, who apologizes to Valentino for his news and then leads him into Dalma and Orion’s part of the house. There, a big welcome sign greets Valentino. Dalma apologizes for her behavior at the hospital, and her little sister Dahlia asks to give him his presents.

Valentino knows it’s going to be heartbreaking to die.

Valentino feels like he is being treated like family. He feels a bit like it’s his Last Supper. The gifts from the Youngs include linguini, a key chain, a magnet, and a snow globe of the city.

He recounts his day for the Youngs, calling Orion his boyfriend. Then, he goes to call Scarlett and then his parents. Scarlett accepted Valentin immediately when he came out, and he told his parents shortly thereafter. He wonders how they’ll treat him when he says he’s a Decker. Scarlett supports his decision to tell them.

Orion sets up his laptop for Valentino to call his parents, and as he does, Valentino sees all of the files on his computer with stories in them. He offers to be Orion’s first reader, which Orion agrees to.

Once Orion has left, Valentino starts Skype and calls Scarlett, who is back home. He tells her that if he dies, his heart is going to Orion, and he reveals that the other boy is his boyfriend. Scarlett is excited to meet him, and Valentino knows she doesn’t believe he will die.

Scarlett takes her laptop into the living room, upsetting their parents when she pauses the TV. They don’t say anything, and Valentino almost gives up. Valentino recounts how he was in Times Square and that Death-Cast called him. He says that he wasn’t planning on telling them because their love went away the moment he said he was gay. He thanks them for pushing him out of the house and into Orion’s arms and says he will be with him until the end.

Orion is amazed that he and Valentino are boyfriends. He feels like he deserves him. However, he’s also worried about what will happen, and he goes through the house to ensure it’s safe. He sets up a surprise for Valentino. He also thanks his family for being so welcoming.

While Valentino talks to his parents, Dayana asks about the timeline with the hospital. Orion doesn’t want to cut the day short, but she, Floyd, and Dalma remind him that they need to prepare if it’s all going to work out. He doesn’t want to rush Valentino’s death because he’ll have to live with it for the rest of his life if the transplant goes well.

Valentino comes down the stairs, revealing that his parents didn’t say anything. He explains what he said and that he hung up when it became apparent that they weren’t going to talk. Dayana says that she would never act like his parents.

Then, everyone goes upstairs to give Orion and Valentino some privacy. Before Dalma goes up, Orion can tell that she’s trying to remind him to keep the surgery in mind.

Orion brings Valentino into his room. They pretend to drink champagne and sit on his bed. Valentino says it’s a great start, and Orion says it’ll get better. Valentino teases him for implying they’re going to sleep together and says he’s also excited to read one of Orion’s stories.

Orion lets him read a story called “Golden Heart,” the fairytale he wrote about Death dancing with Orionis until an Elder takes Orionis’s place, giving him his heart.

They thank each other for the day and for saving one another. Then, they have sex.