If Only Chapter 2 Summary

A Gift

  • Corinna's standing outside her house in Bethesda, Maryland with her mom's best friend, Deborah Rollins.
  • Deborah gives her a gift wrapped in bug wrapping paper. Corinna opens it, and it's a fuzzy pink journal.
  • Deborah mentions Anne Frank's diary, and how writing in it it helped Anne.
  • Corinna notes that Anne Frank didn't survive, but Deborah says that Corinna will.
  • It's two days until school starts, and Corinna's not looking forward to it. How do you go back to school after your mom dies?
  • When Deborah leaves, Corinna hops on her bike, rides to a bookstore, and buys a brown suede journal, which isn't babyish like a fuzzy pink one.
  • She names her journal Suki, because it sounds Japanese.
  • Back at home, she calls her mom's number and listens to the voice mail message.