Instinct

 I remembered to look both ways before I crossed the street, which is important, because all I could think about by the side of road was that time when Grandma Lu came in carrying a green pepper and wiping tears from her face and told me, matter-of-factly, that Cookie was dead. It's important because I had never seen her cry before, or even fathomed my grandmother crying, and because I knew before she said a word.