“This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona” tells the story of a boyhood friendship that ended and then begins again, as Victor and Thomas reconnect while traveling to Phoenix to wind up the estate of Victor’s father, who recently died. Though the two seem to become quite close during the trip, at the end, Thomas tells Victor that he knows they won’t be friends now that they are back home, and Victor agrees. Instead, all Thomas asks of Victor is “Just one time when I’m telling a story somewhere, why don’t you stop and listen?” (Alexie 14). Why can’t the two remain friends? Is it either man’s fault, or is it just the world they live in? What do you think Alexie is saying about the nature of friendship through his story?