The basil my wife bought from the supermarket is still alive

Dear Delyara, My wife bought a small basil plant from the supermarket a week before she died. She put it on the kitchen windowsill and said we should use it before it inevitably died, because supermarket herbs never survive in our house. She died unexpectedly. The basil did not. At first, I watered it because I could not tolerate another dead thing in the kitchen. Then it grew. I moved it into a larger pot. I watched videos about pruning. I have now kept this ridiculous plant alive for eleven months. My daughter says it has become a psychological hostage. She is probably right. Last week, one stem turned brown and I panicked enough to call her. She told me, “Dad, plants do that.” My wife would be laughing at me. She killed every houseplant she ever owned. Tonight, I cut leaves and made pasta with them for the first time. I had avoided using any because removal felt like harm. The plant still has plenty. It smells stronger after cutting. I think grief made me believe loving something meant preserving every leaf exactly where she left it. Basil apparently disagrees. You cut it, use some, water what remains, and somehow it keeps becoming more itself.