I breeze into the Starbucks across the street from Lee’s temporary office, order a latte, and shrug off the heat and grime of Bangkok. I’ve been all over town and back to the hotel three times this morning, and yet, I always get lost in this city.
Lee’s words echo in my head as I descend the stairs to the basement. He doesn’t want to lose me.
The kitchen is silent when I walk in, my mother alone again at the wide, dark wood table. This room used to be filled with lively family conversation.
I sit at the kitchen table and try to drink tea with Lee’s mom, but it’s possibly the worst conversation I’ve ever had. She doesn’t answer any of my questions about the house or what she’s ordered for dinner or acknowledge any of my compliments on her garden or the very kind and generous people that came to Lee’s father’s wake yesterday.
The drive to my parents’ house is enlightening. Nari was always jealous of me.
Nicole Kapur – What are you going to do. Laura Merchant – Good question.
Laura and I split up for an early afternoon amble about town. We woke up late and had long, leisurely, easy sex, the kind of sex that makes me think I’m making love to a woman.
My afternoon at the funeral home drones on and on. Chase is a sweet kid and stays by my side all day, playing on my iPhone and talking incessantly about Rescue Bots, which I knew nothing of but am now fully versed in including which characters change into which rescue vehicles, et cetera, et cetera.
