His other wife, Kate. What kind of a person had she been? What had she liked and disliked? What was the sound of her laughter? What had Daniel felt when he made love to her?

Fog rolled in from the ocean. Nola guessed the time was about two o’clock in the morning. The fishermen came out of the shadows and handed Ming-Ji a lantern. She directed them to get Nola's bags and gave them a basket with the dim sum, steamed rice, strips of dried fish, and sticky cakes they had bought before leaving the train station. For Lulu, Ming-Ji had bought a banana, litchi fruits and an open tin can with a creamy substance.

“Cheese?” Nola asked.

“No cheese in China. Tofu.”

Nola scanned the deserted port, but could see nothing in the thickening fog. The enormity of what was happening hit her again. “What now?”

“My job finished. I say good-bye.” Ming-Ji cocked her chin in the direction of the boat. “You go with fishermen.”

To be left in the care of strange men? The sky had lowered, and the cloud of fog kept drifting in. The scent of the ocean carried biting memories of Nola's childhood fear of her feet being entangled in a fishing net, of pending doom. “Where am I going?”

Ming-Ji’s hand waved toward the water. “First, there an island and jail for political prisoners. Not important prisoners; not ones you read in papers. You can buy some freedoms. Maybe four allowed out in small plane. You take prisoners with you.”

“In a plane? Where will we be flying to?”

“Taiwan, then—”

How could she haggle for prisoners—and with whom would she negotiate? Take a boat, then a plane…. Nola felt dizzy with trepidation. This trip was supposed to be over by now, yet it hadn’t begun. That night at the apartment, when she had asked Daniel about an escape, he had replied that there was no safe way. She now understood.

“Taiwan? Isn’t it still China?” she asked.

“It have democracy with elected president. But he careful to avoid confrontation with China, who claim Taiwan under its rule. President Corwith push democracy for China, but keep quiet about independence for Taiwan that is already democratic. Anyway, from Taiwan you go to Philippines. Daniel say go to embassy in Manila. After that you go to America.” Ming-Ji turned her head toward the water. Her flat, bland face was in the shadows. “You pay four hundred dollars for each prisoner. Expensive. Roll money. You see how many men they release, pay them. Very simple, as they say in America.”

Very simple? Nola wanted to cry.

“You’ve risked so much for me,” she said and looked at the inky water where trash floated.

Ming-Ji shrugged and gave her a small packet. “A suppository for Lulu when you get to island.”