Kim jumped out of bed. “Who are you? What have you done with my husband? I want my husband back!” She switched on the lamp and saw Duc curled in a ball on the far corner of the bed. His back was heaving, he was crying so hard he was choking. She wanted to hit him, kick him. But when she turned and saw herself in the mirror, a breast hanging out, hair a nest, the veins of rage on her temple, she fell to the ground. She pounded the carpet until her hands were sore. She kicked until both feet ached. She pulled her hair and scratched her arms, this stupid body she despised. Duc got up and she thought he was coming to her at last. But instead she watched his legs running right past her into the bathroom where he retched.

The buzz of light from the streetlamp shined through the open bathroom window. Duc was on the tile. He was on all fours with his forehead against the rim of the toilet. He had taken his shirt off to clean up the vomit. And then for the first time, she saw them. The scars like mountain ranges, crumbling down his back. His hand reached for them. He traced the contours down the length of his spine. He caressed them. His shoulders rounded, tensed, and then he began to moan. Duc curled his back and then rubbed the scars against the toilet bowl the way a cat nudges against a couch. He groaned and whimpered and then he let out a guttural grated sigh. She could not tell if he was pleasuring himself or if he was in pain, but from the edge of the hallway, listening, she knew he wasn’t well.

Kim returned to the bedroom to find Duc a clean shirt to wear. She thought about giving him one of her shirts but feared insulting him with a lady’s blouse. She went into the closet and reached for his duffle bag. Inside, she found his possessions including a Zippo lighter, a box of cigarettes, and a few pairs of underwear. At the very bottom, Kim was surprised to find a photo of herself. It was tattered and water-stained. It was the one that Bao, her brother’s best friend had taken those many years ago. It showed her in repose beneath the shade of a lemon blossom with her youthful belly peeking out. Her eyes looked directly into the camera with a striking confidence but her small shaky smile betrayed her. She had liked that the photo captured her honestly and had given it to Duc at their last good-bye.