She picked a piece of lint off her pants and flicked it idly away. “I don’t care if you sleep with Chet,” she said. “Frankly, I’m relieved. But if you think I’m giving him an annulment, you’re out of your mind.”

I had never considered the annulment seriously. I had thought it Chet’s decision, beyond my range of influence.

“Claro,” I said. I don’t know why I said claro, because neither C. G. nor I spoke Spanish.

She looked mildly interested at my response, but after a thought, dismissed this too. “Ting,” she said. “I’ve always liked you. You know that. And do you know why? You’re no bullshit. But you are a force for evil.”

“Evil’s a bit much.”

“Is it?” She returned her gaze to me, analyzing my face with a studied languor. “You just wander around as if nothing matters. What’s the word for that?”

“Gormless?” I offered.

She considered and shook her head. “I don’t even know what that means. You’re like a black hole. Everything is fine and then you walk past and everything is destroyed. And you can stand there and say you didn’t do anything, but you did.”

“Maybe I’m cursed.”

“Maybe. But even if you went to Aling Ligaya and had it lifted, you would still be like that.”

It occurred to me that Chet had said much the same thing about me and my lack of accountability. I had the uncomfortable sensation of seeing what was good in their marriage.

“Why don’t you just go back to the States and leave us alone?”

I did not have a good comeback for that, and C. G. did not expect one. The trunk of the car had been opened and Mannie was loading in the boxes. C. G. got out of the car and Cherry, who was standing behind her, got in. Cherry was carrying a paper bag that smelled of meat.

“It’s siopao,” said C. G. She looked up and away, presenting me with the perfect line of her jaw. “From Ma Mon Luk. We had extra. I thought you might need some lunch.”

Bibo’s apartment had been sealed shut for some time. No one wanted to be there. I felt as if I were entering the tomb to find her gone. On the table was a vase with devastated lilies, browned and broken, the water faintly reeking even from where I stood by the door. Cherry looked at me with alert eyes, already assessing the work ahead. I walked to the window unit and turned it on. It responded with a shudder as it woke up, displacing the silence.

“Ano po?” asked Cherry.