We left the ground shortly after that, hurled brutally into the sky as if tossed by some colossus. The engine screamed with effort as the plane shuddered upward, and even though the motor of the plane was deafening, beyond it I sensed an infinite silence. We were moving through an even darkness that made progress in any direction seem improbable, as if we had lifted off the earth and into a state of benign stasis from which we might never emerge.

When we had been aloft for some time, I took my phone from my bag. There were three messages from my husband.

The first said:

I cannot sign these papers.

The second said:

We need to talk.

The third said:

Christina, we both have done things that we regret.

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments

I would like to extend my gratitude to my family, all of you, Filipino and American, who are my country. And particularly to those members who helped with this book through inspiration, generosity, and love. You know who you are.

This book would never have happened without the support of a Samuel F. Conti Faculty Fellowship Award from the University of Massachusetts.

I would also like to thank Katie Raissian, who read so many versions of this manuscript and responded with her usual tough love, and Elisabeth Schmitz, for her unflagging faith in my work. Also thanks go to Morgan Entrekin for his support for this and through the years.

I would also like to thank Jessica Friedman, my agent, for her energy, imagination, and vision.

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