Cheung’s heart flooded with worry. “What’s wrong? Are they okay?”

But the messenger boy had already fled into the downpour.

Cheung cast his gaze back into the bar. Noma was engrossed in conversation with Vandeleur Grayburn, discussing the best way to structure currency when the war was finally over. Tak-Wing and Emily sat with Yim-Fong at the back of the room. Emily held Raymond, and Tak-Wing leaned over the baby, cooing. Cheung was a little surprised by his son’s tender posture; Tak-Wing had been suspicious and volatile throughout the pregnancy. For a moment Cheung considered asking Tak-Wing to come with him, but decided against it. He didn’t want to disturb their rare moment of peace. It was more important to just go. He snatched up an umbrella from the stand, not caring whose it was, and rushed out into the rain.

He hurried to the tram stop in front of the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation. It took forever to come, though he couldn’t have said how long he waited. On the second day of the occupation, the watch that the toffs had given him upon his promotion to steward had been taken from him at gunpoint by a Japanese soldier already wearing a wristful of looted watches. Worry gripped Cheung and his heart raced. Maybe it would be better to walk. But he didn’t want to risk making the decision and then seeing the tram go by minutes later, so he waited a bit longer. The wait was too much. He took a step in the direction of the village, then two, then three.

The tram came around the corner.

He scurried back, and boarded. The tram was in rough shape. The Japanese army had stripped it of everything that could serve the war effort. But it was good to be out of the rain and moving. Outside the windows of the tram, devastated people huddled in doorways against the deluge, those who were still alive. There were bodies in the streets and the wet stench that poured in through any crack in the window was unbelievable. Or maybe it was the tram itself that stank. He saw a naked body on the sidewalk. It was hard to make out details through the rivulets of water that poured down the window, but it looked like the body’s calves and buttocks had been cut away. For what, he didn’t want to think about. He shuddered.