“Nothing!” I protest. “And I’m telling you now about Miruku.”

“After it’s too late to stop you.”

“Don’t be angry,” I say, hurrying after him as he walks back into the house. “I apologize for not telling you beforehand, but I figured you’d be glad our daughter is almost our daughter again.”

“I can’t be there for this one.”

“The important episodes of our Coco’s life are unfolding and you’re missing them.”

“It’s not like I haven’t seen it before.”

Hearing our voices, Setsuko skips out of her room. “Daddy!” she cries and leaps into his arms. “Hi, angel,” Wyatt says, nuzzles his nose against her scalp, and holds her tight. I can tell he’s sad that he’s aware of what’s in store for her soon but she is not. The scene is exquisitely tender. How I yearn to participate once more in such spontaneous loving moments. We’ve waited so long to be a family.

That evening, after Wyatt has departed and it’s just Setsuko and me doing dishes, I compose my best worried expression, then say, “You know, I’m a bit concerned. It’s well past dinner, and I haven’t seen a glimpse of Miruku.”

“I’ll find her!” Setsuko replies and peers under couches and beds. When about twenty minutes have elapsed, she becomes panicked. Her face is exactly as stricken as it was years ago. As anticipated, we gear up with windbreakers and flashlights and search the beach.

“Miruku! Miruku!” my Setsuko calls into the dark. She can’t stop sobbing. She loved the cat the second time as much as the first.

“Darling, let’s give it a rest,” I say. “I’m sure she’ll be home by morning.”

Wyatt set up his production company shortly before we got engaged. His dream was to direct ethereal art house films, but he got sidelined into producing low-budget horror movies to avoid bankruptcy. We met while he was still in graduate school. I was waiting tables and auditioning like mad. His casting notice said he was in need of a Japanese actress, so I sent in my headshot. He seemed let down when he called me in and discovered I couldn’t speak the language, but I landed the role regardless. Over the years, he’s tried to teach it to me, but I found the grammar too different from English. He has also suggested that we book a trip to Japan and trace my lineage, but I wasn’t interested in the scheme. My real family is my adopted parents in Orange County. They christened me Karen. Wyatt was the one who thought it was cute to refer to me as Kyoko. Fortunately, when Setsuko came along, she showed a more avid interest in picking up words and phrases. The downside is that the two of them often laugh and chatter together in a tongue I will never know.