“You are coming home sometime, aren’t you?” she asked.
When he didn’t respond, she tried for a more neutral topic.
“How is your family? Are they well? What about the art scene here, how do you find it? Are you painting?”
As the questions rolled out of her he laughed, “So many questions?”
“Yes, truly.”
“Alright, but first, tell me, how long have you been here?” He was unused to speaking English and the words faltered in his mouth. “Why you come?”
She described her research project, the artists she was meeting, the friends she had made, and her Indonesian language studies.
“You study Indonesian?”
“Yes, I began studying just after you left. It was Pak Bambang’s suggestion. He thought it might help me through a difficult time.”
“And did it?”
“I don’t know. Maybe. It was wonderful to
