35I haven’t moved from my seat, all night, and haven’t been able to eat a bite of supper. I’m dismayed that Weng had left after the prayer service without telling me. A sea of strangers had surrounded us as soon as the service was over. So many had come forward to offer their condolences, and there was such a hubbub during the buffet supper that I felt we were at a social gathering instead of a wake. It was way past midnight before the last of the mourners left although it seems strange to think of them as mourners, since none of them is family. All are members of Ah-ku’s Buddhist association, the name of which I’ve forgotten. The pavilion feels strangely empty and quiet now. There’s just Kit and me, and he’s keeping himself busy, stacking and re-stacking the white chairs at the far end of
