13I FEEL LIKE my old self this morning, although my throat still aches. But I’m no longer feverish. I open my eyes and Ferdinand is no longer beside me. I watch the room
lighten with the approach of day. I get dressed and decide to walk to the hospital. Aling Tasing says that Ferdinand has wandered off to his own excursion a few hours earlier. I’m relieved
because I don’t feel like facing him today without a wet compress between us.
The storm has completely left the island by now, and the sun has dissolved the black edges of the sky. The grass is still wet in some places but apart from the tree branches and leaves strewn on
backyards, one can hardly imagine a storm where everything has returned to its old quiet.
The nurse at the reception smiles at me. Her name is Elaine and she grew
