The Magic Fish

Hiền leaves the next day for her mother’s funeral. She hugs Vinh goodbye and apologizes to Tiền for not finishing his jacket. He tells her it’s okay and that he’ll find something else.

Hiền makes the journey to Vietnam. She thinks about how she had hoped to introduce Tiền to his grandmother, who could tell him all the stories that she had told Hiền growing up. Hiền thinks that he “would finally know we come from the same stories” (120). She wonders if the last eight years of being an American citizen were worth it since she wasn’t able to spend them with her mother.

Upon arriving, she thinks about how different Vietnam is from her youth and meets her aunt.

Meanwhile, at school, Tiền tells Claire that he missed Julian’s game because there’s been so much happening since his grandmother passed away. He suggests that maybe he should skip the dance since he doesn’t have anything to wear. Claire tries to convince him to attend the dance. She realizes that it will seem like she and Julian are on a date since she asked him to come. This upsets Tiền, who raises his voice.