Chapter 7

He cried when he presented Nemin, Sumarti and Gde with the tokens of his affection—a miniature tea set for Nemin with thimble-size cups in a red, blue and yellow-colored dragon motif, a symbol of protection, and Louis Vuitton wallets for Sumarti and Gde. Actually, they were some of Jakarta’s famous knockoffs, but the stitching was fine and he had insisted on paying for them with his own money. He gave Adhi a new soccer ball. And Gaucho—oh, leaving him was the greatest stab to the heart—a big box of doggie biscuits.

“Such a thoughtful boy,” Nemin said to Sumarti in Bahasa. Apparently, not everyone thought he was so difficult.

He treated his baseball team to pizza from the Shang.

“Don’t forget us,” the manager said, shaking hands at the end of their pizza party.

Forget you? Quinnie thought. Someday, I’ll return like Barack Obama, a favorite son triumphant.

But to his mother and stepfather, he had nothing to say or give.