Her heart beat so loud she was sure everyone could hear it. They walked slowly, step by step. The crowd moved back to give them space. Goi held the edge of her table. [music] Her fingers dug into the wood. “What did I do?” she asked herself. The first man stopped a fewsteps away from her. He looked at her face carefully, very carefully, like he was studying something he had not seen in a long time.
And Goi felt shy and scared at the same time. “Good afternoon,” the man said. His voice was calm. Goi nodded quickly. “Good, good afternoon,” she replied. [music] Her voice sounded small. The man did not say anything else. He kept looking at her. The second man stepped closer. He also stared at her face. The third man followed.
Now all three were standing in front of her. Goi felt surrounded. People whispered louder. “Why are they looking at her like that? Do they know her? Is she in trouble? Go’s heart began to hurt. She looked at their faces one by one. Something about them pulled at her memory. Their eyes, their noses, their mouths. They were not the same, but they were not different either.
Her head began to spin. I’m sorry, Mosi said suddenly. If I did something wrong, I didn’t know. The first man’s face softened. No, he said gently. You did nothing wrong. blinked. The second man shifted his weight and looked around the street. This place, he said quietly. It looks smaller. The third man nodded. But it feels the same. Goi frowned.
What? She asked. The men looked at each other again. The first man took a deep breath. [music] He looked back at Goi. You still sell food here? He said. Goi nodded slowly. Yes, every day,” he asked. “Yes,” she answered. The man’s jaw [music] tightened. The second man spoke. “You haven’t moved.” Goi shook her head.
“I don’t have anywhere else to go.” There was a pause. The street felt tense. Madame BC stepped forward. “Excuse me,” she said loudly. “Is there a problem here?” The men turned and looked at her. Madame BC suddenly became quiet. The first man looked back at Nosi. We are looking for someone, he said. Go’s heart jumped. “Who?” she asked. The man hesitated.
Then he said, “A woman who used to feed three boys.” Go’s breath caught. Her chest tightened like a rope was pulling it. She could not speak. The man continued, “A woman who sold food here many years ago. Goi felt dizzy. “That that is me,” she said softly. The men stared at her. “All three at once.
” The second man stepped forward slightly. “You haven’t changed much,” he said. N Goi laughed nervously. “I have changed,” she said. “I am old now.” The third man shook his head. “You are the same.” N Goi did not understand. Her hands began to shake again. >> [music] >> The first man looked around the street slowly. Then he looked back at her.
“Do you remember three boys?” he asked. Goi felt tears rush to her eyes. She nodded. “Yes,” she whispered. “I remember.” The man’s voice dropped lower. “They used to sit across the road.” Goi nodded again. “Yes, they were triplets,” the man said. Go’s knees weakened. “Yes,” she said. They were. The man took a deep breath.
The crowd was silent now. Everyone was listening. Goi felt her heart racing. Where are they? She asked suddenly. Are they alive? The men did not answer immediately. They looked at each other. Go’s fear [music] grew. Please, she said, tell me. The first man raised his hand gently. We will, he said, but not here. Goi felt confused.
“What do you mean?” she asked. The man smiled softly for the first time. “Please,” [music] he said again. “Just listen.” He stepped back a little and looked at the cars. Then he looked at her. “We came for you,” he said. The street exploded with noise. “What?” “For her?” “Why?” Goi felt like she was dreaming. “For me,” she asked. Yes, the man said.
Her head shook slowly. No, she said. You must be mistaken. The man smiled again. We are not, he said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out something small. Goi squinted. It was a small worn cloth. Old faded. Go’s breath stopped. She knew that cloth. Her heart nearly burst. The man held it tightly.
You gave this to us,” he said quietly. Goza’s mouth opened, but no sound came out. The street was silent again. The man looked at her with eyes full of emotion. “Mau,” he said softly. Gozi’s knees buckled. Her hands slipped from the table. Her world spun. And before she could say a word, everything inside her broke at once.
Goi did not know when she started crying. She only knew that tears were falling fast and her chest hurt so much that she could hardly breathe. The small cloth in the man’s hand shook as his fingers trembled. “You remember it?” [music] he said softly. Goi nodded again and again. “Yes,” she whispered. “I remember.” Her voice broke. “That cloth,” she said, pointing with a shaking finger.
