I don’t know why we were laughing. Maybe it was the way her beautiful boy played to my camera.

After the market we went to the Bay Bong restaurant and ate delicious eel in carmal sauce, salted greens and beer. We met a ruddy Texan there, tattooed bicep, Hawaiian shirt, marlboros. He was having the same meal minus the greens.

I can’t remember his name but he was taking a break from his wife’s family for whom he had thrown an enormous party the night before that involved copious amounts of Johnny Walker and bud. Somehow the big annual visit/blowout was part of the deal when he married her.

I was ready to leave.