Summary

The father told the protagonist that he “must be hungry” (211), a phrase the father repeated multiple times,. The father and son returned to the dining room, where supper was waiting. Initially, the dinner table was silent, but the father began talking about his son, and asking whether he regretted leaving California.

After eating for some more time, the protagonist noticed a photograph on the wall. Kikuko and their father noticed him looking at the picture, so they brought it to him. It was of an old woman that resembled the ghost the protagonist used to see, but the father told him it was the protagonist’s mother. Kikuko then returned the picture to the wall. For the main course, there was a large pot of fish, of which the father encouraged everybody to eat plenty.

After the meal, the father told Kikuko to make...