Summary

Kim has not made many friends in school and still thinks of Annette as her only “true friend” (183). Annette has become political as a young adult. One day, Annette asks Kim why she has never been to her house, despite their years-long friendship. Another time, Annette asks Kim why she is never home after school, when she tries to call. Kim tells Annette the truth: that she helps her mother work in a Chinatown factory. She tells Annette not to protest the working conditions at the factory.

Ma starts studying English for her naturalization exam. However, she is not learning English, but instead is just memorizing sounds to answer the questions. Kim tells Ma about the re-examination oral test that she must take. To relax, Annette takes Kim to Macy’s, to test out the perfumes. When she heads to the factory later, Matt...