Summary

Thi's parents remain close even though they separated when she was 19. Her father, Bo, denies having gone to the movies during his wife's labor but admits that if he had done it would have been out of fear for his wife's life since they did not let men in the room. Thi tries to remember if her father was as terrible as her mother says. She remembers their first apartment in San Diego and the challenges of being an immigrant in America. She remembers their apartment as "the holding pen for [her parent's] frustrations" (68). While Ma got a job, Bo stayed home with Thi and Tam. Thi remembers some nice times with her father punctuated by anger, violence, and frightening stories. Thi learned to overcome fear when she realized that she could impress others by "pretending not to be scared [and] acting tough...