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Asian Triptych: Brief Encounters

By Andrew McCarthy

ANGKOR • I had stayed too long. The sun was going down fast and I was far out at Ta Prom, where giant banyan and fig trees had grown over, through, and atop the low-slung, sagging temple walls. I’d given the young boy in Siem Reap a few dollars and hired his bicycle for the day, with a promise to be back by dark, so I pedaled hard. At a crossroads I swung left and heard a shout. A small child stood by the side of the road, shaking her head. She pointed me in the other (correct) direction. I spun around, and waved my thanks. I was funneled onto the main road, where locals on foot, bicycle, and tuk-tuk raced back toward town—a joyful chaos trying to beat the dark. On the corner where I had first met him, the worried boy burst into a triumphant grin when I pedaled up in the purple dusk.

SAIGON • Alone, I would never have done it. But I was with a pretty woman. And that dictates a lot. Kate and I had met earlier, near the flower stalls of Ben Thanh Market. As night fell, we decided on dinner. The guidebook cautioned that the restaurant was down a side lane, and I quickly saw that this was the kind of dark alley that mothers warn their children about. I felt her hesitate. “It’s fine,” I promised, touching her arm for the first time. With chivalry born of bravado, I escorted her toward a single bulb hung over a splintering door. I breathed once and swung it open. The bright room inside buzzed with life, tables were overcrowded, waiters hustled by with armloads of food. The pungent aroma of nuoc mam pha filled the air. We fell into each other’s arms, found the last two seats, ordered a bowl of pho and the spicy catfish, and dove in.

BANGKOK • We were acquaintances from New York, both passing through Bangkok, and we’d agreed to meet for an afternoon. We took a cruise on the choppy waters of the Chao Phraya River and visited the Royal Palace. We tried to go to the floating market, but it was closed. We ate dinner at a restaurant beside a koi pond. She asked me to take her to the red-light district of Patpong, “just to see what all the talk is about.” We didn’t go. Later that evening I caught the overnight train up to Vientiane. A few weeks after my return home a photo of me arrived in the mail, taken by my friend that day while I was unaware. I was looking off toward the terraced Khmer tower of Wat Arun. A few months later my friend died. I framed the photo. Now when I look at it I see only her.

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JOIN ANDREW McCARTHY ON TOUR

Tuesday, March 28 at 7pm
Barnes & Noble Union Square
In conversation with Gayle Forman
33 E. 17th St., New York, NY 10003

Wednesday, March 29 at 7pm
Barnes & Noble
Vernon Hills Shopping Center
680 Post Rd., Eastchester, NY 10583

Thursday, March 30 at 7pm
Books & Greetings
271 Livingston St., Northvale, NJ 07647

Saturday, April 1
Texas Teen Book Con | Houston, TX

Sunday, April 2
Alamo Drafthouse | Austin, TX

Monday, April 3 at 7pm
Books, Inc Opera Plaza
Not Your Mother’s Book Club
601 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco, CA 94107

Tuesday, April 4 at 7pm
Book Passage
51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera, CA 94925

Wednesday, April 5 at 8pm
Live Talks LA
In conversation with Pico Iyer
Ann and Jerry Moss Theatre, New Roads School
3131 Olympic Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90404

Thursday, April 6 at 7pm
Elliott Bay Books
1521 10th Ave., Seattle, WA 98122

Friday, April 7 at 7pm
Powell’s Books
3415 SW Cedar Hills Blvd., Beaverton, OR 97005

Sunday, April 9 at 5pm
Politics & Prose
5015 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20008

Monday, April 10 at 7pm
Boswell Books
2559 N. Downer Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53211

Tuesday, April 11 at 7pm
The Book Stall at Chestnut Court
In conversation with Betsy Bird
811 Elm St., Winnetka, IL 60093

Wednesday, April 12 at 7pm
Talk of the Stacks Series
Hennepin County Library
Minneapolis Central Library
300 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis, MN 55401

Thursday, April 13 at 6:30pm
Parnassus Books
Hillsboro Plaza Shopping Center
3900 Hillsboro Pike #14, Nashville, TN 37215

Tuesday, April 18 at 6:30pm
Rainy Day Books
At Woodneath Library
8900 N. Flintock Rd., Kansas City, MO 64157

Wednesday, April 19 at 7pm
St. Louis County Library
With The Novel Neighbor
1640 S. Lindbergh Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63131

Thursday, April 20 at 7pm
Georgia Center for the Book
With Little Shop of Stories
Dekalb County Public Library
215 Sycamore St., Decatur, GA 30030

Friday, April 21 at 7pm
Books & Books
265 Aragon Ave., Coral Gables, FL 33134

Tuesday, April 25 at 7pm
Barnes & Noble
Market Fair, 3535 US-1 #400, Princeton, NJ 08540

Wednesday, April 26 at 7pm
Brookline Booksmith
279 Harvard St., Brookline, MA 02446

Monday, May 1 at 7pm
Darien Library
In conversation with Dani Shapiro
1441 Post Rd., Darien, CT 06820

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