Tong came with his uncle, the abbot, in time for the last day of the chanting. They’d brought a lot of luggage, and the abbot said they would be leaving for the airport from the funeral. His followers had invited him to travel all the way to America as their guest. So the abbot thought he would take Tong along too to see the world and maybe find a way to complete his studies there as well. ‘I won’t go there to study now,’ Tong told Kati. ‘I’d rather sit the scholarship exam after I finish Year 12.’ That was several years away. Kati knew Tong’s dream was to have a business card that read Suwan (Tong) Winaidee PhD. Uncle Dong said if Tong could make that dream come true he was a white elephant with black tusks, a rare beast indeed. Mother had said we need a dream to try to make each day better than the last. Kati couldn’t think what her dream was, but today was a better day since Tong was here at the seaside with her, even though she had just lost the person she loved the most.
