“Funeral by the Arcade”
by Leland Cheuk
“Eddie Wu and I weren’t close. I was just his English tutor. When his granddaughter informed me he’d been killed by a hit-and-run driver, I was sad and shocked, of course, but in an unsettled and detached manner—like one might react to news of the passing of a distant friend on Facebook. To my surprise, I was invited to the funeral in Monterey Park, where Eddie lived, my hometown.
On the morning of, I froze at the sight of my black suit hanging from a towel rod like a headless torso. My air passages narrowed.
I didn’t want to go.”
