A Gesture Life

Around the time Thomas is born, Hata had begun entertaining a certain waking nightmare. He was sad, angry, and hurt that Sunny was living with Lincoln, even after he offered her all that he possessed. In his daydream, Hata is a respected physician and an adolescent girl arrives to his clinic in labor. He rushes the girl to the back room and finds it to be a breech delivery, which he has experience in. Hata immediately forgets the delicate procedures as the girl writhes in pain. When the nurse hands him a blade, he realizes he is not a surgeon and has never cut into living flesh. He calls himself a coward, and he admits he should not have “coveted and accepted as I had done the confidence of people, their singular regard and trust” (273). Hata knows he feels guilty about Sunny and feels “gravely ill” out of concern, as a father would be.

Sunny finally allows Thomas to visit Bedley Run so Hata can teach him how to swim at the town pool as promised. Thomas calls him Franklin and is satisfied that Hata is a “family friend.” During a visit to the natural history museum, Thomas expresses his desire to be a fish that could breathe air so he could jump out of water day and night.