The Expatriates

Mercy sits alone at a bar. She met a college acquaintance for lunch but ended it early when it became awkward and the woman realized that Mercy could not help her with job connections. In the bar, she runs into Charlie Leung, a young Chinese man she knew at Columbia.

Afterward, David Starr, Hilary’s husband, approaches her. Though she knows that any man in a bar at three o’clock in the afternoon is probably up to no good, she allows him to buy her a drink. They get drunk and flirt all afternoon, and she tells him the name of a restaurant she frequents.

Margaret finishes her bath and eats a sandwich. She returns home to prepare for a dinner party that evening at Hilary and David’s house. She knew Hilary when they were children in California and remembers her as a chubby girl with an overbearing mother who lost a lot of weight one summer. Though Margaret didn’t admire Hilary’s determination, she recognized that she was “formidable.” They have a casual friendship as adults, sparked by Hilary reaching out after G disappeared.

At dinner, she and Clarke make small talk. They dislike David, who is often drunk, but the other party guests are pleasant enough.