Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

Leaving the cemetery, Henry reflects that Marty knows almost nothing about his childhood. Now he wishes he could tell his son about Keiko, but he feels it is too soon since Ethel’s death. Henry can’t forget the sight of the bamboo parasol being carried out of the Panama Hotel, so he makes his way to the hotel, which is undergoing construction. He finds Palmyra Pettison, the hotel’s new owner, to ask about the belongings in the basement. She asks if he is a relative, and Henry is surprised to realize that she believes he is Japanese. Ms. Pettison tells him that very few other relatives have come forward to look at the items in the basement—it has been too long.

Henry has a difficulty time comprehending the sheer quantity of personal items stored in the basement of the Panama Hotel—crates, steamer trunks, suitcases, and more. He chooses a suitcase at random, opens it, and finds a man’s shaving kit and neckties. In another suitcase he finds a woman’s wedding dress, ruined by prolonged exposure to the basement’s damp interior. He continues to look through the belongings of strangers. At one point, he presses his nose to the page of a photo album and smells a hint of smoke.