The Art of Hearing Heartbeats

Julia wrestles with whether or not the story that U Ba told her about Tin, her father, is true. That night, she dreams about her father as a blind boy whom she cannot help; her father appears as an adult and leads his child self away. She sleeps through the night and finds herself relaxed the next morning. Julia wants to hear more of U Ba’s story.

At 10am, U Ba arrives at the hotel. Together, he and Julia walk through the village. Unlike Julia’s previous perception of Kalaw as desolate, this day, it seems to have blossomed with beautiful flowers, vegetation, and the happy sounds of people. U Ba takes her to his old, dilapidated house. As U Ba makes tea, Julia sees a swarm of bees: “Only then did I see their nest hanging on the top shelf, larger than a football” (105). U Ba tells her that the bees have been there for five years, and that they’re supposed to bring good luck. As an example, he says the bees brought her father and now her.