"The House Behind a Weeping Cherry"

"The House Behind a Weeping Cherry"
by Ha Jin

Rating: 8.4



Short story, told in the first person, about a Chinese immigrant man in Flushing, Queens, who serves as a chauffeur for his fellow tenants, who are prostitutes. The narrator tells about the departure of his roommate. His landlady, Mrs. Chen, offered not to raise his rent if he was willing…

Fortunately, there was no outcall that night. When the other two women had gone to bed, Huong and I slipped out of the house. I carried her suitcase while she lugged my bag. The weeping cherry blurred in the haze, its crown edgeless, like a small hill. A truck was rumbling down Main Street as we strode away, arm in arm, without looking back. ♦