Stay True: A Memoir

Chapter 7 describes the summer after Ken’s death. The first night, Hua penned a letter to Ken detailing everything he would miss, notably, their routines and inside jokes. Hua and his friends supported each other during this period, eating and laughing together, and sharing memories of Ken, which Hua used in his eulogy. Hua viewed Ken’s body the morning before the funeral. He describes a fly landing on Ken’s cheek and another fly landing in his journal as he finished writing the eulogy. The funeral was packed with Ken’s relatives, members of the San Diego Japanese American community, Ken’s fraternity brothers, church members, and Hua’s friend group. Delivering the eulogy brought Hua a moment of relief, but he was overwhelmed with emotion at the wake at Ken’s parents’ house. After flying home to Berkeley, Hua shaved his head and diligently avoided anything that reminded him of Ken. He returned to teaching hoping routine would help him through the grief. A week and a half after the funeral, Hua told some of his students about what happened to Ken. From that point onward, one of his students always carried his teaching materials from the classroom to the youth center.