The Leavers

Daniel heads to Fuzhou without a plan, having used the last of his money to buy a plane ticket. At Fuzhou, he hires a motorcyclist to take him to a hotel. Daniel feel self-conscious about his accent. He calls his mother once he’s at the hotel and leaves a message. The city revitalizes Daniel as he waits for his mother’s call. He tries to look for her but lacks her address. He enlists the help of Leon and goes to meet him and his family, then stays over at their place. Leon takes the day off to help Daniel track his mother down. The neighborhood where she lives is a rich one, and they try to go through numerous directories. As they search, Leon tells Daniel that Polly had changed when he last saw her: “[T]here was something broken in her she didn’t want anyone to know” (276).

Leon asks Daniel to blame him, not her, for leaving. He feels that he understands Polly’s hesitance in communicating with Daniel since he himself can’t give up his new life. Daniel understands Leon’s position, but he can’t let his mother pretend he doesn’t exist. He and Leon spend hours looking for her and catching up.