Legs and forearms are twined beneath the quilt, Eng spasmy and prickling under their weight. He tries to pull free and his double dances with him - Chang's head flops about like the head of a rag doll. Eng collapses back, feeling each hair on his body acutely, and all the sweat underneath his wedding ring. Eng is alone. The smell is asphyxiating.
Time is a fish caught in their father's nets.
Eng rubs his brother's chest as if Chang simply is cold. The bedsheet falls to the floor. Eng hits him with a closed fist, but Chang's breast will not rise. Eng is certain his own soul will go to heaven, but he fears his brother's is destined for elsewhere. Eng's life full of leering faces, slander, and unlikely love begins to recede.