The Refugees: The Other Man Summary & Analysis

Liem, a refugee, arrives at the San Diego airport and meets his sponsor, Parrish Coyne. Parrish is middle-aged and British, and upon meeting Liem, pronounces his name incorrectly. Before Liem can correct him, Parrish says that he didn’t expect Liem to be so pretty. Liem is caught off guard by this comment.

Parrish then introduces Marcus Chan, who appears to be in his early twenties, only a few years older than Liem. Liem notices how nice Marcus looks—his straight posture, his white teeth. Liem nervously introduces himself and the three walk back through the airport together.

In the car on the way to Parrish’s home, Parrish asks if Liem has had a rough time getting to America. Liem casually responds that it hasn’t been that bad, because the prospect of explaining his story again fills him with dread after having repeated it so many times to various immigration officials and refugee services. He gives a shorter account of how he had to leave his parents to work in Saigon before fleeing to the U.S. He is exhausted from giving even this abridged account.

Parrish and Marcus give some introductory information about living in San Francisco before going on to tell Liem that they are a couple. Liem thinks he must be misunderstanding, until he realizes that they are gay. He is shocked and nervous, but he realizes that he doesn’t really have another refuge besides Parrish’s home.

Liem remembers the face of the men he had worked with and known in the tea bar in which he worked in Saigon. At the end of the night, lying together on reed mats, they all masturbated together. Liem realizes that he had forgotten these nights, and tries not to think of them. No one wanted to speak of them at the time, either: he describes what had happened “as if it were an atrocity in the jungle better left buried.”

The car arrives at Parrish and Marcus’s home, which is mauve. The woman at the refugee service had warned Liem that people in San Francisco might be “unique,” and for the first few weeks Liem wonders if he should call her and ask her to change his assignment. But Parrish’s generosity prevents him from doing so.

Liem thinks about how he hadn’t complained when he had been dispatched alone to Saigon to make money for the rest of his family. He hadn’t complained when he had to leave school at age twelve to shine American soldier’s boots. He hadn’t complained at age eight when he had picked through garbage for toys.

In the spring of 1975, six months prior, rockets and mortars began exploding over Saigon, and Liem found himself clawing his way aboard a river barge and shipped to Camp Pendleton, San Diego, waiting for sponsorship. He tries to forget the people who had not made it onto the barge, or who had been shot by soldiers trying to clear their own way to escape.

Liem doesn’t mention any of this in the letter he writes to his parents from Parrish’s house, only his second letter since arriving in America. He assumes that the Communists will read it, and so he only explains where he is living and how to get in touch with him. Downstairs, Liem finds Marcus and Parrish eating breakfast. They had started arguing more seriously in front of him, and this told him he was becoming more of a part of their household.

Despite the fact that Parrish refuses to let him pay rent, Liem finds a job in a liquor store. He runs the shop from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. six days a week. During his downtime, he reads Everyday Dialogues in English to improve his English skills. However, he finds that the book lacks guidance for certain scenarios, like when he encounters two prostitutes on the street. He describes how the woman prostitute dismisses him quickly, but the transvestite does not.

When Liem returns home, he showers off the day’s sweat and tries not to think of Marcus’s body. After he exits the shower and wraps a towel around his waist, he runs into Marcus in the hallway, who playfully shuffles side to side, not letting Liem pass. He eventually lets Liem go, and Liem hurries into his room.

A few months into Liem’s stay, Parrish takes a trip to Washington for a conference on nuclear power. Parrish explains that the government buries uranium and plutonium in the desert, threatening both the environment and people’s lives. Parrish describes this as “a gigantic minefield in our backyard.”

After Liem and Marcus drop Parrish off, they go to Chinatown for food. Marcus explains some of his own backstory: he had lived in Hong Kong until he was eighteen, sent by his father to study business so that he could inherit his father’s rubber company. But Three years prior, an ex-lover had sent “very candid pictures” to his father. His father had disowned him, and now Parrish pays his expenses. As Liem listens, he wonders what candid might mean.

Liem tells Marcus, in turn, about his own family. In his hometown of Long Xuyen, no one traveled far unless drafted by the army. Liem was the first in his family to leave. Before he got on the bus, his father had told him that he trusted Liem not to lose himself in the city. Liem promised not to, but he forgot to tell his parents that he loved them in his haste to get on the bus. He has not seen them since.

Marcus tells Liem not to dwell on the past: that the best way to help them is to help himself. Liem thinks that this is a very American way of thinking. Marcus asks him what he wants to do with his life; Liem had never asked himself this, especially because he knows how fortunate he is compared with his friends back home. Liem says in response only that he wants to be good.

The next day at the liquor store, Liem rushes home when his shift ends. He recalls how after he and Marcus had finished eating, Liem had paid the check. They had then walked through Chinatown together and visited the Golden Gate Bridge. They had then seen a movie, their knees brushing each other, before getting sushi for dinner. They returned to the house and drank a bottle of wine. Never having drunk wine before, Liem had woken up with a massive hangover.

When Liem returns from the liquor store, Marcus presents him with a letter from his family. Liem doesn’t open it. Marcus says that “they think we’ve got a Western disease.” When Liem looks puzzled by Marcus’s comment, Marcus implies that he knows Liem is also gay. Liem asks Marcus what “candid” means. Marcus explains that it means being caught by surprise in a photograph. Or it means someone who’s honest and direct. Liem says that he wants to be candid, and puts his hand on Marcus’s knee.

After Liem and Marcus have sex, Liem realizes that things may not have gone well. They did not get undressed smoothly, and his rhythm seemed to be off. Marcus had told him to stop apologizing and just enjoy himself. Liem isn’t surprised to discover how little he remembers, as he has tried very hard to repress these experiences.

Lying in bed, holding Marcus, Liem says, “I love you.” Marcus says nothing, and Liem starts to put his clothes on, embarrassed. Marcus tells him to stop, explaining that Liem just got caught by surprise. A week from now, he explains, Liem won’t know why he said it, and a year from now other people will be saying it to Liem instead.

Marcus and Liem continue to hold each other, until Marcus asks whether Liem is going to read his letter. Liem had forgotten about it, and isn’t sure what he would write to his parents in return. He could only tell them that he’s working hard, making friends, and saving money for them. Liem’s mind wanders until he asks Marcus a question he wanted to ask the day before: “Am I good?” Marcus responds, “You were very good.”

After Marcus falls asleep, Liem sneaks out of bed and takes a shower. Parrish calls to check in, and Liem tells him that they’re doing fine. Liem then opens the letter from his father. His father describes how their family is doing well, and that their uncles and cousins were “reeducated” with the other enlisted soldiers and “donated” their houses to the revolution. He warns his son against a sinful life in America, and sends the family’s love.

Liem sets the letter aside and looks out the window. He sees his reflection and realizes that he doesn’t recognize himself. Outside, he sees two men walk quickly through the rain. They brush shoulders and laugh at each other. Before, he might have thought they were friends. Now, he sees, they could easily be lovers.

Liem stares at them, still half-naked, and the two men turn towards him. One of the men waves to him, and he returns the wave. After this fleeting connection, the men pass by the house, and Liem remains with his hand pressed against the window. He wonders if someone, behind a blind or a curtain, might be watching him.