11ONLY IN A place like this where the skies were clear even at night could these many stars appear. They looked as if they were poured into the sky from a giant container, Katherine observed. Feeling childlike, she couldn’t stop being amazed at the scene above her. She had stared at it for minutes now, not minding that her neck started to strain. In Manila, the atmosphere was so polluted that the skies were so gloomy at night, making the stars invisible to human eyes. Katherine’s host was standing quietly beside her, allowing Katherine her peaceful moment. Mrs. Reyes had earlier insisted that Katherine call her by her first name Lourdes, although they were a generation apart and she was a senior government officer. The older woman had a personal motive behind the request. She wanted Kather
