On Sunday, Phuong forgot her phone on the way to the market. She almost turned back, then decided to keep walking.

She heard the vegetable seller greeting customers, bicycle wheels on the damp road, and a cat yawning beneath an awning. None of it was new. It had simply been a long time since she had listened.

Back home, she made tea, opened the window, and let the morning grow longer by leaving it unfilled.