Two Names

He kept accounts all his life. Remember people, numbers, and who owes whom. His father taught him to keep accounts, but he also ruined himself with the same set of accounts. His mother taught him another thing: there are some accounts that you don't need to keep in mind, and even if you do, you can't pay them back clearly. When he was eighteen, he lugged an enamel bowl to college. It was what my father picked out from the discarded products in the warehouse. A small piece of the bowl was broken off and facing outward. He began to remember for others: who signed, who owed money, and who had to pay it back in the end.