The Hilly Road

By Bùi Ngọc Khôi

While the war was raging in the early 70s, a young man left his home in Da Lat, a picturesque highland town in Central Vietnam where he spent his earlier years, for Saigon to continue his studies. There, he fell in love with his school friend's sister but the whirlwind of the fast paced materialistic Westernized life of the capital and his overwhelming loneliness led him down different roads. Could he find true love? First, he must love truly and truthfully. In the end he found the answer ... just in time.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bùi Ngọc Khôi
• Release date: Dec 18, 2017
• ISBN: 9781370958771

Bùi Ngọc Khôi

Retired. Spending time writing, illustrating, cooking and day dreaming. Espresso aficionado.

Book preview

The hilly road

The

Hilly

Road

A story by Khoi N. Bui

Thank you, Nancy

Anh đã giết em, anh chôn em vào trái tim anh

Từ đây anh không được yêu em ở trong sự thật

I've killed you and buried you in my heart

From now on, I can't love you in life

Xuân Diệu, Vietnamese poet

1

Saigon, South Vietnam, 1973

The clock on the table struck three. Putting the law text book down, Huy got up from the chair, where he had been sitting for over an hour, and stretched.

It was another sweltering day. On the balcony, the shade from a few large branches of the tall tree nearby brought some limited relief from the burning sun, like a pond in a vast desert. Since noon, the sun had been pouring down on Saigon, every single burning ray emanating from its reservoir. The asphalt was melting, making the street look like a dark river. Once in a while, a light wind blew but brought only a warm breeze, no relief. Everything seen through the heat waves rising from the corrugated metal roofs of the houses in this poor neighborhood seemed to tremble.

The suffocating heat had kept the young law student home. It wasn't much better at home than in the classrooms without air-conditioning, but at least he could freely move around, doing whatever he felt like - taking a nap anytime, having a smoke on the balcony, or running across the street to the refreshment cart to buy a sweet ice drink - but the best part was not having to listen to those long boring lectures that had the effect of a sleeping pill.

The refreshment cart looked so inviting. Unable to control the urge, he grabbed a plastic cup, hurried down the stairs, opened the gate and ran across the street.

Sipping the cold-salty-sweet liquid of the salted plum drink, he looked down the hilly road for the familiar sight of the old lady, always in her white pajama shirt and black pants, and a young boy in a school uniform of white shirt and dark blue shorts. Everyday around three in the afternoon, he would see them, the old lady with an ancient shopping bag and the boy with his school pack.

Soon, the reproachful voice of someone came from around the street corner. A young woman wearing a cone hat with a bag dangling from her hand was talking to a boy, who was dragging his tired legs behind him. Sweat was dripping down his face.

Oh, that's him but where's the old lady? Huy wondered.

The woman's voice sounded impatient.

C'mon. Hurry up! I've gotta get back soon to open the cafe. It's getting late.

Despite her angry scolding, the boy just stopped. Breathing heavily, he moaned, Mom, I'm tired!

You know why. If you didn't play so hard with your friends, you wouldn't be tired now. Let me carry your pack.

The boy handed his pack to his mother but still didn't budge. The woman took a few steps to get into the shade of the tall tree in front of Huy's place while she waited for the boy. A light breeze blew. She removed the cone hat and used it to fan herself as she wiped off the sweat with the other hand and pushed back a few strands of hair from her forehead. The boy finally dragged himself to where his mother was and leaned on the tree, still breathing heavily.

The woman wiped the sweat from her son's face.

Listen! I want you to stop playing so hard with your friends after class. We need to get home quickly. I've got work to do and you have your homework.

She spoke more gently while fanning his face with the hat. He turned around and looked at the refreshment cart on the other side of the street. Colorful bottles were lined up on the shelves and looked so appealing.

He turned to his mother, pleading, Mom, I am so thirsty. Can you buy me a lemonade? Please, please!

I don't have any money, all spent on groceries. I'll make you a big glass when we get home, not now.

The disappointment showed on his face. The boy wiped away the sweat on his cheek but still refused to move. The woman again pushed him.

Let's go now.

Right then Huy crossed the street returning from the refreshment cart. The boy stared at the drinks Huy was carrying, and his head bounce up and down in rhythm with the two drinks bouncing up and down as Huy trotted on the hot pavement.

Uncle Huy!

The boy burst out calling and, with a begging grin on his face, walked quickly to Huy. Without looking at the boy, Huy smiled at the woman. She lightly nodded her head to acknowledge him. He tried to guess her age to address her correctly. Judging from her clear smooth skin and her chubby face, he figured she was about thirty.

Hello Long, Huy greeted the boy first.

The woman returned a curious look.

Do you know my son?

Long and his grandma have been walking this way everyday so I've gotten to know them, he replied, pointing to the balcony of his rented loft. I am renting that place up there. Maybe his grandma isn't feeling well today?

Right, she isn't feeling well so I had to pick him up instead, but now we must get back soon because I have to open the cafe.

If it's OK with you, I bought this drink for him. He must be very thirsty.

As soon as Hung extended his hand with the drink, the boy quickly snatched it. Without bothering to check with his mother, he sucked almost half the soft drink through the straw.

Ah ... so good!

Grinning from ear to ear, showing a missing front tooth, Long brought up a corner of his shirt to wipe off a few drops of the liquid from his mouth but some trickled down his neck to his collar. The woman gave him a disapproving look.

I am very sorry, she said to Huy then turned to her son and said, You were supposed to ask me first.

That's alright, Huy replied, I bought this extra drink just for him. Do you live nearby?

Yes, not too far from here. Do you know Café Love?

Huy shook his head.

Sorry, never heard of it. I just moved here not long ago and haven't had time to check out the neighborhood.

The young woman gave an understanding smile.

Café Love is walking distance. If you just follow this street and go up to that huge tree and make a right turn and then stay on the dirt road and walk past the old man with a bike repair stand on the sidewalk and continue on a dirt road until you see a muntingia tree, you will be there. When you have some time, please stop by and I'll make you a good cup of Highland Café. But now we must head back. Thanks for the drink.

Long gave Huy another grin, murmured Thanks uncle, and ran after his mother. This time his skinny legs seemed to pick up speed with little problem.

Feeling good, Huy stayed there, and looked at the mother and son slowly disappearing behind the top of the hill.

Oh wow! You are such a nice guy!

Mrs. Hoa's loud voice behind him startled him. He turned around and saw his landlady walking out from her house under his rented loft.

Oh, that's nothing. I just felt bad for the boy. He was terribly thirsty in this kind of heat.

The woman winked at her tenant, making him feel very awkward, even a bit embarrassed. Huy just smiled back. The landlady had it made. She had nothing to do all day while her husband got up early every morning to open their fabrics stand at Central Market. She only went there late in the afternoon to help him close the shop, and they both returned home for dinner. They had no children, and they enjoyed a comfortable life.

Saying bye to the woman, Huy walked up the stairs back to his loft. It was good luck to find this place. The rental loft had its own staircase; he could come and go anytime without being watched by the owners unlike many other places. The owners didn't seem to pay much attention to him as long as the rent was paid on time.

Back at his place, Huy looked down and saw Mrs. Hoa still standing there watching and waving at him. He noticed she was wearing a low-cut neckline, showing deep cleavage on her white chest. As if feeling the young man's stare on her chest, the woman took a deep breath to make her chest look bigger. Giving her another smile, Huy shifted his gaze to the dirt road to see if the boy and his mother were still there, but saw nothing.

As he thought of the mother, he said to himself, Long's mom looks kinda familiar. I must have seen her somewhere.

He tried hard to recall a vague memory from sometime long ago but those Penal Codes, Economics lessons and Divorce Laws seemed to take up his entire brain, leaving no room for anything else.

~§~

2

Wiping his greasy hands on a rag, Minh turned the ignition key. The motorbike gave out a loud roar. He cracked a victorious smile, revved up the engine, then turned it down and off. After putting away the tools, he looked over the fence. The man with dark sun glasses, a gray shirt and dark pants was still sitting on a motorbike parked on the sidewalk behind a giant tamarin tree across the street from his house. The thought of crossing the street for some small talk with the man was quickly extinguished when he remembered his father always advised him to stay away from plainclothed cops. After mumbling a few choice words, he started to clean his bike but, right then, he heard the sound of another motorbike outside the gate followed by a familiar voice calling his name.

Recognizing Huy's voice, he shouted, Gate's open. Come in! I'm in the back.

Huy locked the bike, pushed open the gate and walked through a narrow walkway to the backyard.

You got some time to go for a coffee?

Sure, if you're buying. Let me wash my hands first.

That cop is still watching your house?

The hell with him. My dad said he won't do anything. Nothing to worry about. Since the day my dad became the Chief Editor of Our Shining Light, the opposition newspaper, there has been a cop watching us maybe to check who's coming, who's going. Now that you have been seen coming here, they will put your name on the watch list.

You are home alone?

My mom is inside, the others too.

Looking in the family room through the window, Huy saw Thanh, his friend's kid sister, reading a book at the dining table. He felt like going in to say Hi but something held him back. His heart beat faster when he saw the girl put the book down and get up. She turned around and saw her brother's friend watching her from outside. He waved.

She came out.

You just got here?

Yeah, I just came to go out for a coffee with Minh. What were you reading? Or were you studying?

"Yes ... studying but it was so boring, making