MY GOD MOTHER

If it were not for her love, I would never have been able to become what I am now. It was common to be along with a classmate on a bus trip but it wasn’t to meet a former one from that bus. That happened to me as the 1st step of a long term affair with whom I call God mother.
From the bus I called out loud “TRONG COP, is that you?” “Get out of the bus” Trong replied enthusiastically. From that moment, I became relaxed as I could be with him and his family. He and I had only one thing in common watching football games. We had been in the same class- Forestry-71-74, but in different moods and situations. Not going to college, he stayed home feeling rather bored. So meeting me also was a good thing for him. Every Sunday of October in 1975 after lunch, he took me to the SAIGON- THU DUC bus station. He put into my pocket a small amount of money which was financially meaningful and helpful to me as I had left home for school asking my mum to be on my own.
Things sometimes did not go as smoothly as we wished and that was exactly what happened to me. One day, from my grandmother’s- Go Vap dist, I came to his home early one Sunday morning. I couldn’t remember precisely why but he wasn’t home that day. And that was the first time I missed him.
I came to the bus station early by myself to get back to my college feeling rather sad. Another strange thing was that I decided to take a BIENHOA bus since it was so difficult to get into a THU DUC one that day .
As soon as I occupied my seat, a short fat woman got on board to get the rest one on my right. There was a rumor that another bus was scheduled to depart. So all on board rushed there but soon rushed back because it was just a rumor. As we finally felt all right to wait for the bus to start, she and I said nothing to each other. When we were on Dien Bien Phu street, she began a conversation,
“Are you going to BIENHOA too?”
“No, Ma…am just THU DUC.” I replied politely.
“So, am I.” she quickly went on, “What are you doing there?”
“I’m still at school.” I softly answered.
“Really?” the woman felt as glad as she was talking to someone closed to her. She later told me she had thought I would be a former soldier since she saw me wearing a black wooden beret. She also told me she went there to visit her second son’s vice director to please him. In return, I told her whatever she had wanted to know. While telling her, I innocently showed her my student ID. And to her surprise, I also told her how unhappy I felt, how far I mentally was from home. And to my surprise, she told me she had a lot of children and always wanted to comfort whoever loved to study. As she came to a house which was opposite my college, she promised to see me at my dorm room soon. I told my roommates what had happened right after I came into my room. They all were curious to see her and what would happen next. I discovered I looked at my watch very often. Then there appeared she at the gate of the college. I felt embarrassed walking along with her toward my dorm room. The first thing she noticed was my guitar. She told me that her daughter was interested in it too. Of course, she asked to play a piece of my favorite and I did. Truly speaking, I did not have a feeling of attachment between us. It was a coincidence somehow.
After some small talks, she seemed to be leaving as she asked me to come to see her at home that weekend. She made me promise and repeat. I walked with her to the gate and waited for a bus with mixed unexplainable feelings.
(To be continued)