LOST AND FOUND IN KIEN GIANG

LOST AND FOUND IN KIEN GIANG
Thirty years ago, Apr 1980, I left HCMC for KG with almost nothing except my skill of playing football, a university diploma and a dream of making my Mom happy. What I have lost and found here was preferably not much so would what I lose and find.
Since I got there, my life style changed to be suitable to the surrounding, I have lost a big thing but that marked in one chapter of my life that: “Everything can be changed”.
I found myself adjustable so fast that I could win a lot of my co-workers’ hearts. I learned from them the reality that life was much different from what I thought it would be. As I performed rather well in some first football games, I also made the football fans there pleased and I found a way to train myself. I only went to work in the morning and the other half of the day was for my practicing football. I was given a deserted unfurnished house not far from work to live and that was the first thing ever deeply pleased my Mom- who had lelf Can Tho for Rach Gia to stay away from my younger brother who, as a drug dealer, had broken her heart and, of course, that was also the first thing to warm my heart. It seemed almost too obvious to say that my God mother’s advice was worthy.
Five months after that, I had a visitor, Nhu Ngoc, my fiancé as well as my God mother’s daughter. What she needed was what I could offer and what she showed people there was good for me. Her police’s permission showed that she was assured to be here to visit me- her official- husband- to be.
A week later, I set up my first business ever- selling soy bean milk in the evening. I managed everything but she helped me serve the customers and we actually earned a living, a reputation and simple happiness of being independent. We knew how to spend on every cent we had made and how happily we spent our golden nights and days being together, planning a simple life ahead. And every morning she gave me some cents for breakfast then waved me good bye as nicely as any good wife did. Once, she told me that she was happier than she had ever been despite the fact that she, born to a middle- class, a rather weathy family, used to only think of studying, living abroad and used to escape many times since 1975.
Although we had been in bed together for over one year, we had more freedom to enjoy our bed time but unbelievably, I kept her virginity.
Saturday evening or Sunday morning, I followed her to church. Once, after the church, we went to a coffee shop. Getting my order of 2 hot cups coffee, a shop assistant brought them to our table with a smile on his face. He asked if Nhu Ngoc was from Sai Gon and directly he told her that no young ladies from SG could have such a cup of back coffee like that. I found that she wanted to deserve me- a poor young guy having a poor back ground, just moving to a strange place where people were having strange life styles. We left the coffee shop with our different feelings which each of us grew a bit better our respect to each other and which could be counted as the second thing I found here and in her love for me. Who could say that women would not be changed softly naturally unexpectedly and also nicely?
I felt as if we had been a real marriage couple until one thing came up suddenly. A rather calm co-worker of mine asked me if I could keep three teenagers, his customers, for a few days while he was waiting for his brother-in-law’s trip to go overseas. To believe it or not, he asked me if I was interested. I wasn’t for sure but Nhu Ngoc was. She took it seriously enough and she rushed home to inform the family as well as ask someone to join her promising trip. I found that she was so realistic that she could ignore how much she would hurt me and how much damage that would be to me. I felt like a husband who had to send his wife abroad for some vulnerable reasons for her own wish no matter how he would feel.