Aperture on the East (20 page)

“
Good, I am glad you
haven’t settled down. If you had we wouldn’t be here right now,”
said Vo.

“
You don’t know the whole
story. I have had a very complicated life. You won’t like me so
much when I tell you all about it,” said Ana, starting to tear up
again.

“
Hold it there. You can
tell me later. Right now, at this moment, your life is very simple.
You and I are in love, and that’s that,” said Vo
resolutely.

Ana was comforted by those words, and
she stopped trembling.

“
I just have to make sure.
McKenzie was never in the picture, right?” said Vo.

“
McKenzie? What makes you
think he could possibly ever be in the picture?”

“
He’s good-looking,
charming, and humorous.”

“
Funny, I never thought of
him that way. Perhaps I should take a closer look,” said
Ana.

“
Don’t you dare!” said Vo,
and then he kissed her again.

This was not the first
time Ana fell in love, but the rush that she was experiencing now
was stronger than ever. The tropical seaside atmosphere made
everything more enchanting. She and Vo would meet each other on the
beach promenade every morning before the sun came up. They would
sit on Vo’s motorcycle and whispered sweet nothings into each
other’s ear, stealing a kiss here and there, like all the other
couples Ana had observed when she first arrived in Nha Trang. Then
they would walk down the beach, barefoot and in each other’s arms,
stopping only when the first ray of sunrise lit up their cheeks.
They would stand and face the horizon, inhale the salty mist over
the sea and soak in the warm, golden glory of the new day.
Afterward they would walk across Tran Phu Boulevard to visit the
various vendors on the sidewalk, sitting on the low stools and
slurping down bowls of steaming
phở
, looking into each other’s eyes,
smiling foolishly.

After breakfast, they would get back
on Vo’s motorcycle and ride to other fishing villages and resort
towns. Ana would wrap her arms around Vo’s waist, and squeeze him
gently as he zoomed along the coast. When the sun became blazing
hot, Ana would cover her head with the hood of her fleece jacket,
and then put on her helmet, blending in with the other women as
that was the standard motorcycle fashion in Vietnam. Sometimes, Ana
would close her eyes and take in Vo’s scent, carried in the
headwind. All her pores opened as a powerful sense of excitement
infused her skin.

In the afternoons they would go out on
the sea in Vo’s fishing boat, and cruise around the islands of Nha
Trang Bay. When they visited the Pearl Island, they would spend
hours exploring its coral reefs and trekking all over its forested
hills. Afterward, Vo would gather a couple of coconuts that had
fallen to the sand, and whack them open with a knife. They would
sit in the shade of the coconut grove and drink the cool,
refreshing juice as if it were some kind of love potion.

Ana managed to report to her job at
Quan Bien Dong every evening, and when her shift was over, she
would come out to find Vo standing by his motorcycle, waiting for
her. They would go to the night market and sample all the delicious
finger foods, and then comment on the clothes and household items
being peddled by vendors who were yelling the prices into
megaphones. Vo would only send Ana home when the night market shut
down around midnight. The parting at the door of Ana’s apartment
building every night was extremely painful, and it was only with
great self-control that they were able to leave each other’s arms,
knowing that they would see each other again in just a few hours’
time.

The sun had barely come up one day
when Vo and Ana went north across the River Cai to visit the Po
Nagar Cham temples. They climbed up the winding steps of the Cu Lao
Hill to the upper terrace where the main towers stood. The view
over the river, which was dotted with red and blue fishing boats
and a variety of waterfowls, was at once calming and exhilarating
for Ana. She tried to imagine what the river was like over a
thousand years ago, when snowy egrets would roam wild in the lush
green beds of reed over the blue river before it poured into
sea.

After they admired the estuary in the
soft light of the morning sun, they went to pray. They entered each
of the ancient temples quietly, leaving their shoes outside as it
was the custom in Vietnam. Inside each temple, they offered the
deity incense and worshiped silently. Ana was thankful for her new
beginnings in Nha Trang, and prayed that she would have the wisdom
and the iron will to conquer all the difficulties in her life. They
took their time especially inside the temple dedicated to Yang Ino
Po Nagar, the patron goddess of Nha Trang. Ana paced back and forth
within the small, dark temple, reaching to touch the cold, black
stone walls. She paused to listen to the subtle hum resonating in
the tall, mostly hollow temple, and thought that she had heard the
prayers of all the worshippers that had come before her since the
temple was erected over a millennium ago.

“
Look, a bride,” said Ana
when she and Vo exited the Po Nagar temple.

Ana admired the woman who was in an
elegant wedding gown, posing with a man Ana assumed to be the
groom. A photographer was capturing their happiness with the help
of an assistant, who was holding a reflector. Ana couldn’t help but
imagine herself as the bride, posing with Vo.

“
Come with me,” said Vo.
He took her hand and started walking toward the back of the temple
complex.

They arrived at a hidden garden on the
reverse slope of the Cu Lao Hill. There were pink desert rose
bushes and fragrant plumeria plants growing alongside the rocks. Vo
led Ana to a bench and they sat down. Ana was delighted to be alone
in a secret cove. Vo removed a velvet pouch from his pocket, and
put it in Ana’s hand.

Inside the pouch, Ana was surprised to
find a sterling silver necklace with a single pearl as its pendant.
She inspected the pearl, and realized that it was the one she had
found inside an oyster during her first trip to the Pearl
Island.

“
So this is what you did
with it,” said Ana. “I almost forgot about it. You said you were
going to identify it.” She felt the pits of the pearl with her
finger and adored the beauty of the simple necklace.

“
I had to make an excuse
so you would let me keep the pearl for a while until I could get it
made into a necklace for you,” said Vo.

Ana was happy to hear it. Vo was
already in love with her when they went to the Pearl Island the
first time. She was not having a one-sided love affair after
all.

Vo put the necklace on Ana, and
studied its effect. He grinned and said, “Now you are really
mine.”

“
What, this is not a
noose, is it?”

“
I kind of want it to be,”
said Vo.

Ana made a fist and pounded on Vo’s
chest lightly in protest. Vo caught her hand, and pulled her into
his arms.

When they came back up to the upper
terrace, an old man with white hair, sitting on a low stool, was
reciting a verse.

“
Love strikes,

Two become one.

Life strikes,

One becomes two.

When it begins,

It’s already ending.

The laws of nature

Allow no bending.

Hear your future be
foretold,

If you dare, before you are
old.”

Ana realized that the man was a
fortune teller, but he was an unusual one because he was speaking
in English. His eyes were closed, and Ana assumed that he was
blind. Her first instinct was to ignore the fortune teller and went
on her way with Vo, but a mysterious force was pushing her toward
the man. Before she knew it, she had sat down in front of
him.

“
Are you serious?” said
Vo. He stood behind Ana.

The blind man grabbed Ana’s right hand
and said, “You have journeyed far.”

Ana sat in silence, listening
intently.

“
All the tourists here
have journeyed far,” said Vo.

The blind man felt the lines on the
palm of Ana’s hand, and nodded before he said, “A very tough life.
Many tragedies. Parents died when you were very young. Not lucky in
marriage at all. But you have two kids. Wait.”

He pressed a little harder into Ana’s
hand, and after much consideration, he said, “New love, this
gentleman next to you.”

Ana still didn’t say anything. She was
transfixed.

“
You have sought me out,
so I will tell you what you want to know,” said the blind man.
“There are dangers ahead. The love you lack will appear. The love
you have will vanish. Take great care.” He let go of Ana’s
hand.

“
That’s it?” said
Vo.

Ana thanked the blind man, and tossed
some money into the jar next to his stool.

“
It was a bunch of
nonsense,” said Vo as they walked back toward his
motorcycle.

“
I guess I just had to
listen to what he had to say, nonsense or otherwise. They all speak
in riddles, the fortune tellers,” said Ana.

“
We make our own
fortunes,” said Vo, “not the blind old man or some unseen
superpower. We dictate our future. Whatever we can’t control,
there’s no use worrying about it. Come on, I hate to see your smile
ruined by some demented gibberish. He probably used the same lines
on everyone. There are dangers ahead. Take great care.” Vo tried to
mimic the solemn tone of the blind man’s voice.

Ana laughed as she put on her helmet
and got behind Vo on the motorcycle. Vo started the engine and
said, “Let’s go to Lac Canh and have some barbeque with a cold
beer. That will make anyone feel better.”

“
Okay,” said Ana. She
could hardly wait.

“
Where have you been all
day?” said Lan as Vo walked into his apartment while whistling a
cheery tune. She was sitting on the couch in the living room,
holding a cell phone.

“
I went for a walk,” said
Vo. He grabbed a glass of water from the kitchen, and sat down
opposite his mother.

“
That was a long walk. I
called the Sailing Club and the Institute of Oceanography. They
both said you are taking a few days off. So what have you been up
to, just walking every day from morning to midnight?”

“
I have to think over some
things. Clear my mind,” said Vo, drinking his water.

“
Clear your mind?” said
Lan. “I just talked to Kim’s mother. Kim is still going to work in
the ER every day, taking care of sick people, working twelve-hour
shifts. She should be the one taking off from work; you really
broke her heart. But no, you are celebrating instead.”

“
Kim is entitled to do
whatever she wants. She seems to be holding up fine,” said Vo,
leaning back to relax.

“
She is working hard so
she won’t be thinking about you. You have brought shame to both our
families.”

Vo didn’t say anything. The door of
the apartment opened again, and Vidal walked in this time, looking
sprightly.

“
Vidal, I am glad you are
back,” said Lan. “Talk some sense into Vo. You are best friends.
There is still hope. Kim’s parents are still willing to accept the
marriage proposal if Vo will apologize and get back with
Kim.”

“
I will apologize,” said
Vo, “but I am not getting back with Kim. We were never together
anyway, not the way you want us to.”

“
How dare you talk back to
me!” said Lan, raising her voice. “Don’t use your lousy American
manners with me. You are Vietnamese and you do not talk back to
your elders.’

“
I’m trying to tell you
how I feel. Does that not matter to you?” said Vo.

“
No, how you feel doesn’t
matter to me. What matters to me is the fact that you are the only
man in this family and you have not given me a grandson. Who is
going to carry on our bloodline?”

“
I can’t believe what I’m
hearing. Did you forget your daughters, my sisters? They all have
kids now,” said Vo. “Anyway, there is an overpopulation crisis in
the world. I don’t need to contribute to that.” He stood up from
his chair, frustrated.

“
Your sisters’ kids don’t
count,” said Lan. “They belong to your sisters’ husbands’
families.”

“
Vo,” said Vidal, “just
sit down. Your mom needs some time to process. It’s all too sudden
and too unexpected for her to accept.”

“
Who asked for your
opinion?” said Vo. “This is our family problem, between my mom and
me. We don’t need your help.”

Lan stood up, too. “Vo, you don’t need
to take it out on Vidal. I asked him to come to Vietnam and keep
tabs on you because you wouldn’t call or write, and I was worried.
He’s like a brother to you, and like a son to me, so I want him
here to help me get you back.”

“
Get me back where? I’m
fine here,” said Vo. “He’s like a son to you? Well, get him to
marry Kim, and make you those grandsons that you want.”