When Saigon Surrendered

by James Aura

  The next day, I drove to town to see the sheriff, but he was out of the office. So on impulse, I drove past the nurse’s place. His squad car was parked right out front. I quickly drove on by and headed for Tommy’s garage.

  Tom had a fresh crew cut and he was dressed in khaki pants and a nice shirt, instead of his usual oil smudged coveralls. He was finishing up with a customer, a middle aged woman who was writing him a check for new tires on her Buick. The shop floor was, as usual full of cars in various states of repair. I noticed the mechanic’s calendar with the undressed buxom beauty had disappeared. In its place was a big fancy sign:

  Tom Gabbert Garage

  We Get it Done Right- Every Time

  “Very impressive. You hire a Madison Avenue outfit to write that up for you?”

  He laughed and looked around the shop proudly.

  “Naw. My Sis came up with that. She said the girlie calendar was not helping with the female customers she was sending my way. She was right. Heck, half my business now is women. She also said I should spruce up a little when some of these upper crust women come in to get their cars. It’s a lot of trouble but she said I should not be a grease-covered wretch.”

  “I think that’s Shakespeare. An ‘ink-stained wretch.”

  He chuckled. “Whatever, it seems to be paying off. I may have to hire somebody to help out one of these days.”

  “What’s up with Evelena, anyway? She’s always in a hurry when she comes by for her raw milk; I haven’t had a real conversation with her in a long time.”

  “She’s busy. She just took over the Fuller Brush business from old man Myers. So now she’s cornered the brush, detergent and cosmetics business for two counties. She’s got half a dozen women selling her stuff.”

  I felt like maybe I could do some recruiting myself. I asked Tommy if he was up for a root beer and a burger on me. So he wheeled out a ’58 Chevy Impala Sport Coupe he had just tuned up. He called it a test drive. It had a new eight track. We blasted Billy Preston all the way to the A&W.

  I decided to tell all to Tommy. He nodded sympathetically when I told how I couldn’t find the hospital right away and wound up on Main Street looking for signs. When I got to the part about the nurse, he sat wide-eyed, burger in one hand, root beer in the other.

  “Damn, Russell. That woman is so incredibly hot she’s a babe. A little chubby maybe but man she is good-lookin’. So you went to her house, after all that?”

  “Tommy she’s built for comfort and yes she is easy on the eyes. The way she tells it, she and my dad were serious. But she’s the sheriff’s babe, now it looks like to me. It’s awful, I know. But I can’t get her out of my head.”

  Tom looked around furtively, as if to make sure no one was listening close by. I had heard that ‘built for comfort’ line from a bragging upperclassman down at Auburn and figured it would impress Tommy, my worldly way of putting things.

  “I wouldn’t go telling this to just anybody, Russell. So your Grandma had a heart attack and you got lost on the way to the hospital? Then you went off to that nurse’s house? I don’t believe I’d be sharing that, if you know what I mean.”

  I began to feel regret at describing the shameful incident even with Tom, but then he brightened up.

  “So this Kim lady is now an item with Sheriff Randolph Parker. What do you want to bet she has not told him about being serious with your Daddy?”

  I allowed she probably hadn’t. But I really had no idea.

  “Maybe you’ve got something to go on here. Doesn’t it strike you funny that the Sheriff was so into the organic farming thing out at your house? Nothing against your uncle, but it seemed like there was something going on there besides moonshine.”

  When he said that, I recalled how taken aback Uncle Wallace was when I said we were going to tell the sheriff about the flooded garden.

  I went on to fill Tommy in about the creek flooding, the coal slurry that had gotten all over the bottomland and me, and how good Soo Jin had been at helping to clean me up.

  “What about your uncle, where was he when the flash flood came down the creek?”

  I then realized I had left out the part about the attempted robbery and the shooting of the dog and my uncle’s wounds.

  He was upset to hear about Uncle Wallace, but the shooting of Wonju, that’s what really got to Tommy.

  “That was one hellacious dog, Russell. Whoever did that should be shot, themselves, I'd say!”

  Odd thing was, we never found the dog’s remains. Either the dog had gotten up and staggered away, or someone had come back that night and removed the body.

  A sheepish look came over Tom’s face.

  “I bet it was Evelena. I overheard her talking to some of her sales gals about the great big black white and orange dog she had seen out at your farm. Gosh I hope word didn’t get back to the Felton brothers that way. Assuming it was them”

  “Well, if it was Evelena, I’d say she owes me, a little bit, wouldn’t you? Maybe we can get some good ideas from her at this little barbecue I am cooking up.”

  “I cannot be responsible for my sister. You know she is hell on wheels. She’s got two speeds: High and Overdrive. But at least she’s been buying your raw milk.”

  He had a point there. So far she was our only paying customer.

  “Russell, if I were you I would think some more about the nurse. Maybe she can help you find out more about the Sheriff and what he really wants out of that farm.”

  The thought of approaching Kim, shook me up. There were a whole lot of feelings tied up with that woman, and I might just be re-opening a wound.

  Tom volunteered to drive to the hospital and wander into the emergency room to inquire about Kim so maybe we could figure out what her work schedule was. I sat in the Impala at the back of the parking lot, under a shade tree and waited, while Tommy went inside. A couple of minutes later Kim emerged and walked to a little foreign car. She got in, rolled down a window and lit a cigarette.

  Tom came skulking out the emergency room door and got in the Impala.

  “A great big guy pushing a stretcher table told me they take a smoke break every day about this time. She’s over in that Renault.”

  The memories came back in a rush.

  “I probably have met that big guy. He was there when I brought Grandma in. She must be on a day shift now.”

  We sat and thought the situation over.

  “I don’t know if I can speak to her. There was no hint of recognition when I saw her last. I really feel bad about that.”

  “Russell, she could be a big help. She must have some kind of feelings for you.”

  “More likely feelings for Dad, Tommy. I guess I was just a reminder.”

  “Well, you do favor your daddy. You’re a whole lot more emotional than he was though, I’d reckon.”

  Maybe compared to Tommy I was emotional. The most affection I’d ever seen him express was over a cherry red souped-up Thunderbird.

  On the drive home I plotted the next step with some trepidation. Tom agreed to drive past the hospital and Kim’s house for a day or two and get an idea of her comings and goings. I would stop by the sheriff’s department to see if they had anything new regarding the attack on Uncle Wallace. I would also see if I could get an idea about the sheriff’s usual hours.

  We figured out a plan over the next few days. Kim headed home every day around 4:00 pm. She was on an early shift now. The night I brought in Grandma she would have been on the evening shift, 4:00 pm to midnight. The sheriff never got to her place before 6:00 or 7:00 pm.

  I parked the pickup the next block over and sat on her front porch; partly obscured by a passion flower vine growing across the front. I had on my good dress pants, dress shoes and a nice ironed sport shirt. The clothes she had given me that night were washed and folded in a brown paper bag. It had warmed up. The heat was oppressive. I sat sweating and nervously waited for the hum of that Renault. She pulled up and walked briskly up to the porch, keys jangling in o
ne hand, a satchel in the other.

  I rose from the chair, attempted a smile and said “Hi, Kim.”

  She stopped dead in her tracks, a look of shock on her beautiful face. Then I caught a hint of that perfume. My heart was so full of lust and regret, I could not speak.

  She stepped forward and, much to my relief gave me a hug. She held her face against my chest. We stood there for what seemed like forever, and then she backed away and looked me over.

  “You clean up real nice, Russell! Come on in the house.”

  I followed her in. If, at that moment she had told me to climb on the roof and jump off backwards, I would have done it.

  We sat awkwardly in her front room. I glanced around and saw several signs the sheriff was living here now, too. A cowboy hat on the coat rack and what looked like government file folders stacked on an end table. Those things had not been there during my first visit.

  “Russell, I am so sorry. You looked so forlorn and hapless standing there in the rain. Maybe I shouldn’t have told you about loving your Dad. That was a lot for you to deal with in one night.”

  A tear ran down her cheek and I noticed she was wringing a handkerchief. I still was unable to speak. I sat and stared, drinking her in. Her voice was musical, calming, and almost hypnotic.

  She rose, as if to break the spell.

  “It’s hot in here; I’ll get the fan going.”

  She walked across the room, a vision of grace and loveliness. She was comely even in her blue nurse uniform. Her reddish blonde hair flowing behind her. I sat, hands at my side, like a simpleton.

  The cool rush from the fan brought me to my senses.

  “Kim I kept thinking you would show up. I kept hoping you would come out to the farm and maybe explain some more things, about Dad and you. But you never did. Then, the other night in the emergency room, when I saw you again ”

  She came and sat next to me on the couch, held my hand.

  “Russell, I felt so bad about that night. We tried really hard to bring your grandmother back. But it was too late. I felt like you needed to be comforted. But telling you about me and your Daddy, I am sure you just had confusion on top of your grief. Russell, I need to tell you some more. Your dad, Bobby, was terribly worried about something. He was preoccupied; his mind was somewhere else the last time he was back. I don't know if he let you and your grandmother see it, but it worried me.”

  I realized most of my bad feelings came from the craving I’d had for her that night. Even after losing my Grandma, I had wanted this nurse. I wanted her now.

  “I am with Randolph now, you probably saw us at the hospital. I couldn’t let on that there was anything between us.”

  I told her I figured it was something like that.

  Then I took a deep breath and launched into the business at hand.

  “Kim, I need to know why Randolph Parker is so interested in our farming operation, and why my Uncle Wallace doesn’t want him to know we lost our summer crop in a flood.”

  She sat for a moment, gathering her thoughts.

  “I do know a little Russell. Here’s what I know. Randolph and some of his crew, the deputies, got to be friends with your uncle at the VFW. They felt bad about his battle shock, because they had so many buddies who suffered the same thing in Vietnam.

  “Battle shock?”

  It is something that soldiers can get when they have seen a lot of combat. Russell, I am told your uncle was once a capable man. But after he came back from Korea he became a hermit. A bunch of the old timers down at the VFW told Randolph some of the details, and he decided to see if he could be of help, especially since he knew Wallace was your Dad’s brother-in-law.”

  This made sense. I suddenly became glad I had sought this woman out again. She tied loose ends together.

  “Randolph is not like your Dad was, but he has a good heart. He had saved up some money, and decided to loan a thousand dollars to your uncle to help him out, when your grandmother passed. Aside from some moonshine money, Randolph told me your uncle was penniless.”

  So Uncle Wallace’s money had come from the sheriff! I could see why he’d be reluctant to discuss our crop failure with Randolph Parker. I told Kim I had thought about selling the farm, except my uncle seemed unusually anxious to keep it in the family and away from outsiders, especially the coal companies.

  “Randolph said your uncle practically ran that farm for Sally after you went off to school, worked there night and day.”

  “Do you know about the Korean woman who has been living with Uncle Wallace? Her name is Soo Jin, and seems like he met her under some shady circumstances.”

  I could tell by her expression that this was news.

  “No, I haven’t heard about that, but I could ask Randolph. He might know the story.”

  A caution alarm went off and I asked Kim to keep quiet about Soo Jin for now. Not to tell anyone because she might be in danger.

  I thanked Kim for her time and reluctantly left. She seemed to become anxious, probably fearing the sheriff might show up at any time, or maybe it was something else, I couldn’t tell.

  On the drive home, I decided two things. I needed to get Soo Jin fixed up with some dentures sooner, rather than later. And I needed to dig through some of those black plastic bags out back in the trash ditch. Tie enough loose ends together and you have a rope. Maybe I’d hang myself with it, or maybe I would rescue our farming efforts and go back to college. One way or another, I needed to move forward. I thought about Kim’s memory of Daddy being so worried and wondered about that, too.

  That night, I noticed Soo Jin helping my uncle disrobe. They had left the bathroom door open. I had never seen my uncle without pants. I could not help but notice both his legs were covered in brown scars, as if he had, at some time, been in a terrible fire.

  My dreams were like a rough ride across a plowed field. I was standing on a corner in town trying to sell jars of moonshine watching while the red-tailed hawk dived into a trash container and rose skyward carrying some kind of paperwork. Meanwhile Wonju the dog came around the corner barking at the hawk. I awoke in a cold sweat, and vowed to go investigate the trash ditch the next day.

  We had a new routine in the mornings. Soo Jin would feed the chickens and gather the eggs, while I milked the cows, pitchforked the barn, and hauled the milk cans down to the main road. She finished much earlier than me, so she’d then head for the kitchen and start on breakfast. Uncle Wallace was not an active participant. His gloom seemed to deepen. She cleared the breakfast dishes while Uncle Wallace, was in the front room recliner, awkwardly turning through the morning paper with one hand.

  The phone rang, next to him and he grabbed it.

  “Russell, call for you. Some girl.”

  I walked in and took the phone. He stared at me and said, “You got muscles now.”

  It was Elaine and she was very excited. Something about a new federal program to help Vietnam refugees and a bunch of them would be brought to the U.S to begin new lives.

  “Russell, I’ve been thinking a lot about you and the farm up there in Kentucky. You’ve been looking for a way to help some of those people out. Maybe you could give them jobs working on the farm, just to help them start out.”

  That was a very interesting proposition and something I maybe would run by some folks, but not Uncle Wallace, not for now.

  “Elaine, that is wonderful. I sure will look further into this and maybe something like that will work out. How have you been, anyway?”

  “Oh everything’s about the same Russell. I miss you. The gang down at Campus Methodist said to tell you ‘Hi’. Think some more about those Vietnamese people.”

  I thanked her, and then said I had some urgent chores to finish and hung up the phone.

  Uncle Wallace was curious.

  “That a girlfriend from college, Russell? What was the news?”

  “Oh nothing too big really. Just campus stuff. I’m going back out to get some work done.”

  I headed
out with a hoe, the shotgun and a wheelbarrow. Today was the day I would rummage through the trash ditch. Uncle Wallace was right. I had gotten in shape milking the cows every day and doing the heavy work around the farm. My biceps were tanned and bulging under the morning sun. I felt lean and strong.

  It was a beautiful early summer day. The heat hadn’t taken over the morning yet. One of the cats followed behind, his tail twitching while he chased insects and other critters, probably both real and imaginary.

  Down the hill, acres away, I could see the blackened floodplain, our doomed first effort at fancy farming. The creek had receded but it looked even darker than usual, and barren.