When Saigon Surrendered
Page 20
I wanted to leave nothing to chance, so I had taken two of the bad jars and two of the good ones to the house in Guthrie, and kept them separate when I mixed up two batches of mashed potatoes and peas for our dinner with the blackguards. They had a 15 mile drive from Guthrie back to the Red River Bridge on that motorcycle. It was probably the botulism that did them in, but I would never know for sure. It could have been the high test moonshine. Either way, the deed was done.
That night I dreamt Myrna was holding my hand, dipping my fingers in a bowl of warm water. We were both sipping moonshine and over in the corner, Wonju was chewing on a steak bone. It was a good dream.
The next few days brought lots of news from Clarksville. The Feds announced they had broken up a sex trade ring with operations in four states. Apparently Barney kept good records. He was in jail along with several other guys. A bunch of the women were from overseas and some had been put into Salvation Army shelters. A couple were in the hospital. I wondered if there would be any evidence to lead the Feds to Uncle Wallace and Soo Jin, but no one ever came asking questions.
We found a Dodge Van in the woods near the farm and Tommy said he had seen it at the Felton Brothers compound. The two hoodlums worked as roustabouts for the Feltons but the cops never found any more connections to Nigel and his gang. I figured the code phrase I used in my note to the blackguards had set something off and they had the hoodlums on some kind of dirty work deal up this way. Or maybe it was me mentioning the name ‘Jerry’ to Nigel. Maybe that had put something into motion.
I never told Uncle Wallace and Soo Jin about our escapades in Clarksville, and he never asked. But after Uncle Wallace read in the paper about the FBI arresting the sex slave ring, he acted as if he had a new lease on life. He seemed to smile more and had a new spring in his step.
Elaine drove up to visit me at the farm and stayed a couple of days. She hardly ventured outside the house at all, did not seem comfortable with farm life. But she did bring some news. There were big resettlement efforts for Vietnam refugees in Georgia and she said there soon would be in Kentucky, too. Elaine told me that one day she wanted to go to work for a ‘Southern Poverty’ outfit in Montgomery. Such a smart, good-hearted woman. I’ve lost track of Roxanne but I expect a good looking girl like that was able to land on her feet.
The two Vietnamese sisters from Huế and their brother, Vuong Dao arrived with several other boat people a few weeks later, thanks to Mr. Hudson, the Catholics and Elaine. Uncle Wallace got Vuong set up in his mobile home which we moved to the farm. Two other young Vietnamese men are sharing the trailer and getting used to Kentucky farm life. Uncle Wallace claims they are natural born moonshine distillers. We’ll see how they like truck farming when we take another run at the organic garden in the spring. Opal made good on her promise and the sisters from Huế, Linh Dao and Anh Dao got jobs working for Rosie at the manicure shop in town. They live in a little apartment near the shop and seem to be very happy. Mr. Hudson says the Catholics in Louisville are getting ready to sponsor a bunch more refugees from Vietnam which would be a very good thing.
Tommy says we should become a crime-fighting team, be a modern-day ‘Three Musketeers.' He wants to figure out a way to finish off what is left of the Felton brothers operation in town.
Meanwhile the coal companies keep ripping up thousands of acres of perfectly good farmland all around here. Elaine said Jimmy Carter wants to make them clean up after they've taken the coal out of the ground. Who knows what the politicians will do, probably nothing.
As much as I loved Auburn, without my scholarship it was too expensive. I started looking at colleges in Kentucky where the tuition would be lower. Tommy and I visited a little school over in Berea, where the girls were as thick as ticks in a blackberry patch. He allowed as how that would be an excellent place for me to go and he and Jimmy would come visit and we could have reunions of ‘The Three Musketeers’, fight crime and meet girls. I’m still thinking my college options over. There is so much to do here.
Opal has been on my case to get back into school and to go visit the University in Lexington. That is on my list. But right now I am sitting on the front porch. Soo Jin is giving an English lesson in her Korean accent to one of the Vietnamese boys. Uncle Wallace is whittling. He said the sheriff wants us to try planting seeds for some exotic crop called ‘Cannabis’ this spring. The cats are chasing something real or imaginary in the weeds. Winter is coming and the wheat crop is looking pretty good.
I’ve thought a lot about what Uncle Wallace told me one night about war never ending and how it is passed on through the generations. I wondered how long it would take to forget about Korea or Vietnam, or even the Civil War, probably never.
Tommy and Jimmy are coming by later. We’re going to take Vuong into town and meet up with his sisters and sweet little Myrna. It looks like Evelena and Mr. Hudson are going to tie the knot and Tommy is already making plans for a Shivaree, with all the bells and whistles. We’ll get half the high school to come out some night, shoot off some shotguns and firecrackers outside Evelena’s house, bang on some garbage can lids and pots and pans, soap up their windows, and just be a general nuisance until they come out and Mr. Hudson gives all the guys cigars and all the girls some bubble gum. That’s how we do it around here.
A couple of red-tail hawks are circling high above the wheat field. A little breeze has come up and maybe I will be able to sleep this evening. I am still haunted by what I did that night when Saigon surrendered. But I hope in some way, I was able to atone for my mistakes. I still wish I had it all to do over again. But I appreciate you listening. I know God loves me. It’s what keeps me going. He loves you, too. I am sure of it.
Cover photo by R.D. Price
Hymn Excerpt: 'In the Garden' by Charles A. Miles (1912)
Hymn Excerpt: A Mighty Fortress Is Our God
Martin Luther (1529)
Hymn Excerpt: Just As I Am
Charlotte Elliott (1835)
Hymn Excerpt: Softly and Tenderly
Will Thompson (1880)
Biblical Excerpt: Matthew: 25: 35-36
American Standard Version (1900)