by Meris Lee
Tam didn’t back down. “Who was the one kissing a punk with an eyebrow ring and tattoos all over his arms just five minutes ago?”
“Are you jealous?” said Zoe. “Yurik is not good enough for you anyway. I know you always think you are above us because your parents are rich and you go to a private school full of brats like you.”
Tam and Zoe stared at each other for a few seconds, and then they both laughed, bending over at the waists.
“You are nuts,” said Tam.
“So are you, Miss, Piano, Competition, Loser,” said Zoe. She was laughing so hard that she could barely get the words out.
“Whatever.”
Aiko and Nelly had been waiting at a table in front of the stage when Zoe and Tam returned. Nelly was doing a pencil sketch of Aiko, who was necking with her boyfriend visiting from a nearby university. Zoe looked around the nightclub to see if she could see the woman from the restroom. The woman had vanished. The band got back on stage and started playing another sequence of crowd pleasing songs.
When the nightclub closed for the night, Zoe said goodbye to her friends and waited for Yurik outside. It was the late June, and it was humid and warm in this tropical seaside town. Zoe enjoyed the breeze from the ocean, and thought the summer in Nha Trang much more delightful than the cool summers back in Novosibirsk. She fantasized living in Nha Trang indefinitely. What could be better than lounging on the beach all day and then playing the guitar all night?
The sound of a motorcycle approached and came to a stop in front of Zoe. A police officer in a green uniform was on it. He removed his helmet and said to Zoe, “What are you doing out this late at night?”
Zoe looked up at the policeman, who appeared vaguely familiar. She said, “Is there a curfew or something?”
The police officer dismounted the motorcycle, and came toward Zoe. “You were the girl playing the guitar in public without a permit.”
Zoe recognized him, and immediately she could feel her heart beat faster and her face turn warmer. She was currently holding her guitar in its case. “I am not playing in public now.”
“No, but why are you holding a guitar outside a nightclub? Are you playing in the nightclub?”
Zoe didn’t want to answer that.
“Do you have any ID on you?”
“I didn’t know I was supposed to carry an ID at all times,” said Zoe.
“That means you don’t have it,” said the police officer. “You are supposed to be eighteen years old before you can get a permit to work. Are you eighteen?”
“What’s going on here?” Yurik said as he and Boris came out of the nightclub. Yurik went to Zoe and immediately encircled her with his arm.
“I’m sorry. Is there a problem?” said Boris. He gave Yurik’s elbow a nudge.
Zoe didn’t know if she should feel relieved that Boris and Yurik had come to her rescue. They were both a foot taller than the police officer, and much bulkier. She looked at the police officer, who did not seem the least bit concerned.
The police officer said to Boris, “Do you own this place?”
“I manage it,” said Boris. His voice was as calm as always.
“I was merely informing this young lady here that she needed to be eighteen years old to work. I asked her to show me her ID, but she didn’t appear to have one.”
“She’s just waiting here for me,” said Yurik. “I’m her boyfriend.”
“It would be wise to carry an ID on you at all times, especially since you are a foreigner,” the police officer said to Zoe. He put his helmet back on and left on his motorcycle.
“What is this, the Soviet Union?” said Zoe. She was a little angry.
“Don’t forget that we are in an authoritarian country,” said Boris, “like the old Soviet Union. Try not to get in trouble with the law here.” Boris walked away.
Zoe kicked the door of the nightclub and said, “I wasn’t doing anything at all.”
“Forget about it,” said Yurik. “Let’s go back to my apartment. I’m ready to lie down.” Yurik gave Zoe’s waist a squeeze.
They got into a car that Yurik had parked on the curb. Zoe rolled down the window to cool off in the wind. She reconsidered her fantasy to live in Nha Trang, and decided that, alas, this was probably too small a town to live anonymously for any length of time.
Chapter 12
Ivan was brushing his teeth in the bathroom when he heard his mother screaming. It was seven o’clock in the morning. The pale sunlight was just now starting to turn a more intense gold. Ivan stopped for a moment to listen. After he determined that it was just a vocalization of his mother’s usual nightmares, he resumed his teeth-brushing.
The thought of Eduard popped into his head. His mother’s nightmares had started around the time Eduard divorced her. Eduard had given him the skateboard three years ago, just after Eduard married his mother. Eduard taught him how to skateboard, and they spent many afternoons practicing different tricks in the park. Eduard was kind and patient, and knew the answers to all of his questions. Eduard never shouted or raised a hand, not even when his mother had ruined things for everyone. He lost the only normal family that he had ever known, and the only period of his life when he was actually happy, when Eduard simply left without a word. He missed Eduard terribly.
Ivan’s eyes were getting hot and wet, but he fought the tears back and finished grooming for the morning. He gave himself a big smile in the mirror. He had learned that when he pretended to be happy, he actually could end up feeling better for a short time. Moreover, he was headed to the summer camp for another day of fun, and Sofia was also going to meet him at the beach later that evening. So Ivan was indeed happy, although he was not confident that it would last very long judging from history.
When Ivan went to the kitchen for breakfast, Ana was putting a kettle on the stove to make tea. She had not brushed her hair, and was still wearing the shirt that Ivan saw her in the day before. Ivan could tell that she had been crying because her eyes were red and she was sniffling; that was not uncommon in the last few months, either. Ana was staring into space, and didn’t seem to notice Ivan at all.
“Ma,” said Ivan.
Ana didn’t answer. She was standing in front of the stove, looking straight at the wall.
Ivan didn’t try again. He poured himself some cereal and milk in a bowl, and sat down at the table to eat.
When a high-pitched whistle abruptly pierced the silence, Ana turned off the stove, and poured some hot water into a teacup. She then left the kitchen. Ivan saw her walk to Zoe’s room and knock on it. She went in, called out Zoe’s name a few times, and then she came out and sprinted to Ivan’s room. She called out Ivan’s name in a frantic voice.
Ivan took a deep breath in and sighed and said to the direction of his room, “Ma, I am in the kitchen.”
Ana came back, saw Ivan, and exhaled deeply.
“Thank goodness. I thought you were gone too.” Ana picked up the teacup from the counter and sat down next to Ivan. Ivan wanted to tell her that he had been in the kitchen all this time, but decided to stay quiet.
Ana took a sip of the hot tea and said, “Do you know where your sister is?”
Ivan shrugged his shoulders.
“I wonder if she came home last night,” said Ana.
After a few more seconds of silence, Ivan said, “I am going to the summer camp today, the one at the Institute of Oceanography. You should come and visit on your day off.”
Ana let out a groan that vaguely suggested she heard what Ivan said, but Ivan knew that she wasn’t really listening.
“Mr. Nguyen is really cool,” said Ivan. “He’s teaching me loads of stuff about the dolphins, although I haven’t seen one yet around here. I get to feed the fish and the sea turtles. And this afternoon Mr. Nguyen is taking us out snorkeling. We are taking his boat to Hon Mun.”
Ana nodded, sipped more tea, and then said, “Do you miss Eduard?”
Ivan didn’t want to answer. He was slightly annoyed t
hat Ana didn’t pay any attention at all to what he just told her.
“I’m sorry I screwed it up,” said Ana, “but we are doing pretty well here so far, right?” Ana set her teacup down on the table and looked at Ivan, who was just trying to finish his cereal as fast as he could.
“Are you doing all right in school?” said Ana. “I know you will get excellent grades in all your classes like you always do.”
Ivan got up and put his bowl and spoon in the sink.
“I don’t know what Zoe is up to. She’s always the troublemaker,” said Ana. “But she can play that guitar, and she can sing. I just hope she isn’t running away again. I wonder where she is. I wish she would go to school like a normal teenager. Should I come and visit your teachers today?”
“School is out for summer, Ma,” said Ivan. “We finished a week ago.”
“What? And you are just now telling me that? So what have you been doing since school is over? You are out all day every day,” Ana said with a surprised look on her face.
Ivan felt an anger rising from his chest, and he almost wanted to shout at Ana for being so absentminded. He tightened his fists, but managed to say calmly, “Just hanging out with friends. I’m going now. See you later, Ma.” Ivan grabbed his skateboard and left the apartment.
He went almost everywhere in Nha Trang on his skateboard. From his apartment, it took him almost an hour to get to the Institute of Oceanography. He made several stops along the way to examine all the sights, even though he encountered pretty much the same stores and the same vendors with the same trinkets every day.
After he arrived at the Institute of Oceanography, he spent two hours cleaning the saltwater pools with corals and tropical sea creatures including a variety of fish, reef sharks and sea turtles. He thought about Sofia as he worked. Ivan wanted to hold her hand when they walked on the beach, but he was always too nervous to do it. He thought about asking Misha or Viktor for advice, but he was afraid that they would just laugh at him, telling him that she was way out of his league. He sighed, and after a few minutes of agony he decided that it was good enough to be able to see Sofia every day for half an hour before sunset, walk on the beach together and share a durian smoothie afterward.
“We’ll see you later, Vo.”
Ivan heard a voice behind him. He turned around and saw the camp counselor wave goodbye to a tall black man and a petite, presumably Vietnamese, woman.
Vo Nguyen walked up to the saltwater pools when Ivan was putting away the cleaning equipment.
“I see a big smile on your face. Are you seeing your girlfriend later?” said Vo.
“She is not my girlfriend, Mr. Nguyen,” said Ivan. “We just hang out.” He felt warm all of a sudden.
Vo chuckled and said, “A boy and a girl go walking on the beach every evening just to hang out.”
“Well,” said Ivan after some hesitation, “I do sometimes wish that she were my girlfriend.”
Vo looked at Ivan with a serious expression and said, “Aren’t you a little too young to have a girlfriend? I don’t think your parents will be okay with it.”
“My mother wouldn’t care. She doesn’t care about anything I do, as long as I get good grades.”
“I’m sure your mother does care.”
“You don’t know my mother, Mr. Nguyen. She didn’t even notice when school was out for summer and that I had started coming to camp here.”
“Wait,” said Vo, “she had to know when she signed the registration form and paid the fees.”
Ivan looked away for a moment, and then said, “My mother is very forgetful. She registered me two weeks before school was out, and then she forgot all about it. This morning, she asked me whether she could meet my teachers, but school’s been out a week.”
“Perhaps she just has a lot on her plate. You guys just moved to a foreign country and all.”
They were quiet for a moment, and then Ivan said, “So, you don’t think that I should have a girlfriend?”
“You care about what I think?” said Vo, looking at Ivan.
“Of course, I want to be a good student.”
Vo took a step back and said, “You want to grab a Coke?”
Ivan nodded. He and Vo walked toward the souvenir shop where snacks and drinks were also sold. Vo paid for their soft drinks, and they sat down on the low plastic stools.
“Ivan,” said Vo, “you know you can’t possibly fail this camp, right? I am not giving out grades here. And you have been an excellent student. Whether or not you have a girlfriend, as young as you are, is not up to me, and you don’t need my permission to do anything outside of this place.”
Ivan drank his Coca Cola, not knowing what to say. For some reason, he wanted to always please his counselor, and he respected his counselor’s opinions very much.
“So, tell me more about this girl you are seeing?” Vo took a sip of his cold drink.
Ivan hesitated for a few seconds, and then said, “She is very smart.”
“And?”
“She is very pretty.”
“And?”
“She likes durian smoothie.”
Vo broke out laughing, then said, “And you like her a lot?”
Ivan nodded.
“Do you want her to be your girlfriend?”
“Well, I guess we are too young, like you said.” Ivan lowered his head.
“Young people can fall in love, too,” said Vo. “I fell in love with the prettiest girl I knew when I was younger than you are now.”
“I supposed I am, a little bit, in love.” The last two words were almost inaudible.
“Does she know?”
“I don’t know how to tell her.”
“There are some things in this world that, if you don’t do it now, you will never get a chance to do it at all,” said Vo.
“Are you encouraging me to ask her to be my girlfriend, Mr. Nguyen?”
“No,” said Vo. “I’m encouraging you to be honest with your feelings. I know you are not a rash young man, so I’m not worried about you getting into trouble. I just want you to remember that it’s okay to talk about feelings with the people that you have those feelings for, good or bad. If they care about you, they will appreciate it.”
“I feel that you are an awesome counselor,” said Ivan.
Vo seemed surprised to hear it. “Thank you so much. I appreciate it. That was good practice.”
Ivan took a deep breath and said, “I want to hold her hand when we go walking on the beach. I am too afraid to ask.”
“What’s the worst thing that could happen if you ask?”
“She might leave, and won’t see me ever again.”
“What’s the worst thing that could happen if you don’t ask?”
Ivan thought about it, and then said, “She might become somebody else’s girlfriend.”
“Which is the worse of the two scenarios for you?”
Ivan had the answer right away, and a bright grin came upon his face. He took a big gulp of his Coca Cola.
Vo smiled, too, and said, “Well, you don’t have to tell me. But get your mind off this girl for a few minutes and go get ready for our snorkeling trip. We are going a bit far today. I want to leave early so that you can get to your date on time.”
Vo stood up, and left Ivan there in the souvenir shop, drinking his bubbly with a silly hopefulness. He would ask Sofia this evening, and he would not regret it even if it turned out to be a total disaster. Mr. Nguyen was the best, and at least for the summer, he would have Mr. Nguyen to talk to and confide in, like he used to do with Eduard. But for now, he had better hurry and join the other camp students for another day of adventure at sea.
Chapter 13
“Bye, Mr. Nguyen,” said the students as they got out of Vo’s fishing boat at the Nha Trang Port after their snorkeling trip. Some of them were picked up by their parents, and others were just going to walk home on their own. The sun was still up in the late afternoon, and Ivan was in a hurry to go north on the beach t
o meet Sofia. He tripped over a step and fell, but got up without much apparent injury.
“Be careful there, young man,” said Vo.
Ivan gave a sheepish smile, and left on his skateboard.
Vo shook his head, and then sat down to survey the other boats in the port. He had bought a fishing boat as soon as he arrived in Nha Trang, one that had the traditional blue paint and red trims with a small pilothouse on it. He wondered if his late father had a fishing boat like this before the conflict between the two Vietnams escalated into war.
He thought about how his father had taught him to operate a boat when the family settled in New Orleans. He and his father sailed all along the Louisiana state line portion of the Gulf of Mexico, and sometimes they ventured out even farther. They caught amberjacks and groupers, fish too big for Vo to wrestle with when he was a boy. They brought the catches back to their family restaurant in the Village de l’Est, and his mother would prepare them fresh for the customers the very same day. She would cut up the big fish to make a traditional Vietnamese stew with tomatoes and coriander. For the small fish, she would just deep fry it whole in a wok and serve it with a lemongrass sauce. Occasionally they caught shrimp, crab, or crawfish, and his mother would prepare them in a boil with cayenne pepper, potatoes, and corn on the cobs, a recipe she learned from her Cajun neighbors.
Vo was already hungry after an afternoon of snorkeling with eight very energetic students, and reminiscing about his mother’s cooking made his stomach growl even more. He wiped himself down with a wet towel, changed into a white linen shirt and a pair of khaki shorts, and confirmed that he no longer carried the smell of ocean and sweat with a quick sniff of his elbow. Then, he tied up the boat, got on his motorcycle and headed to Quan Bien Dong.
When he arrived, a large group of tourists were in the middle of selecting their dishes with the assistance of all three waiters currently on duty. Vo could tell that they were speaking Chinese, because he also had encountered a fair number of Chinese tourists at the Institute of Oceanography and at the Sailing Club. Mr. Tran was busy chatting with the group’s Vietnamese tour guide as well. Ana saw Vo come in and signaled him to take a seat in the back of the restaurant. He sat and waited patiently for the Chinese tourists to finish. It was another fifteen minutes before all the waiters left the group and went to the kitchen. Mr. Tran came and greeted Vo with a hand shake, and then hurried into the kitchen, too. Vo was starting to get antsy when Ana finally emerged again.