Aperture on the East

by Meris Lee

  “Many corporates had gone under in the last few years, and his firm didn’t need as many lawyers anymore. He values his career as much as you do yours, you know. He was crushed,” said Lan. “He was already depressed from losing Colette. He lost you, too, in a sense. So when he lost his job, it was like the whole world had turned upside down. Did you even notice that he lost weight when he first got here? I bet you didn’t, all wrapped up in yourself. Anyway, he moved back home because he couldn’t afford his apartment downtown, and he locked himself up in his room for weeks. His mother had to beg him to drink water. It took a great deal of effort, but we finally convinced him to come to Nha Trang. We thought maybe you two can help each other out.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” said Vo in disbelief.

  “Vidal asked me not to. He didn’t want you to feel obligated to do anything. He just wanted to come and ‘chill’ with his best friend, using his word.”

  “How was I going to help if I didn’t know what was going on?”

  “I thought you two would have figured things out by now. You guys used to be like the two sides of a coin, always in each other’s head without much help from us.”

  “We might have figured it out if you didn’t ask him to get me and Kim together. We didn’t have time to talk about our own problems. All we did was arguing over Kim,” said Vo.

  “Fine, that was my mistake. But you do need to get married. You can’t be a bachelor forever.”

  “You can’t force these things.”

  “I should have forced you to marry Colette sooner. I would have had a few grandsons by now.”

  “Or granddaughters. Anyway, like you said, it just wasn’t meant to be.”

  “What is it?” said Lan. “You used to be so upset when we brought up Colette. I know you regret it, too, wasting all those years when you could be having a family of your own. You don’t even sound like you care anymore.”

  “What’s the use? We can’t bring her back.”

  Lan studied Vo’s face and said, “Is there someone else on your mind? A new girlfriend?”

  Unsure of how his mother would react, Vo hesitated to answer. But she would have to know sooner or later. He said, “Actually, yes, there is someone.”

  “Is this why you didn’t want to go through the engagement with Kim?”

  “I never wanted to marry Kim. I just didn’t know how to break it to you or Kim’s parents. Anyway, then Ana showed up,” said Vo.

  “Ana, so that’s her name,” said Lan.

  “Yes, her name is Ana. I can’t explain it. I didn’t think I could fall in love again after Colette left me. I didn’t want to. But with Ana, it just happened. I’m in love with her. I love her,” said Vo.

  “Marriage is not all about love. How much do you know about this Ana?” said Lan. “I know Kim really well. I know her parents. Her mother and I are old friends. Kim’s had a great college education, and she is a licensed nurse. She can cook, Vidal told me, and you know how picky he is. And she’s still in her twenties, so that means babies. Kim is a very good match by all standards.”

  “Mom, I thought we were talking about Ana. I’ve heard all about Kim already. I know whoever marries her will be very lucky, but I am not going to be that person. I can’t marry her if I don’t love her,” said Vo, frustrated.

  “Okay, so tell me about this Ana. I have the right to know. I am your mother.”

  “She’s free-spirited, kind, witty, and beautiful. I feel so happy just being next to her,” said Vo, as if recounting a dream.

  “Where’s she from? How old is she? What do her parents do for a living? What does she do for a living?”

  “She’s a photographer, and she teaches Russian.”

  “Russian? She learned it in school? They teach Russian in schools here?”

  “I suppose she could’ve had Russian in school, like I had English in school. She’s from Russia.”

  “What? I thought you were talking about a Vietnamese girl.”

  “I didn’t think you would have a problem with that. Colette was not Vietnamese.”

  “Colette was special,” said Lan. “Anyway, I admit that I prefer to have a Vietnamese daughter-in-law, so she can speak our language and cook our dishes when I am old. Well, that’s not so important. Your own sisters can’t carry on an intellectual conversation in Vietnamese, and all they can make is pasta and frozen pizza. So, no, I don’t have a problem with a girl from Russia.”

  “I really appreciate your understanding, Mom,” said Vo.

  “She’s an artist? That means no steady income,” said Lan with a frown.

  “Well, she does have a day job. No, I should say, an evening job.”

  “You are not making any sense. So, can I meet this Ana before I leave for America? You know I am leaving soon. My restaurant needs me.”

  “I will arrange for you to meet Ana. I am sure she will be all right with it. We really just started going out.”

  “So, you mean you are not sure whether you will marry her yet? Here I am thinking you are serious already.”

  “I am serious. We are just not at that point where we talk about marriage yet. You can’t hurry these things.”

  “In your case, you’d better hurry. You took way too long with Colette, and look what happened.”

  “I promise you that I won’t take too long with Ana, but there is a customary period of courtship to be observed.”

  “You really are happy, aren’t you?” said Lan. “You only talk funny when you are. Well, I am going to bed. I can’t wait till you are settled down so I can retire and babysit your kids. Whoever this Ana is, she’d better give me some grandsons. That’s all I ask for.”

  She got up and walked toward her bedroom. She stopped, and turned around to say, “And don’t forget to make it up with Vidal. He told me that he’s working as a bouncer at an American nightclub. What’s a bouncer?”

  “You don’t want to know,” said Vo. “You will only worry. I will try and find him tomorrow. I don’t think he will leave Nha Trang so quickly.”

  Lan was satisfied with that answer, and went into her room.

  Vo was relieved that his mother seemed to have forgiven him for the fiasco with Kim, but somehow, he didn’t think that his mother would be too happy with Ana. Regardless, it was not up to his mother. He didn’t need for his mother to approve of a wife, even though it would make for a much easier life.

  Chapter 28

  It had been a rewarding day at the Institute of Oceanography. Ivan cleaned the saltwater pools and fed the fish for the last time, and then gave a short presentation on the dolphins of the South China Sea to his fellow camp mates. It was the last day of the summer camp, and after all the students did their chores and presentations, they went out with Vo on his fishing boat to Hon Mun. They had a great picnic of Vietnamese finger foods and fresh fruits, and then took turns kayaking in the crystal clear water. All the boys enjoyed snorkeling, observing the coral reefs and their colorful resident fish. They even got to see some reef sharks and manta rays, a rare sight. They were all giggling, having the best time of their lives, when Vo announced that they had to return to Nha Trang. Their faces were sad and long when they said goodbye to one another back at the port. Mr. Nguyen gave everyone a hug and then a manly handshake. Ivan was the last one to leave. He had grown so fond of Vo, looking up to him for guidance and comfort, that he felt a little sick at this farewell.

  Vo patted Ivan on the back and said, “If you need someone to talk to, you can always come by to see me, no appointment needed.”

  Ivan bit his lower lip, fought back his tears and said, “Thank you, Mr. Nguyen. You are the best.”

  “I’ve enjoyed having you here as well,” said Vo. He waved goodbye and rode away on his motorcycle.

  Ivan stepped on his skateboard and started moving toward the city center. He met up with Misha and the other skateboarding pals at the beach park, and they all had a good time showing off their new tricks. Ivan had just mastered the tre
flip over the summer, and gathered quite a few compliments on it. As usual a crowd of local kids came to watch. There were also quite a few Vietnamese teenagers beside Duong who skateboarded in their own groups. All of them used the inclined wall connecting the street and the beach park as a skateboarding ramp, and even performed some aerial tricks flying down the series of steps at the promenade. Once or twice someone would lose control and glide all the way into traffic on the street. This invariably caused everyone to shout anxiously as the cars came to a screeching halt. Presently, Koji was the one standing in the middle of the busy Tran Phu Boulevard. He turned the brim of his baseball cap from back to front, and sheepishly carried his skateboard back onto the promenade.

  “Are you okay?” said Josh.

  “I’m cool,” said Koji.

  Before they could resume skateboarding, a police officer came to warn them not to get onto the street again. This might result in a ticket or a visit to the local police station in the future. They were also warned not to disturb the locals who were gathering to either exercise or socialize. The police had received several complaints about their unruly attitude and reckless maneuvers that sometimes collided with pedestrians and caused minor injuries.

  After the police officer left, everyone decided to call it a day. Ivan stayed behind as usual to wait for Sofia. The sun was about to set and the ocean had turned a grayish blue. The sky was painted in shades of purple. Ivan sat down on a bench to take in the breeze.

  “Hi, Ivan,” said Sofia as she appeared behind him. She was wearing a white linen sun dress. Her red curly hair was fixed in a high ponytail with a plumeria hair tie. She was barefoot, as she often was when she walked on the beach. She had told Ivan that she loved to feel the sand sink away with each step, and she savored the caress of the water around her ankles as the gentle waves came in.

  “Hi, Sofia,” said Ivan, awestruck again by Sofia’s simple yet sophisticated look and the sweet smile on her face. She looked completely different from the bossy, know-it-all class president that he met the first day of school a few months ago. As a matter of fact, once summer began, Sofia had always appeared more relaxed and easygoing, unlike Ivan’s friends’ description of a competitive, even cutthroat, overachiever.

  Sofia sat down next to Ivan, and he noticed the glass jar of seashells in her hand. He said, “What’s that?”

  “These are some of my most treasured seashells that I’ve collected from the beach here.”

  “You know that you are supposed to leave some for the other kids right? Imagine how sad those kids will be when they don’t find any seashells on their beach vacations. Plus, aren’t you helping to erode the beach or something like that?” said Ivan, half-jokingly.

  “I am not sure there is any scientific basis to your second statement,” said Sofia with a serious expression on her face

  “Relax, I was kidding,” said Ivan.

  They went on a beach walk hand in hand, and watched people practice martial arts and line dancing. They made fun of teenage couples that were necking on their motorcycles, and laughed at the middle-aged, pot-bellied men jogging without their shirts. They stopped to practice their Vietnamese conversation with a group of gray-haired women sitting at the edge of the water, wearing dresses instead of swim suits.

  Finally, Ivan and Sofia went to the café they frequently visited to get durian smoothies. They looked at each other with smiles and giggles while sipping their cold drinks. When they were halfway through, Sofia’s smile suddenly disappeared and her face became shrouded by a gloom.

  Ivan stopped smiling, too. “What’s the matter?” said Ivan.

  Sofia set the glass jar of seashells in front of Ivan and said, “I want you to keep these for me while I am gone. My papa and I are visiting Russia for two weeks. We are leaving tomorrow. I will be back before school starts. My papa only just told me last night.”

  “Bummer. I will miss you the entire time till you come back,” said Ivan solemnly.

  Sofia looked out the window and said, “My ride is here, so I will say goodbye now.”

  “Why don’t we plan to meet at our usual spot across the street from here when you return? Right there by that bench under that coconut tree.” Ivan pointed toward the beach.

  “Sure. Let’s make a promise.” Sofia showed Ivan her pinky, and Ivan hooked it with his.

  “So, I will wait for you on that bench two weeks from today,” said Ivan.

  “Make it two weeks and a day,” said Sofia.

  They said their goodbyes reluctantly as Ivan walked Sofia out of the café. Sofia turned in the last minute and threw her arms around Ivan. Ivan’s hands were occupied by the skateboard and the jar of seashells, so he couldn’t reciprocate. Sofia gazed into Ivan’s eyes one more time, then kissed him gently on his lips before she turned around and entered the backseat of the black Rolls Royce. Ivan stood and watched until the car disappeared into the horizon.

  Feeling dejected, Ivan slowly moved toward his apartment on his skateboard, holding the jar of seashells. He hadn’t had any dinner besides the durian smoothie, but he was not hungry. Sofia said that she would return, but it felt like they were parting forever.

  When Ivan got home, a Vietnamese woman was standing outside the door. She looked at Ivan and said, “Are you Ana’s son?”

  “Yes, are you looking for my ma?”

  “I came for my five o’clock Russian lesson, but no one answered the door.”

  Ivan remembered that it was Monday, his mother’s day off from the restaurant. He said, “I’ll go in and see.”

  “It’s too late, now. I have to go back to work. When you see your mother, please ask her to call me. My name is Mai Nguyen. I am the head chef at the restaurant where your mother works. She knows my number.” Mai turned around, and walked down the stairs to exit the apartment building.

  Ivan opened his apartment door with his key and went inside. It was dark, with the curtains drawn. He turned on the light. There was paper everywhere in the small living room, photographs that Ana was working on and handouts for her Russian-learning students. Ivan went to the kitchen, and saw a couple of empty vodka bottles in the trash can.

  He went to his room to set his skateboard and the jar of seashells down. He gathered some clean clothes and headed to the bathroom. When he came out again, he was surprised to see his mother in the living room, apparently trying to tidy it up.

  “Ma, you are home?”

  “Hi, Ivan, had a good day?” said Ana. She looked cheerful.

  “It was okay. Your student was looking for you. Mai Nguyen. She said she was the head chef at your restaurant.”

  “Mai? Oh goodness. I completely forgot about it,” said Ana, who stopped cleaning, and seemed to be going over her schedule in her head.

  “She wants you to call her,” said Ivan. He was heading toward his room again, when the apartment door opened and Zoe came in.

  Zoe was carrying two bags of groceries. She gestured for Ivan to follow her to the kitchen, and removed the contents from the bags. There were fresh fruits, sandwiches, savory pastries, a jug of milk and a carton of juice. She even brought a to-go box with stir-fried mixed vegetables and a whole roasted duck.

  “This should last you a few days. I will bring some more later,” Zoe said to Ivan.

  “Sweet,” said Ivan. He was hungry all of a sudden, and tackled one of the sandwiches right away.

  Zoe opened the refrigerator, which was practically empty except for some leftovers Ana brought back from her restaurant.

  “You’re still at the camp?” said Zoe as she filled the refrigerator

  “Today was the last day,” said Ivan with his mouth full.

  “And still going out with Sofia?”

  “Yeah, but she’s going to Russia for two weeks,” said Ivan sullenly.

  “Oh come on. Be a man about it. What happened to your skateboard friends?”

  “We got chewed out by a cop today. He said we were too annoying, basically.”

  “Good, k
eep annoying him,” said Zoe with a laugh.

  “What’s this?” said Ana when she came into the kitchen and saw the groceries.

  “I’m just making sure my brother doesn’t starve to death,” said Zoe. She finished filling the refrigerator, and made a move to leave.

  “Wait a minute. I am the mother. I can take care of Ivan,” said Ana.

  “You are the mother. Then be a mother!” said Zoe.

  “What do you think I’ve been doing all this time? Did I leave you two behind in Russia? I brought you down here to start over, and I’ve been trying so hard to be your mother, to do what a mother does. You don’t seem to appreciate it. You’d rather shack up with that thug from the nightclub,” said Ana, raising her voice.

  “I am surprised you remember that thug. You were pretty drunk the night you met him,” said Zoe sarcastically.

  “I’m quitting,” said Ana. “There won’t be any more alcohol.”

  “So you say,” said Zoe.

  “Come back home and watch me,” said Ana.

  “What? Are you blackmailing me? I have nothing to do with your drinking. Don’t pin that on me.”

  “Stop it,” said Ivan, almost yelling.

  All three were silent for a minute, and then Ivan said, slowly and glumly, “I hate my life.” He went back to his room.

  Ana and Zoe stared at each other, neither willing to take the blame for Ivan’s depressing outlook. After a minute, Ana said, “Well, are you coming home to stay or what?”

  “Not a chance,” said Zoe. “I’m leaving now. And surprise me by staying sober, will you?”

  Zoe left the apartment, slamming the door loudly behind her.

  Ana sat down in a chair by the kitchen table to clear her thoughts. She had already made up her mind to quit drinking after Vo came to see her the other day. She had some vodka left, so she decided to drink up the rest, and then she would have no more. Nothing alcoholic, not even chocolates laced with rum or cough syrup with ethanol. But sitting at the kitchen table right now, feeling defeated by lack of love and respect from her children, it took all the strength she had not to run out and get a glass of wine just to help her relax.