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  “Sorry about that,” said Ana, nodding her head toward the Chinese tourists.

  “It’s no big deal,” said Vo, smiling at Ana. “They got here first. At least there is no one else here yet, except for me.”

  Ana smiled, but didn’t say anything right away.

  “So how’s your day?” said Vo.

  “Not bad,” said Ana. “I started teaching Russian and I got three students already. Well, one of them is Mai, you know, the head chef here.”

  “You should consider teaching me and my associates at the Sailing Club, too. We get a lot of Russian customers. I’ll recommend you to my boss.”

  “I don’t know. If it’s too technical in terms of diving, I may not know how to say it in Russian, or English, for that matter.”

  They were silent for a moment, and then Ana said, “I totally forgot to ask you what you’d like to have.”

  “I’ll have two fried spring rolls, the grilled snapper, stir-fried pumpkin flowers with garlic, and a bowl of steamed rice.”

  “Do you want a Saigon Beer, too?”

  “Not tonight,” said Vo. “I only get a beer occasionally when I’m out with a friend. I’m really not much of a drinker. I’ll just have a glass of iced water, please.”

  “Good. Alcohol only gets people in trouble. I will be right back with your orders. Wait, I need to take care of those people first.” Ana nodded toward the Chinese tourists again, and then disappeared into the kitchen.

  Vo was peering at the Chinese tourists who were all engaged in animated conversations when McKenzie came in and sat down in front of Vo.

  “Hey. Mind if I join you?” said McKenzie.

  “Of course not,” said Vo. “What brings you in here?”

  “Same as what brings you in I suppose.” McKenzie chuckled. “What’s on the specials tonight? I am famished.”

  “You are going to have to wait till those folks there get served.” Vo looked toward the Chinese tourists as the waiters set down the plates on their table, which hardly had enough space for everything, with the chopsticks, spoons and glasses competing to stay on the surface as well.

  “Ana,” McKenzie shouted when Ana finished serving the Chinese tourists. She came over.

  “What are you doing here?” said Ana. She smiled at McKenzie.

  “Doesn’t anyone know that when a man shows up at a restaurant, it’s usually because he is hungry?” said McKenzie with a serious expression on his face.

  “All right then. What can I get for you?”

  McKenzie pointed to a picture on the menu and said, “I would like to have the frogs with curry sauce, the mango salad, and iced coffee with condensed milk.”

  After Ana went to the kitchen, Vo and McKenzie whispered and started plotting a plan to lure the Chinese tourists to the Sailing Club Dive Center. They were laughing and joking when Ana returned with both Vo’s and McKenzie’s orders ten minutes later.

  “Care to share the funny story?” said Ana as she set down the plates.

  “It’s just something silly,” said Vo.

  “On that note,” said McKenzie, “I do have to ask you a silly question, Ana.”

  “Go ahead.”

  “You see, my ex-girlfriend announced her engagement to this guy that she just barely met, and she posted their photos all over the Internet. I wonder, Ana, if you would agree to pose for a few photos with me and just pretend to be my new girlfriend. I just want to show her that I am not as sorry as she thinks I am.”

  Ana didn’t immediately answer. Vo raised his eyebrow, feeling dumbfounded by the request.

  “I know. It’s really silly,” said McKenzie. “It’s just that we have the same friends and I don’t want to look like a loser. I’ll understand if you don’t want to do it, but you are the only lady I know here.”

  “It’s fine. I can do it,” said Ana. “Do you have a camera?”

  McKenzie produced his cell phone, and handed it over to Vo. “Do you mind?”

  Vo reluctantly took over the cell phone and started photographing Ana and McKenzie as they posed as a couple engaged in various positions of embrace. Ana even sat on McKenzie’s lap and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

  “Okay, I think that’s enough.” Vo handed the cell phone back to McKenzie, and Ana got up from McKenzie’s lap.

  “I need to get back to work,” said Ana as she started to turn away.

  “Wait, Ana,” said McKenzie. “Actually, I also wanted to ask you if you are free tomorrow morning to have breakfast with me at the Sunrise Coffee House.”

  Ana stopped and looked at Vo, and then she looked at McKenzie and said, “Yes, I’d love to.”

  They decided on a time to meet before Ana went to help the other customers. Vo and McKenzie ate quietly for a while. Vo had lost the cheerful spirit that he had come into the restaurant with, and was not in the mood for chatting. McKenzie finally broke the silence.

  “I like Ana,” said McKenzie. “I actually would be thrilled if she were my girlfriend for real.”

  “You haven’t known her that long, yet,” said Vo.

  “I am attracted to her. Did you know she used to be in a punk rock band? She was into the riot grrrl stuff, can you believe it? She played a cassette tape for me the other day, music her band made back in the nineties. She played the rhythm guitar, and she got this raw and powerful voice. Almost made me wish I was in her band, too.”

  “You’ve been spending a lot of time together?”

  “We’ve hung out a few times. She’s a little mysterious, won’t say much about her past really, except that she is single with two kids.”

  McKenzie paused to take a sip of his coffee, and then continued to say, “She kept her apartment spotless, everything in its place. The décor was simple and elegant. And her photographs are amazing. I saw the portraits hanging on the walls of her bedroom; each of them seems to be telling a different story. And there are these seascapes—”

  “You were in her bedroom?” Vo swallowed hard.

  “She just took me there to show me her photographs. Her landlady didn’t want her to hang them in the living room. I don’t see why not. They are masterpieces. As I was saying, the seascapes are spiritual, and I feel almost enlightened whenever I see them.”

  Vo didn’t say anything for the rest of the meal. McKenzie made a few more comments about his life but Vo didn’t pay any attention. They finished their meal and gave Ana a big tip before they left. McKenzie went to walk on the beach, with the intention to visit the bar at the Sailing Club later. Vo turned down the invitation, and got on his motorcycle. The food was excellent, but instead of satisfaction, Vo felt disappointment. He fought the urge to go back in the restaurant. Ana seemed to be quite taken with McKenzie, and that was that.

  Chapter 14

  When Vo returned to his apartment, he heard water flowing and dishes clanking in the kitchen.

  “Hey, Vo,” said Vidal. He was cleaning and putting away the dishes.

  Vo grabbed a cold bottle of water from the refrigerator. He looked at the dish rack full of wet plates, bowls and utensils. “Was Kim here?”

  “Yes, she was. We were both sorry that you had to miss dinner, again.”

  “I told you my schedule is erratic,” said Vo. “Kim knows it, too. She really shouldn’t be spending all this time preparing meals for me. How does she work forty hours a week as a nurse in the ER and still find time to shop for groceries and cook?” Vo sat down at the kitchen table.

  “That’s why she’s amazing,” said Vidal. “That’s why your mother wants you to marry her.”

  Vo didn’t respond to that comment.

  “Anyway, I benefit, too,” said Vidal. “I get to eat all her authentic Vietnamese cooking.”

  “I thought you had enough of that from my mom growing up,” said Vo.

  “It’s different. The ingredients are different. I mean, your mom’s cooking is to die for, but she can’t get some of the spices and herbs you can only get here. Folks here also make things a little differe
ntly. For one thing, I have not had any fried eggrolls since I got here, only fried spring rolls. Have you noticed that?”

  “Okay,” said Vo. “I am glad you are having the culinary adventure of your life.”

  “Vo, I wish you would pay more attention to Kim. She’s trying real hard and learning English real fast, too. She’ll be ready when you take her to the States.”

  “Who says I am going back to the States?”

  “You never told me you intended to live here forever.”

  “Well. I am telling you now.”

  “It doesn’t make a difference to Kim. I am sure. Her family will be glad if you both stay here,” said Vidal. He put the last dish away and dried his hands.

  “Why are you so eager to help?” said Vo.

  “You know why.”

  “No. Please elaborate.”

  “You are doing it again. You snap at people for no reason. You are getting more and more irritable every day and I don’t even know how to have a civilized conversation with you anymore.”

  “Maybe I just snap at you because you get on my nerves.” Vo stood up to leave.

  “You were not like this before Colette died,” said Vidal.

  Vo stopped, and felt a sting in his chest.

  “You left New Orleans because it was torture for you to stay there, because I was there to remind you of Colette. I guess my presence here is causing you pain, isn’t it?” Vidal took a step toward Vo.

  Vo took a deep breath to suppress the heat that was rising in his stomach. He wanted to go to his room, to leave Vidal to his soliloquy, but he was temporarily transfixed, now that Colette’s name was brought up.

  “And I am sorry I chased you down, but I couldn’t stay in New Orleans anymore, either. I need a break, and I want to talk to you. You’ve always been like a brother to me,” said Vidal. “I am sorry that Colette betrayed you. She betrayed me, too. And then before I could figure out what happened, she died. You shut me off, and then left New Orleans without saying goodbye. I lost my twin sister and my best friend all at the same time. How do you think I feel?”

  Vo was speechless. He was not prepared to talk about Colette.

  Vidal continued. “When your mother sent me here to help you and Kim, I was glad she gave me an excuse to come and stay with you for a while. I thought that perhaps now we could really talk things out, and I could have my best friend back.”

  Vo stood still. His whole body was tense now, and he was drowning once again in the disorienting emotions that he had failed to sort out since Colette’s death.

  “Are you going to say anything?” said Vidal.

  Vo shook his head as he turned around to face Vidal. “Why can’t you leave me alone? I was doing fine on my own. Why do you take it upon yourself to mess with my life? You need a break. Use your lawyer dollars and take a fancy vacation somewhere else. Make a new best friend.”

  “I can’t believe you are saying this,” said Vidal. “Have you forgotten what we’ve been through growing up together? We’ve always had each other’s back. It was my fault that Colette ran off with a total stranger a month before she was to marry you. I’ve regretted taking her to the office party and introducing her to that scumbag ever since.”

  “Stop, Vidal.”

  “But she paid for it,” said Vidal. “She paid for it. She got punished for breaking your heart, for breaking all of our hearts. She got punished even though we didn’t ask for any punishment. She got punished. Oh how she got punished.”

  “Stop!”

  “When she was killed because her boyfriend had a little too much to drink and decided to drive anyway, I knew the Lord had smitten her down.”

  Vo stroked his forehead with his hand, and closed his eyes for a moment to process his chaotic thoughts. He lowered his shoulders and said to Vidal quietly, “But I did.”

  “You did what?”

  “Ask for the punishment,” said Vo, trying to steady his voice. “I prayed for it. I hated her so much. I prayed for her to be punished, and she got punished. I killed her. The car crash that killed her, I prayed for it.”

  Vidal was taken aback by Vo’s statement. “Vo,” said Vidal softly, “you don’t seriously believe that Colette died because of an angry curse.”

  Vo sat down, and put both elbows on the table so that he could hold his head in his hands. After a few seconds of silence, Vo said, “I wanted her to die. God knows, I wanted to die. When she called off the wedding and I found out that she had been cheating, my whole world turned upside down. I felt like I had died and landed in hell.”

  Vidal listened quietly.

  Vo continued. “But when it really happened, when she really died, I realized that I never stopped loving her even when she had broken me down to pieces. The few weeks of pain she caused me was nothing compared to nearly four decades of love and lives that we shared with each other. And yet I was selfish, so selfish that I couldn’t just give her away to another person she decided was better than me somehow, so selfish that I wished her a rotten life. And it did rot, and so fast, too. And now I’m mad at myself for wishing it, for not being grateful that I had gotten to know her in the first place at all. She left this world thinking that I hated her, and I just can’t stand the thought of it. I loved her. I love her still now. I’ve forgiven her, but how I wish I’d let her know before she died.”

  Vo and Vidal sat without exchanging a word for the next few minutes. Vo was mourning for Colette. Up until this point he had bottled up his emotions and tossed it at sea, choosing instead a life of an exile. But now the bottle, broken, had drifted ashore in pieces, and all the emotions returned, jagged and distorted, capable of producing even worse wounds.

  “What took you so long to tell me all that?” said Vidal.

  “I don’t know. My head was split in ten different directions. Still is,” said Vo. “I wish I’d married her right after college, instead of working on my stupid PhD and then all that postdoc research with travels that kept me away from what was really important. She never told me why she went for the other guy, but I guess she did it to run away from me, because I had put my career before her.” Vo stood up. “I’ve got to lie down. Sorry, I’ve been a total jerk.”

  “I am to blame, too. I just want my old pal back.”

  “I know you are hard to get rid of,” said Vo, following it with a sniffle. His eyes and nose were burning. He tried to smile, but his muscles were still too tense.

  “So, you really don’t care for Kim?” said Vidal

  “She’s like a sister to me,” said Vo.

  “Your mother is not going to be happy.”

  “We’ll worry about that later.” Vo turned and started walking toward his room.

  Chapter 15

  “So,” said McKenzie, “my three-year-old nephew said, ‘I don’t want to grow up to be a clown. I want to be a statue.’” He held up an arm, pretending to be the Statue of Liberty.

  Ana laughed, and mused on McKenzie’s face as he tried to look serious. It was always delightful to have McKenzie around. He had a way of brightening up her day that made her forget her problems. Even if it was only for one minute, it was priceless.

  The apartment door opened, and Zoe came in.

  “Zoe,” said Ana. She was surprised to see Zoe, who hadn’t been home for weeks. She got up from the bench.

  McKenzie also got up from his chair. Zoe seemed to be headed toward her bedroom, but she had to go through the living room first. She stood in front of McKenzie, studying him from head to toe. Her look was somewhat hostile.

  McKenzie extended a hand to Zoe and said, “I am McKenzie. I have seen your band in Rocking Waves. You guys are pretty cool.”

  “Thanks,” said Zoe. She did not shake McKenzie’s hand, and he withdrew it.

  “Your mother and I were just talking about taking a bus trip to Dalat to get away from the heat a bit,” said McKenzie, rubbing his hands together. “We can stay at a lakeside hotel and go mountain-biking. I’d love to sample the coffee of the
Central Highlands. It’s hard to believe that Vietnam is the second largest coffee-exporting country in the world.”

  Zoe gave a nod and said, “Sounds good. Have fun.” She went to her room, closing the door behind her.

  “I’m so sorry,” said Ana. “I haven’t been very good in helping Zoe with her manners.”

  “She’s great. She acknowledged me at least. That’s rare for a teenager these days,” said McKenzie. “So, what do you think? You want to come to Dalat with me?”

  “I don’t think so. I can’t leave Ivan here.”

  “I want him to come, too, and Zoe,” said McKenzie.

  “I can’t get time off from work, either.”

  “You should at least try.”

  “I’ll think about it,” said Ana. “I have to talk to Zoe. Do you mind if we call it a day?”

  “Sure. Thanks for agreeing to take me on as a student and teach me Russian. Poka.”

  Ana smiled and said, “Poka.” She saw McKenzie out of the apartment, and then she went to Zoe’s room, and knocked on the door.

  “Open the door, Zoe.”

  The door remained closed. Ana tried to open it but it was locked from the inside. Ana kept knocking and yelling for Zoe to open the door. A few minutes later, Zoe opened the door and came out with her backpack over her shoulder. The backpack was bulging at the seams, apparently overstuffed with Zoe’s belongings.

  “Can I have my passport?” said Zoe.

  “Why do you need it?” said Ana.

  Zoe rolled her eyes, shook her head, and started walking toward the door of the apartment.

  “Where are you going?” Ana grabbed Zoe’s arm as she moved through the living room.

  Zoe tried to shake her mother’s hand off but the grip was too strong. She said, “I am done living with you. Let me go.”