Читать книгу Angel in the Full Moon - Don Easton - Страница 9

H ng’s wet hands grasped the rope ladder to the fishing trawler waiting below. A mixture of rain and snow lashed at her face but she did not care. The excitement of finally arriving made everyone slightly giddy. The fact that their ship was three days ahead of schedule made it even better.

As soon as her feet touched the deck of the trawler, she anxiously pushed her way past the others to the outside edge to see if she could see any lights on shore. She saw only darkness.

Hng felt an arm around her shoulders and smiled at Ngoc Bích. “We’ve made it,” said Hng, feeling breathless.

“They told me we would be on land in an hour,” replied Ngc Bích. “We haven’t made it yet.”

“If it is only an hour, I think I could swim that far,” replied Hng.

Ngc Bích laughed and said, “Not here. You would become like a block of ice at the fish market.”

“Quiet everyone! Lie down!” came a man’s hushed voice from the ship above.

Hng quickly did as instructed. Soon the reason was clear as she heard the sound of a third boat. It chugged closer and closer ... before continuing past.

Hng peeked over the railing and saw that it was another fishing trawler heading out to sea. Everything was okay.

Their trawler did make land in an hour and moored alongside a wharf. Two vans took turns relaying the passengers to their next destination. Eventually it was Hng and Ngc Bích’s turn to stumble down a wharf into a waiting van.

“My legs ... they are acting strange,” said Hng.

“We are like sailors,” said Ngc Bích. “At sea many days.” They reached the van and crawled in the back with several other passengers. The driver was a Vietnamese man. He told them he was a fisherman and would take them to his home nearby.

“Just like Hanoi,” commented Hng, gesturing around the van from where she sat on the floor. “Another crowded van filled with the same people. Maybe we’re still in Hanoi.”

Ngc Bích smiled. “Same, same, only different. It is colder. We are in Canada.”

The fisherman’s home turned out to be a house set back from the highway in a forest. Hng had a glimpse of the heavy moss on the roof of the house and the peeling olive-coloured paint on the siding while being ushered inside to join her fellow passengers in the basement of the house.

Once in the basement, Hng felt like she had entered paradise. The room was warm and the floor was scattered with blankets. There was a bathroom, complete with a shower for them to use, and even a television set. Few people from Hng’s neighbourhood would ever be able to afford a television set.

Hng and Ngc Bích looked at each other and smiled. Excited voices drew Hng’s attention to the far side of the room where several of the passengers were standing near a stove. A real stove! Not a hot plate. Hng was awed. That a simple fisherman should own such a place—is it possible?

A large pot of boiling water was on the stove and some of the passengers who had arrived earlier were dumping Dungeness crabs into the pot. Hng and Ngc Bích quickly joined in.

A short time later, Hng crawled under a blanket. Her stomach was full and it didn’t take long for her to fall asleep.

It was many hours later when Hng awoke to the sound of a woman speaking English. The voice came from the television set and she saw Ngc Bích staring at it intently.

Hng joined her and Ngc Bích said, “Good to look. Learn English.”

Hng found herself watching a show called CSI. It was about the American police. It was a show she found engrossing. They are the police and they are scientists. Very smart these American police ...

The fisherman came downstairs to tell them that because the ship was early, they would have to stay in the house for another three days before continuing on.

Hng smiled. She was anxious to meet her new family, but after what she had been through in the last six weeks, this was like being told she would have to stay in a palace.

The fisherman produced the list of paper that Hng had seen prepared by the bald ape and the vulture in Hanoi. The names were called out and everyone was divided into two groups, except for Hng, who remained standing alone.

Then came the bad news. Only half the women were being smuggled into the United States. The other half, including Ngc Bích, would be staying to work in hotels in Canada.

Hng pushed through the group and grabbed her friend by the arm. “Say something! Come to America with me!”

Ngc Bích took the fisherman aside and talked to him quietly. Hng saw him shake his head and she felt a lump in her throat. She wished that her father had sent Linh with her. Now the loneliness crept into her body like the morning fog that swirled past the doors of H Chi Minh’s mausoleum.

Ngc Bích returned and said, “It is not all bad. I must work in Canada for only a few months. Then I will be sent to America. I have been selected to work at hotels owned by three men. They are Vietnamese. The Trn brothers. I am told that one of them is taking you to your home in America. He will know where you are. We will see each other in a few months.”

Hng looked at Ngc Bích and said, “You will not forget me?”

“You would forget your sister?” asked Ngc Bích.

“No. I wish she was here now,” grumbled Hng.

“In Hanoi I told you I would be your sister as well. I will not forget you any more than I would forget my other brothers and sisters in Nha Trang.”

Hng looked solemnly at Ngc Bích before hugging her.

The next couple of days went by quickly for Hng. She spent much of her time watching back-to-back episodes of CSI. A cube van arrived one morning and the women who had been selected to go to the United States were called.

Hng collected her clothes and turned to hug Ngc Bích, but the fisherman touched her shoulder and said, “Not yet. You must stay here with these other women until more arrangements are made.”

Hng felt happy. The longer she was with Ngc Bích, the better.

Later that night, another cube van arrived and the fisherman came downstairs with a young Vietnamese man. The fisherman pointed to Hng and the young man immediately approached her.

“You speak English?” he asked.

“Yes,” replied Hng.

“My name is Tommy. I was born in Canada. My Vietnamese is not so good. Explain to the others that we must leave here at midnight tonight. We have to catch a ferry at quarter after five in the morning.”

“Another boat?” asked Hng.

“Not long. Only two hours. Everyone will ride in the back of the truck. Tell them to be quiet. I do not want anyone to know there are other people in the truck.”

“And after this ferry ride I go to United States?” asked Hng.

“I do not know. I work for c. He told me and Cng to bring everyone, so you’re coming to.”

“Cng?” asked Hng.

“He is driving the truck. He works for my boss, too.”

“Mister c is one of three brothers?” asked Hng.

“Yes, c has two brothers in business with him.”

“Now I understand,” said Hng. “Mine is a special situation. I will not be working in the hotel business. Your boss is going to take me to live with a family in the United States.”

“Lucky for you.”

Hng gestured at the CSI show on the television and said, “Lucky—only if I do not get caught by the police. The American police are very smart. They are scientists.”

Hng believed her worry was justified and was startled when Tommy started laughing.

“You laugh that I may get caught? After what I have been through!” she said angrily.

“No ... this is just television,” Tommy said with a smile. “You need not be afraid. What you are watching ... that is not all the police in the States. CSI are a special type. They only work on dead people. Believe me, if my boss is looking after you, you will not have to worry about the police.”

“You are certain?”

“Yes. My boss does not take chances.”

Their midnight truck ride, followed by the trip on the ferry, went without incident.

It was eight o’clock in the morning when Hng accepted Ngc Bích’s helping hand as she climbed out of the truck. The truck had been backed up to a garage where a man ushered everyone to the rear of the garage. The overhead door was shut as the truck drove away.

The man inside the garage said his name was Giang. He said they would only have to wait a few minutes and would be on their way once more.

As they waited, Hng saw Giang leering at the women. His eyes settled on Ngc Bích and he stared brazenly, with a thin smile on his lips. Hng knew Ngc Bích was perhaps the prettiest, but to be so bold as to stare ...

“I do not like that man,” whispered Hng, while clutching Ngc Bích by the hand.

“If he were an animal,” said Ngc Bích, “he would be a pig.”

Hng smiled and said, “You think of people as animals or birds?”

“Sometimes.”

“On our voyage, did you see a bald ape and a long-billed vulture?”

Ngc Bích paused for a moment, and smiled. “Yes. The two foreigners in the apartment in Hanoi!”

They both giggled but Giang cut them short by stepping closer. “What are you saying about me?” he snarled.

Hng stepped back, fearfully tugging on Ngc Bích’s hand but she remained firm and looked Giang in the eye and said, “Who are you that we should talk about you? We were talking about Hanoi.”

“That ...” Giang’s response was interrupted by a doorbell and another Vietnamese man hollered to him from inside the house. Giang immediately disappeared, only to return moments later with two more Vietnamese men.

These two men repeated the pattern that Hng had seen in the apartment in Hanoi. The remaining women were once more divided into two groups, while she was left standing alone.

Minutes later, one of the Vietnamese men backed a van inside the garage and the first group of women were driven away.

The second Vietnamese man pointed a finger at Hng and said, “You will wait here. My brother will be along soon.” He looked at the remaining women and said, “Wait until I back my van up to the garage and then get in.”

Hng realized that Ngc Bích would be gone within a minute. She felt Ngc Bích’s fingers on her arm and they looked at each other and tried to smile. Ngc Bích fondly massaged Hng’s arm and said, “Only a couple of months. It will go fast.”

“You are my first friend in America,” said Hng.

“No,” chided Ngc Bích. “We are sisters.”

Hng heard the harsh command telling the women to hurry as they climbed into the second van. The overhead garage door closed again and Ngc Bích was gone.

Hng was now in the garage alone with Giang and she fearfully glanced in his direction.

“Sit on the floor and wait,” he said, and turned and went into the house.

Hng was glad to be alone.

Half an hour passed before Giang returned. “Mister c is here,” he said, opening the garage door. c drove a car into the garage and Giang closed the door behind him.

The man got out of the car and smiled at Hng. “I am here to take you to your new family.”

Hng saw that c was a small man, with skinny arms and legs. If he were an animal, he would be a spider monkey. She nodded respectfully and asked, “Mister c, may I ask if the journey will be long?”

“You may ask whatever you like! No, your journey will not be long. We are in a place called Richmond. It is close to the American border. You will be in your new home in less than two hours.”

“In two hours!” Hng felt the adrenalin pump through her veins.

“I must apologize that you will have to ride in the trunk of my car. It will be uncomfortable, but I have put several pillows and a blanket in there to try and make it more comfortable. There is also some bottled water.”

“Thank you, Mister c.”

“I have a rear seat that folds down and for a little while, we will leave it down so you can talk if you wish. Once we get close to the border you will have to pull the seat closed and be very quiet as I clear U.S. Customs. Leave it closed until I tell you that it is okay.”

“They will not search your trunk?” Hng asked.

c smiled and said, “Some money will be passed. It is arranged, but it is still better if you are quiet.”

c turned to Giang and said, “Be at the Orient Pleasure tonight at closing time. Bring the guys. I will be at a party and may be late. No matter if I am there or not. Start the ...” c glanced at Hng before continuing, “the training without me.”

Hng could not help but notice the harsh tone of c’s voice when he spoke with Giang, who nodded obediently while staring down at his own feet.

Mister c may look like a spider monkey—but he is powerful!

c opened up the trunk to his car and gestured for Hng to get in. She climbed in and made herself comfortable on some pillows. c opened up half of the rear seat and from her position, Hng could see out the car windows at an angle looking up.

“When we get close to the U.S. border, I will tell you and you can just pull on that strap and the seat will close,” said c.

Hng nodded, feeling her body tremble as the final leg of her journey began.

Street lights and overhead signs passed by quickly as they drove. Hng saw that they were on a highway marked 99.

“Up ahead, Hng!” yelled c. “Look! See it?”

Hng strained her head up to see what c was pointing at. Canada–U.S. Border! This is it! “I see it! I see it!” she said.

“Pull the seat closed! Quickly!” yelled c.

Hng yanked hard on the strap and the seat closed tightly into position. She was now in complete darkness. She worried that the pounding of her heart could be heard. When she heard the blast of music as the radio was turned up she breathed easier. Mister c knows what he is doing ...

c smiled as he turned off at the 8^th Avenue exit, just prior to the U.S. border. He made a couple of more turns and slowed down as he inched his way along in a lineup of cars.

Hng could hear little due to the loud music, but she felt the motion of the car as it would slowly pull ahead, stop, pull ahead some more. Her feet touched the plastic bag containing her clothes and it made a rustling sound. She froze, holding her breath, but the car inched forward again.

c picked up his coffee at the drive-through window and continued on.

Hng breathed a sigh of relief as she felt the car pick up speed. c turned the radio down and yelled back to her, “Don’t open the seat. We’re through, but there are lots of big trucks beside me. I don’t want anyone to look down and see you. Should only be about another twenty minutes.”

Twenty minutes later, Hng felt the car stop and heard the sound of a garage door. c pulled into the garage and she heard the garage door close. The trunk was opened.

Hng saw a large man standing next to c. He was about the same age as her own father, but he was wearing sweat pants and a white T-shirt. Hng had never seen a man with arms bulging with such big muscles.

“Hng,” said c, “I’d like you to meet ...”

“Pops,” the big man beside c said. “Just call me Pops.” He smiled and said, “Here, let me help you out of there. I bet you’re really uncomfortable.”

Before Hng could answer, he bent over and lifted her out of the trunk and gently set her down beside him. “Welcome to the States,” he said. “Come, I’ll show you your new home,” he said, opening a door that led into the house. “You must be tired ... and hungry too, I bet!”

Hng felt dumbstruck as she was shown around the house. c trailed along behind and seldom spoke. To Hng, the house was huge. There was a large kitchen and a sitting room with a fireplace.

“How many other families live here?” asked Hng.

Pops chuckled and said, “Just us. No other families.”

Hng shook her head in amazement, and asked, “Where is Mrs. Pops? Is she here? I have something to give her.”

“She is not home right now. Her mother is sick and she had to go away for a couple of days.”

“I am sorry,” said Hng, hoping her question did not cause discomfort.

“That is okay. Come, let me show you the rest of the house. For now, we have to keep the drapes and blinds shut. Nobody must know you are here until we receive the proper documentation.”

Pops shoved open a door and said, “This is my bedroom.”

Hng looked inside and saw that on the opposite side of the bedroom was the bathroom. To get to the bathroom you have to walk through Mister Pops’s bedroom! Poor to build a house in such a manner.

Hng was led farther down the hall and Pops opened the door to another room.

“This is your bedroom,” said Pops, placing Hng’s bag of clothes on the floor. “You can hang your jacket in the closet.”

Hng gazed around the room in awe. It was huge. Her eyes wandered from a big stuffed teddy bear lying on the bed to something that startled her.

“Mister Pops! There is a television in my room! Do we watch it in here?”

Pops laughed and said, “No, that is just for you.”

“For me!” Hng exclaimed, putting her hand over her mouth.

“You can watch it in here if you want to be alone. I’ll show you another television that you can watch if you do not wish to be alone. It is much bigger, but first, I want to finish showing you around up here.”

Hng opened the closet door and saw that the closet had more space than the area that both she and Linh had when they slept at home.

Pops opened another door beside her bedroom. “This is your bathroom,” he said. “If there is anything you are missing or anything you need, please just ask me.”

“Mister Pops, this is ... for me, too?”

He grinned and said, “Mister? No, no, no. Just call me Pops. Yes, this bathroom is for you until your sister comes. Then you’ll have to share the bathroom with her. Of course,” he said, opening the door to another bedroom, “she’ll have own her room.”

“I’ll go now,” interrupted c. He handed Pops a cellphone and said, “For later.”

Pops had Hng wait in the kitchen while he went to the garage with c. As soon as c was gone, Pops returned and said, “Come, follow me. I’ll show you a real TV set.”

Hng was in a daze as Pops led her to the basement, where they entered a large room with wooden panelling on the walls and thick wall-to-wall carpet. There was a leather sofa, two upholstered chairs, and a coffee table in the room.

“Help yourself whenever you want,” said Pops, gesturing to a bowl full of candy on the table.

Hng gawked at the wall opposite the sofa. Hanging on the wall was the largest television set she had ever seen.

“And this room over here is just another bathroom,” said Pops, gesturing to another door. “The room beside it just has my weights for working out.”

Hng started to cry. She tried to stop, but she couldn’t help herself.

“What is wrong?” asked Pops.

Hng flung her arms around him and said, “Nothing. It is so much just for me. My tears are happy tears.”

Pops hugged her back and said, “Why don’t you go back upstairs and freshen up? Take a hot bath or a shower. There are clean towels in the bathroom for you. It is also lunchtime. While you’re doing that, I’ll order some pizza.”

Pops stared at Hng for a moment and said, “If you like pizza? Otherwise I can order something else?”

“I like pizza,” said Hng, using her hands to wipe her tears. Later, while gorging herself on pizza, Hng turned to Pops and nervously said, “My father has a phone. He asked that I call him.”

“I think you should. He must be worried.”

“I have not talked to him for six months—no, weeks,” replied Hng. “I worry about my sister and grandmother, too.”

Pops checked his watch and said, “With the time difference, it is now about four in the morning there. Maybe a little early for a call. Let’s wait a few hours.”

Hng nodded in agreement.

Pops spied Hng’s extra thumb and gently reached out and touched it. “I was told about this. Does it cause you pain?”

Hng quickly withdrew her hand from the table and placed it on her lap.

“Please, I did not mean to embarrass you,” said Pops. “I just wondered if it caused you any pain.”

“It does not hurt” replied Hng, matter-of-factly. “Only in my head it hurts. Not real pain.”

Pops smiled knowingly and said, “If you like, in time, I will have a surgeon remove it for you. But that will be your decision. It does not bother me at all.”

Hng smiled and brought her hand back into view. “I think I would like that. To be the same as other children. My sister does not have this problem. She is perfect.”

“Your sister ... I understand the next ship leaves in three days. Do you think she will like it here? I bet you miss her?”

“Yes, very much,” she admitted.

“I hope you will be happy here,” said Pops.

Hng beamed. Words were not necessary.

“Your English is very good, but in a few days we will start you on home-schooling. Right now, I bet you are exhausted.”

Hng smiled and said, “Yes. I am very tired.”

“If you’ve had enough to eat, go to your room and take a nap. I’ll wake you in a couple of hours and then you can call your dad.”

Hng went to her room and climbed into bed. She had never slept in a bed so big. Or on a mattress and pillow that was so soft. Too soft for what she had become used to. She elected instead to lie on the floor and cover herself with a blanket. She fell asleep immediately and slept soundly until she was awakened a few hours later by a gentle knock on her door.

A few minutes later, she sat at the kitchen table with Pops, who picked up a cellphone on the table.

“Do not say anything on the phone about the ship or the name of who smuggled you into the States,” he cautioned. “It is risky for you to call home now, because the American police monitor calls to foreign countries. Especially a communist country like Vietnam.”

“I understand,” said Hng.

“Tell your dad how excited you were to see the American border sign when you arrived. That would be good. If the police are listening, they would think you drove across the border as people are supposed to.”

“Okay,” said Hng.

“Do you think your sister will be happy here? I understand the next ship leaves in three days.”

“It would be an honour for her to be in your house, Mister Pops.”

“I think it would be better for you if she was here. There is another girl that wants to come. It must be decided now. I can only have two girls and I think it better that you have your sister. Don’t you?”

Hng was startled to learn that there was a possibility that another girl may be selected. “Yes, I want my sister,” she said quickly. “She is kind and polite. She will be no trouble for you.”

“Your dad must miss you. Won’t it be nice when he can come and live here, too?”

“You think he can?” asked Hng.

“Not right away. But think about it. You are free to become anything you want in this country. You could become a lawyer if you want. Then you could draw up the papers yourself to allow your father to immigrate here.”

“He really wants to come to America.”

“Good. I think we can risk one call right now. In a couple of weeks, when certain papers are in order, you can use the regular phone in the house and call home whenever you like.”

Hng gave Pops the number and he dialled. “It is ringing,” he said, while passing her the phone.

Hng’s call was an excited combination of tears and laughter as she spoke of her new surroundings and her dreams for the future. Pops was generous with the time she could talk and when she was finished, she had spoken at length with her father, Linh, and even her grandmother.

As soon as she hung up, she felt sorrow. She had never been completely away from her family before. Occasionally, in the past, before her father had become a tourist guide, he had to go away for a couple of weeks to work on farms. Even then, Hng still had Linh, who helped her look after Grandmother.

“You look sad,” commented Pops. “Is everything okay?”

Hng nodded and said, “I am okay. I am only sad because I miss them.”

“That is why I wish your sister had come with you. It would make it easier. Your father was told that.”

Hng’s face brightened and she said, “She will come now. You do not need that other girl. She will start the voyage in three days.”

“That’s great,” said Pops, sounding relieved. “Oh, there is one thing I forgot to show you. It is in case the police should ever come before your papers are in order. I have built a secret room in the basement for you to hide in. Come, I will show it to you.”