Ninth Story: In the Valley of Affection A few days later, Sukho get another piece of mail and again this was from Ninh, not Soonhae he had been waiting for. "Oh Soonhae please write me. I would be happy with just one mail from you!" Silently pleading to Soonhae, he opened letter from Ninh. Though Ninh confessed her love to Sukho, his heart was still dedicated to Soonhae. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In October, news reported heavy bombing over Gulf of Tonkin. The battle got fiercer and Korean troops got more casualties. Many soldiers were wounded and some of them were killed in action and their ashes returned home in small boxes. After busy weeks of treating wounded soldiers, Lieutenant Kang was sent to Nha Trang and Cam Ranh for short mission. A senior officer told him "Hey Lieutenant Kangenjoy your stay in Nha Trang. There are plenty of drinking bars and you will find a lot of pretty local girls!" Sukho traveled to Cam Ranh then headed for Nha Trang. His mission was completed sooner than expected and he got a day free from any duty. He risked a bus ride to Da Lat to meet Ninh rather than spend this extra day at drinking bar and for girls. The bus traveled a long path to Da Lat passing jungle and forest devastated by Agent Orange. Ninh and her family gave a warm welcome to this unexpected guest. He got a royal treatment from Le family and even had a chance to tour around the city. Ninh in her white traditional Ao Dai with a large brimmed hat exerted mysterious exotic senses while touring this foreign city. The grandeur of the resident of former Vietnam president Ngo Dinh Diem who was expelled by military coup de tat reminded him of late Korean President Rhee who was the first president of republic but exiled by military. Also remarkable was the military academy building at the suburb of Da Lat. It was built by French colonial government as evidenced by the typical European style with red roof. Playfully, Sukho and Ninh threw pebbles on the pond inside academy compound and waived to the cadets. Then, Ninh guided Sukho to a valley which he could not forget all his life. It was a named "Valley of Love". This park was located on Northeastern part of city and its entrance was like an opening in a thick forest. So entering the park was like entering a man-made cave. Banana trees, agave plants, pine trees and Cocoa trees lined up all around the forest and he could hear sounds of apeschattering. Tourists could find large Buddha statues and tall pagodas at the entrance of park. The statue gave a look of a counselor telling about the future of each person. At the gift shops, they were selling many souvenirs and numerous eateries around were bustling. It appeared there was no war going on - rather, they wanted to forget about the war. There was a big sign saying "The Valley of LoveThac Voi Fall, Tahc Prenn Fall". In this valley, there were 3 beautiful water falls originating from high mountain lake named Ho Suoi Vang meaning Golden Fountain. According to a legend, angels from the heaven descended down to valley of love to take bath and relax. Ninh explained that as this is such a beautiful place, it was known as Lumbini Garden. "Did you say the Garden of Lumbini?" Sukho asked Ninh. "Yes that is the Garden of Buddha. Lumbini is the birth place of Buddha and the original one is in Nepal or India, I am not sure." "Oh the garden of Buddha! We Christians call the equivalentone as the Garden of Eden." "AhLumbini and Eden!" Now, Sukho and Ninh were entering the valley holding hands. They felt like they are hearing the primordial breath of creation. Clearly visible was the grandeur of water falls in distance. They could see the rainbow around the falling waters. That rainbow was stunningly beautiful. "Wow, where are we now? How is it possible to watch such beautiful sceneryin a country torn with war and cruelty? Can this surreal place exist in the midst of battle field?" Sukho could not believe his eyes. While walking with Ninh, he thought; 'Such a beautiful city, Da Lat. And this Valley of Love. Can I find another place like this anywhere? I heard the Diamond Mountain in Korea is breathtaking but is that mountain as beautiful as this?' Then he told Ninh; "Ninh, Did you say the Red River runs through the center of Hanoi? And you said Hanoi is the Paris of Orient and this Da Lat is the Little Paris. I also heard in United States, there is a Red Valley River somewhere Minnesota or Texas. In that valley, a cowboy fell in love with a girl who was bathing in the river." "Really? Sounds very romantic! It is like a beautiful piece of painting -- a bathing girl and a cowboy snooping on her! Can we be there too? In that Red River, I will take a bath and you peek on me! What a fun!it is like a dream!" "Oh I wish that day would come soon!" Sukho said in agreement. "Lieutenant KangI was told that Korea is a very beautiful country. Is that true?""Of course. It is a very pretty country we have four different seasons; In Spring, new life is springing up. In Summer, we see lush vegetation. In Autumn, the mountains are tinted spectacularly and in Winter, everything is painted white with snow." "Snow I wish I can see it. Also want to see the Autumn tints. We have no snow or Autumn tint here. I just heard about it." "I see. Ninh, Someday, I promise to show you that scenery to you. You will really enjoy and impressed by that pretty country scene and snow covered mountain." "Thank you so much, Lieutenant! I can not wait!" The two were now walking with their arms locked. Soon they reached a three-way junction. In that junction, there were many vendors peddling their merchandise. Surprisingly, they could find merchants from Indiahow they got here amidst the war? They were selling banana and some were telling fortunes to visitors. "Lieutenantat this three-way junction, you can choose any one path. If you choose the middle one, it will lead to falls. Other two lead to temple and park, respectively." "Which way should we choose?" "The center one, so that we reach the water falls. But if you let go my hands and we get separated, we will be separated forever. Hold my hand firmly so that we do not get separated. But what is the use! Soon we will be parted anyway! You return to Korea and I stay here just alone. Lieutenantyou go back to Korea and if you don't take your heart with you, I am going to be very sad." "What do you mean, Ninh?" Sukho was puzzled. "I saydo not leave you heart here. Erase your memory once you are gone from here." Sukho could not fully understand the meaning. Then it dawned on him. 'AhNinh truly loves me. She is afraid of her lingering memory on me!' They finally reached at the foot of one of the three water falls. There were crowds gathered under the falling water and everyone was overwhelmed by the sight. Some were praying in Buddhist style. He could find a sign marked "Big Elephant Fall". At a distance, the fall looked small but in close, it loomed so large and falling water was so powerful and noisy, people could not hear each other. Some honeymooners were also praying for happiness of their new families. They looked so sincere and the sight was heart warming. "Lieutenant Kanglook at them. You can pray for your future. Pray to Buddha. He will certainly fulfill your wish. Like this …" Ninh was praying sincerely for a long time then opened her eyes and their eyes met. That moment, he was shocked by a similarity. Ninh's facial expression and her pose were replicas of Soonhaepraying to Jesus at the cathedral in Chungju. "How can these two women look so alike?" "What did you pray for?""Oh I prayed to Buddha for your health and safety." "I see. Thank you so much. Then I will pray to my God."With his hands clasped, Sukho prayed sincerely. Ninh asked. "What did you pray for?" "I prayed for your happiness and health.""Really! So our prayers are the same!" 'Yes it is the same prayer. The same prayer Soonhae did for me long time ago!' Sukho was silently echoing. They left that beautiful Valley of Love and guided by Ninh, they reached to a Cathedral in Da Lat. They found a bench just next to a statue of Virgin Mary and sat there next to each other. This structure had red roof and tall bell tower and was overlooking the lake of Spring Fragrance. They could hear bell tolling in soft tone. "Do you believe in Catholic?" Ninh asked. "No, not Catholic. I am a protestant." "Are you? I thought you are a catholic because protestants are very rare in Vietnam. And I am a Buddhist. So we have different religion but they are same in principle. Good deed and go to heaven. Am I right?""WellI guess so, Ninh." "Lieutenantone time I asked you. Can a person like me love you? In Vietnamese tradition, a girl once violated is regarded as dirty and unsalvageable. Such girl will be despised and treated like a trash. So once such incident is known, there is no hope for a happy marriage for her. But you told me that I am pure. Did you really mean it?""Of course I mean it, Ninh!"Sukho nodded his assurance."Thank you again. By the way, do you have to return tonight?" "Yes I am planning to." "No, don't. Taxi ride at night is very dangerous. My mother oked so you can stay tonight at our home and you will travel tomorrow. We can arrange a military jeep for your trip back.""Oh if it is fine with your family, I would be happy to stay." "Very good. Incidentally, can I ask you about your family?""My family? There is not much to say. I was born and raised in North Korea. During the Korean war, we took refuge to southern part of Korea and settled in a city named Chungju. In settling, we had helps from a many people. My mother passed away when I was young and my father had been working as a security guard of an Episcopal church. With a generous support from the senior pastor of the church, I could finish my education as a medical doctor. Now, as a medical officer, I volunteered Vietnam duty. Do you know why I volunteered? One of my best friendswas killed in action at Pleiku about 3 years ago. I wanted to find a meaning to his death." "Oh, what a pity! Your friend was killed here? Was he married?" "No, he was not. He just graduated from military academy and commissioned as a first lieutenant. He was stationed at Pleiku and was killed within two weeks of his stay in Vietnam during his foot patrol duty." "At Pleiku! Did he have a girlfriend?" "Of course. He had one in Korea but she also died. She killed herself!""She died too? His girlfriend?" Ninh shed tearsmaybe she assumed this girl committed suicide in a shock of losing her boyfriend. In a choking voice, she whispered; "Lieutenant Kangour country caused so much pain to so many the rulers of this country are sacrificing many young precious lives to prolong their power!" "Ninh! That is not necessarily true often the lives of young people are sacrificed to protect democracy and freedom. We need safeguard the democracy of Viet Nam." "Thanks you for saying that. Do you have a girlfriend in Korea? Sorry I keep prying on your privacy." That moment, Sukho did not know what to say. Sure he has a girlfriend whom he loved so much but she already had committed herself to marry his own friend! So she was not his girlfriend any more but he swore her and himself that he would not change his mind and would wait for her until … "Ninh, yes I do. I have a girlfriend who is waiting for me."Even Sukho was surprised by his own answer. "Reallyis she pretty?"Ninh obviously asked in disappointment. "Yes she isas pretty as you are!" "Like me?" "Yes, just like you!" "…" Ninh started sobbing. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ With generous provision by her mother, Sukho spent that night in that gorgeous house in Da Lat. He shared a room with her little brother, Qui. Qui made a bold proposal "Lieutenant KangI wish you are my uncle. Can I call you like that?" "Uncle? Well I don't mind but I think it is not appropriateI am a friend of your sister. So you should call me 'brother'!" "Brother? That's even better. Hey brother!" It was such a pleasurable evening. When night fell, that beauty of outside scenery was buried in mute darkness. Next morning, Sukho returned to his military base safely thanks to the military jeep provided by General Le. But the voice of Ninh was continuously echoing in his ear; "Can a dirty woman like me still be loved? Do you have a girlfriend in Korea? Can you love me?" Sukho gave a thought. 'What is meant by getting dirty? It is absurd to label someone dirty because she was physically assaulted and violated. What is more important is the purity of soul than the body. So telling her that she is still pure because her soul was not contaminated is a fair statement not an action of mercy and generosity. I now firmly believe that God sacrificed His only son, Jesus Christ, to a cruel death on the cross to cleanse our sins. So no one is a sinner in His eyes. Some may label her as impure but if you see her in the eye of salvation,she is as pure and beautiful as any other virgin. Ninh was pure as an angel when she was walking in the valley of love. She was as pure as the uncontaminated water drops cascading down over the water fall in the valley!' Sukho remembered her saying; "Lieutenant Kangif you let go of my hand and lose each other, we will be separated forever. So get hold of my hand firmly. And I want to meet you at the Red Valley River in America. And pleaseshow me your country, Korea. I love you, Lieutenant. Good bye!" He remembered his answer to Ninh; "Oh sure, Ninh. I will show you my country around. Also, we will be together at the Red River Valley someday." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ After this trip, Sukho confided his relationship with Ninh to Chong-il. Chong-il was rather delighted. "Sukhothis is really good for you. I felt very guilty toward you because of Soonhae. Ninh is such a pretty woman and you two are a perfect match! Congratulations!" Obviously Chong-il wrote about this to Soonhae her letter to Chong-il indicated that. So now Sukho should forget about Soonhae but still, she was occupying his heart. He wanted to give a try to forget Soonhae and get closer to Ninh. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Not far from Da Lat was a Qui Hoa Village, a colony for lepers and cared by French and Vietnamese nuns. As the nuns were so dedicated in serving lepers in the village, even Viet Cong did not touchthis village. Even tough soldiers felt peace of minds when visiting this beautiful village and watching the statue of Jesus on the cross. Ninh frequented this village for her social service duty as a college student. Lieutenant Kang visited Da Lat many more times and he and Ninh got closer. In one visit, Ninhproudly guided Sukho to this leper village. She did not hide her affection toward him she always held his hands while walking. Sukho was moved by her gesture of intimacy. In comparison, whenhe met Soonhae last time in Seoul, she bluntly refused his approach to hold her hand. She coldly told him; "Sukholeave me alone. I just wantto walk without being bothered." It was an insult that did hurt his feeling. How come she rejected me like that? But in Vietnam, this pretty girl was seeking his hands and even locked her arms! A passer-by nun was watching this couple in envious smile. She even volunteered to take pictures of the two and joined in camera poses. Other two nuns also were watching the two happily. Sukho asked. "Sister, where is the prayer chamber?" "Prayer chamber? Oh do you want to pray to God? Walk over there andyou will see a small building and you will find a prayer room door open." Sukho led Ninh to a small prayer chamber. That chamber was tiny and cozy. To Sukho, this was the same prayer chamber in Chungju cathedral and the woman he was holding hands was Soonhae. He recalled what Soonhae said; "SukhoI knew if we pray to Jesus in this chamber, He will answer our prayer. So hold my hand and let's pray together." "Lieutenant Kangshall we pray hand-in-hand?"He heard the voice of Ninh. "Yesof course!" Both held hands firmly and closed eyes. A statue of Virgin Mary was looking down on this two. Sukho recited the Lord's prayer. "Our Father in heaven, hollowed be your name, Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts.Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil. For yours are the kingdom, and thepower, and the glory, forever, Amen." Then he added some more prayer for the future of Vietnam. Ninh asked; "Lieutenantwhat is meant by heaven? Which heaven do you mean?" "Well it is the sky over Vietnam. And the sky over Korea, Quy Nhon and Da Lat. It covers everywhere and His grace is for every place." "Heaven over Da Lat? Then even the Viet Congs should be forgiven?" "Yes, Ninh. They are included in the list of those to be forgiven." "Ah, is this the teaching of Christianity?" "Yes that is the essence of Christianity. Also Hippocrates taught medical doctorsabout the mercy and forgiveness. Enemy or not, regardless of country of origin, you must love fellow human beings and care for them if they need medical attention." "So lieutenantdo you think same is taught in the medical school in Saigon?""I am very sure, though I have never been there." "So you are here in Vietnam and helping poor people in need. I also came here many times for social services but it may not as much a service compare to yours. Actually, I wanted to be a medical doctor myself. I wanted be a pediatrician. But I could not study medicine because physically I was not sturdy enough." Sukho was just listening. "I was born and raised in a family of power and wealth so I could not understand the poverty and unprivileged people. I took for granted with my possessions and very self-centered. But you were born of poor family and lost your mother at young age. Still you studied hard to be a doctor and help poor people. I admire your will power and respect you." Then suddenly she put her head on his chest sobbing. Sukho lightly kissed her on her face and lip. Statues of saints like Peter, Stephen, Paul and Virgin Mary were witnessing this intimate moment. Also the God in heaven .. "LieutenantI love you!" "Me, you love me?" "Yes I do. I love you, lieutenant." "Yes.. me too…" Sukho mumbled. Though he still loved Soonhae in Korea, he also confessed his love to Ninh. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It was March of the same year and subtropical weather in Vietnam. The war continued but some parts of country were not affected. As the year 1969 arrived, war situation became very confusing and unpredictable. But for Ninh who was graduating college, her future was clearly decided. Her father planned marriage of Ninh with a young man of his best choice. The father told her. "Ninh, I congratulateyour graduation from college. Now you deserve tomarry a very best young man. I have already chosen your future husband. He is an army officer from military academy and also a son of Senator Tran. This young man is junior cadet in the academy. He is ambitious and guaranteed to succeed in his future. He is six year older than you and currently an intelligent officer of army headquarter in Saigon. He would not mind about your encounter with Viet Cong. Now what do you thinkabout this?" "…." "What? Why don't you answer? Do you have other boyfriend at Da Lat University?" "…" "Uhustill no answer? Tell me about it. If you don't say anything, I will assume you are approving this marriage. I will contact Senator, Tran. You are my only daughter and you deserve the best. Do you understand?""Yes" Ninh answered reluctantly. "Goodthat's more like it." General Le was relieved and felt happy. If he became an in-law with Senator Tran family, his power would help General Le for better politicalfuture. The combination of Senator Tran and General Le, both Buddhists, could yield much stronger power in the Vietnam politics. But Ninh was not happy. She couldn'tstop admiring and loving Sukho who accepted her as a pure person even after her devastating experience. He accepted her and she wanted to marry him but in reality, it was not easy to marry someone of different nationality. For one thing, her father would never approvethe marriage. So, Ninh had no choice but to set a date for engagement. This marriage was arranged by parents of both sides and they already were calling each other "in-laws". Ninh wrote Sukho this news and he got very sad and even broke to tears. This was the same feeling of rejection he had when Soonhae declared the end of their relationship right before his departure to Vietnam. "Hey you soldier boy! Do you cry for a woman? Knock it off!" Was the first word Chong-il uttered upon seeing this scene. Then he added "Anyway Sukho, I feel sorry. I always felt indebted to you because of Soonhae and was happy to hear you met a nice woman of your match but now you are rejected again. I am very sorry. You have no luck with good women!" Sukho was consoled by his sympathy. "Thank you Chong-il, my friend!" "Well, forget about it! Let's go to officer's club for drink." He dragged Sukho. "That is fineNinh met someone to be best fit for her husband. He will make her happy. We both have each other in our hearts. Though I am physically alone, she stays in my heart. I feel same with Soonhae whom you are about to marry. So there is no problem. I am just physically lonely." Chong-il kept silent. Sukho said again. "Chong-il, I appreciate your care.""SukhoI see your true Platonic love towards both women. I admire you." A day in April of 1969, Lieutenant Kang was scheduled to be in Da Lat. By fate, he met Mr. Kan Tran, a captain of Vietnamese army and Ninh's future husband. Captain Tran was a handsome man with bright future of power and fame. Sukho felt inferior to him and concluded he deserve to be a perfect match for Ninh. He had to spend the night in Da Lat according to his schedule and he stayed at Sophie Hotel in downtown. Unexpectedly, Ninh knocked at his hotel room. Upon entering, she asked; "Lieutenant KangYou know I am marrying Captain Tran. Can you still love me as before?""Sure I can." "Oh, then hold me tight, Lieutenant." Sukho embraced Ninh who stood still with her eyes closed. Her chest was heaving. Soon she opened her eyes and told him "Lieutenantthank you. And please keep me in your heart as ever even if I marry other man." "Sure I will do!" She left hurriedly as Captain Tran was waiting in her house. Next morning, Sukho returned back to Quy Nhon as scheduled and next day, Captain Tran and Ninh Le held engagement ceremony in the presence of many high level officials and army generals. As engagement is a promise of marriage, Sukho could not communicate with Ninh as before knowing she now belonged to other man. He could just send a short message saying, "Congratulations for your engagement." Tiger Corps fought bravely but it could not win the war in Viet Nam. Then came May of 1969. Both Sukho and Chong-il had only two months before they complete their Viet Nam duty and return home. Chong-il was happy with the prospect of marriage with his lover, Soonhae. Then he got a sad letter from his parents in Korea. Father Hahn, Soonhae's grandfather and also the head priestof Chungju Episcopal Church, passed away unexpectedly. Even worse, Soonhaestopped talking and showed severe sign of depression. She had to put under the care of McKnight family. As much as Chong-il, Sukho was sadden by the news. 'Ah, Father Hahn passed away! I am indebted so much to him he provided a job for my father and he financially supported my education and encouraged me so that I would not give up. More importantly, he is the grandfather of my dear Soonhae…' Both felt very sorry for not being able to attend his funeral. If his death happened two months later, both could return to Korea to attend his funeral and comfort Soonhae. The more they thought of Soonhae, they missed her. Soonhae lost her parents at her age of four. She lost her grandmother next year. The only member of immediate family was her brother Sungmin. But even he was killed in action at his young age of 23 during his duty in Vietnam. Both Sukho and Chong-ilwere her only dependable supports but both left her for Vietnam duty. She could find no one around her to share her feeling and such feeling of loneliness made her devastated. She chose Chong-il as her future husband and was waiting for his return. So Chong-il's presence was really missed and his heart ached thinking of Soonhae. He became depressed and even cried often. It was Sukho's turn to stay with him and console him. "Chong-ilendure just a little bit. Soon we will leave here to return home. Then you can be with Soonhae. Comfort her and marry her. Make her happy with new family and your loving care." "Thank you Sukho. You mean so much to me!" Then a month passed and it was June when both received another shocking letter from Korea. To their surprise, it was from Mark McKnight. It read; Dear Lieutenants Kang and Kim; Do you remember me? I am Mark when we were young, we were playing together around the Episcopal church in Chungju. You know I am the son of the head priest of that church. I was watching Soonhae after you two left for Vietnam. I strongly believe you two did a great disservice to her by abandoning her here alone. The only person she could feel close was Father Hahn and when he passed away, it was a big blow to her. Due to a mental shock, she was hospitalized and barely recovering now. This poor woman needs help and I am the only one who can be near her. She is now fully relying on me and we developed affection to each other. So we decided to marry next month. It will be on Saturday, July 20th at Chungju Episcopal Church. Give your blessings. I will give my loving care to Soonhae whom you abandoned and will make her happy. After the wedding ceremony, we will have honeymoon trip to Hawaii then settle in America. Though my home is in California, we will live in New York area so that we can continue our education and plan for future. We will leave Korea on July 25th. I understand you two will come home on August so quite possibly, we would not be able to meet you before we leave. I really hope to have congratulations from you two. Anyway, please give us your blessing for our happy marriage. From Mark McKnight "What? How can it be? Mark marry Soonhae? Soonhae marry Mark?"Both Chong-iland Sukho wailed. The news was more devastating for Chong-il. "She was committed to marry me. How can this be!" cried Chong-il. The night over Quy Nhon felt too dark and both could not hear anything including the sounds of war nearby. "Do they want our blessing?" That was impossible. She betrayed them and still want blessing? "Soonhaehow can you! I am risking my life here in battle field and you were the only hope I had. Now you are betraying me like this!" Chong-il broke down into tears and drank hard liquor until he almost passed out. Sukho stayed with him and tried to calm him down. But there was nothing else they could do to change the situation. All they could do was to wait for the day to return home as scheduled on July 31st. So Soonhae who betrayed Sukho now again betrayed Chong-il. It was Sukho's turn to comfort Chong-il a reversed role from previous situation. This could be an irony of life. Long-waited July came and if he can survive this month, he would head home. In retrospect, the year and 3 months he spent in Vietnam was tedious and wasteful. His lover, Soonhae left him then his love, Ninh also left him by engaging to Vietnamese officer. Her wedding was scheduled on August 1st. So Sukho had no one left to love. Then an unexpected letter from Ninh arrived. It read; Dear Sukho, my love. I am sorry to write this letter in such a hurry. As you know, I am marrying Captain Tran on August 1 and will live with my in-laws. But pleaseplease meet me just once before you leave for Korea. On the evening of Saturday July 20th, I will wait for you at the same Sophie Hotel in Da Lat. Please make sure to be there. Yours, Ninh "July 20th? What a coincident! It is the day Soonhae will marry Mark!" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ July 20th was a day of thunder and shower. With a help of Chong-il, he obtained a permit for leave for Saturday and Sunday. The road to Da Lat from Quy Nhon was very rough and dangerous but he could not disappoint Ninh who would be waiting for him. This was last time he would see the beautiful sight of city of Da Lat and especially the Valley of Love. He arrived Sophie Hotel at late hour and as expected, Ninh was there waiting for him. She already ordered expensive food and drink. They were enjoying food and congratulating each other for wedding and returning home, respectively. But their hearts were heavy as they knew this was the last time to see each other. Bidding farewell in haste, Ninh was sobbing and said; "Goodbye Lieutenant. Now I met you last time, I will never forget you. You will live in my heart forever." He felt so empty. Such a short meeting and no promises for future was made. He even regretted he came to see her last. Then he made up his mind. "You are a beautiful woman and you deserve a happy life. I wish you best. Someday, I hope I can visit Vietnam again and meet you and your new family." He was in the hotel room alone drinking wine and was deep in thoughts watching out the dark night of Da Lat. Sounds of thunder and distant gun shots were heard once in a while. He was repeating the unforgettable names, Da Lat and Ninh. Then finally he decided to put all these words into his background of his memory bank. He was about ready to sleep when he heard knock on the door. He was startled fearing it could be Viet Cong perpetrator or someone causingtrouble. He stayed still but the knock repeated. He forced his courage to open the door and surprised to see Ninh socking wet. "Oh Ninh! What is going on? The rain is so heavy!" She rushed into hotel room and said "Oh Lieutenant KangI can not forget you. My life means nothingwithout you. Do you remember saying many times that I am a pure woman?" "Sure I did." "Sukhoplease accept me tonight. I want to give my virginity to you. Only you said I am pure. Didn't you?" "Yes I did. But I can not accept youyou belong to Captain Tran. I can not take your virginity." "No no. It belongs to you. You are my first love on the earth." "…" "Please. Take me!" She was embracing him with tears flowing. "Yes, I will do. I can not hide my love to you I love you so much." The night at the hotel was too short. And this night, a perpetual mark was engraved in Sukho's heartit was a mark of a pure virgin that he would carry all his life. That mark was a pledge of undying love and promise of waiting for each other all their lives. It was a promise of walking the Valley of Love together again. When he swore her to wait for her, he knew a day would be a thousand years. So he would wait all his life. Tenth Story: Return from Vietnam then new life in US On July 31st, 1969, Sukho and Chong-il were aboard troop transport ship leaving Quy Nhon harbor to Korea. The ship sailed through South China Sea and arrived at Pusan Harbor three days later. One full year and three months of stay in Vietnam was felt like their whole life. They had expectation of hero's welcome but only their family members were present to greet them. Soonhae who promised a life-long companionship married Mark and left to US ten days prior. They felt bitter "What have we done in Vietnam? Did we really revenge the death of Sungmin? No! revenge was not possible. And even if we revenged his death by killing Sungmin's enemies, what would be gained?" So, to Sukho, it was wasted time and emotion. He lamented; "Oh, I threw away my precious part of life for nothing!" But Chong-il was going through even more difficult times. Hewas not just lamenting his losses of time but more over, he got really angry with Soonhae who betrayed him. He declared that he would wipe out all the memory of Soonhae. His father was equally outraged about her and the McKnight family. So after his trip to Vietnam, Chong-il became an angry man with a lot of bitterness in his heart. On the other hand, Sukho was agonizing over his conflicting thoughts towards Soonhae. First thought was empathy toward her. Though she betrayed both Chong-il and Sukho, obviously she was devastated by the loss of her protectors and lately, the loss of her grandfather, the only family member left. So undeniably, she needed protection in the arms of Mark who was there to comfort her. There was no excuse for both men as they were not there when she really needed them. That feeling of empathy was followed by a guilty feeling towards her. He had no excuses for not being there when she needed him. He mumbled; "SoonhaeI am sorry. I fully understand you chose Mark for your husband.We were not here to support you when you really needed us! So I have no bad feeling toward you. I just wish you the best for a happy family!" In another side of his guilty feeling towards Soonhae, he had yearning for Ninh's presence. Should he have insisted on marrying her? But she was a foreigner - - -. But He remembered her saying; "Vietnam had been under French colonialism for over 80 years. And my mother was a French origin. So I have 50% of French blood in my vein." "Well, then why couldn't I marry her? Inter-racial marriage is very common these days." He started to regret not to have made a marriage proposal to her while he was stationed in Vietnam. On a bright side, they were both promoted to Captains of army and posted to an army hospitalin an urban area after their return from Vietnam. As they were granted a week of leave, they went to Chungju to see families. Sukho's father aged a lot in those short years of his absence. Chong-il's father was still fuming over the matter with Soonhae. "Terrible! Father Hahn chose a wrong time to die! Father McKnight is a crook. How dare they pull a job on us? Seducing Soonhae away from us is a crime!" Hearing this, Sukho's wound revived. The date of Soonhae's wedding was another coincident. On the same day Soonhae held wedding ceremony and become Mark's wife, Ninh was with Sukho spending a sweet night at Sophie Hotel in Da Lat. All these entanglements of persons and events sadden his heart and even angryhe lost everyone whom he loved and now stood alone in this desolate place. All he had left was some bitter memory of lost days. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The night before they were scheduled back to their post, Chong-il dragged Sukho to a drinking bar. This was the same bar where Sukho confessed his love to Soonhae and she coldly rejected him. After a few glasses of beer, Chong-il's mood changed. "Hey SukhoI decided to forget everything about Soonhae. I will start over. Who is she? Only a woman! I am not going to enslave my life on her. I also advise you to wipe off all her memory and start over!" "Yes I will. Why should we be saddened by her?" Sukho agreed. That night, Chong-il was in an upbeat mood. He made a suggestion. "Well, let's not be holy. No need for abstention. This is not Vietnam let's visit that red light district. Have a prostitute and enjoy a nightthat will elevate our mood." Sukho was stunned. "Chong-il! What are you talking about? We can not behave like that. To recover from our losses, we should find nice girl to marry and have a happy family." "You hypocrite! Do you know where we are? This is the center of decadence mingling beggars, thieves and prostitutes. We better join the dirt!""Chong-il please don't say that!" "We both lost our dear woman. To me, Soonhaewas the only woman I wanted to marry but she is gone with Mark. You had Ninh but she also married to anotherso what's left for us? Whom should we wait?" "Chong-il I made pledge that I will wait. I swore I will wait all my life!" "What? Whom are you going to wait for?""Both Soonhae and Ninh. To both, I promised." "OhYou are crazy. You are not thinking straight. Let's go to brothel. I need a girl who will make me happy tonight." "Chong-il with that attitude and behavior, do you wish to claim the heart of Soonhae? Are you a medical doctor curing other human? Think harder! When another angel appears before you, how can you claim her purity without shame? Pleaselet's get back to our post and finish our term of duty. Also, don't blame Soonhaeit was our fault to have left her here alone. She needed our support and help but we abandoned her. What choice couldshe have? She needed a shoulder to lay her head when she was in distress. Mark provided that shoulder. Not us! We abandoned her. So she made choice and we have no excuse to win her back!" "Did you say we abandoned her?" "Yes indeed!" "Well, come to think of it, you are right. We shouldn't have left that poor Soonhae alone. What a poor girl! We were not thoughtful enough." Chong-il closed his eyes all kind of regretful and guilty emotion streamed over him. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Time can mend broken hearts. Two army captains, Sukho and Chong-il completed their terms of duty without any further incident and discharged from military on May 31st of 1970. Soon after, Chong-il became a resident surgeon of Seoul National University Medical Center, the most prominent one in the country. But Sukho chose different course of career. Just one month prior to his discharge from military, his father passed away. As his death was so sudden, Sukho was devastated. His father was the only family member he had left but now he was all alonein this planet. He lost his will power to fight and survive the fierce competition in his professional field. So he decided to leave country and immigrate to United Stated for better career. But main motivation behind this decision was the unendurable loneliness. There was another motivation he could meet Soonhaein America and someday, he can find a way to meet Ninh. But as he hesitated to make his decision, he missed deadline for applying a position in US. So he joined an internship at Yonsei University Medical Center. He and Chong-il had to work harder to make up lost time from their 3 year military services. A year passed and on late June of 1971, Dr. Sukho Kang traveled and settled in New York. He started over as an intern at Down State University Medical Center. The center was in Brooklyn where majority of residents were black minorities. It was very scary to live in this area but he endured his hard immigrant life. But in his heart, he longed for his mother country. He left the country full of regret and loathing but you can not give up your homeland. So he was carrying a poem in his brief case and read it whenever he had chance. In this city of dark overcast, I am living here as person without a name. Ah- no one calls me by name. A wanderer in an unfamiliar land left his name in his homeland and my tired feet trotting the street. Oh--when the chilly autumn comes, I will go home. Back to the land where my name is waiting for me and I can shed tears with people. In one brief case, I am keeping my passport and airline ticket So that I can go home anytime. But I lost that briefcase because I had to move so many times. Still that briefcase exists safely in my heart And my yearning spirit is flying over the blue sky heading home! (Quoting a poem by Dr. Youngju Ki) Dr. Kang after his incessant hard work and endurance, he completed his training as an intern and resident at his age of 33. Finally he passed exams to become a specialist in internal medicine. He opened a clinic in Flushing, New York and in a glimmer of hope to find Soonhae, he visited many town and places, but it was in vain. He even frequented the Red Valley in Texas but no where he could find a trace of Soonhae or Ninh. Then in April of 1985, he moved his clinic to Garden Grove, California so that he can be with his dear friend Chong-il who just came to California for training. Eleventh Story: Reunion with her, a depression patient During the March of the year 2003, Dr. Kang felt almost dizzy because so many significant that occurred in a short time period. First, he met Ninh Le's family membersher son James Nguyen and Qui Le, her younger brother. Last time he met Ninh was July 20th of 1969. Then he met the depression patient Rose McKnight, actually Soonhae, at the psychiatric hospital in Brea. This series of events made him sleepless at nights. He felt very tired and agitated. He even got angry. He could not believe it. "That once so adorable Soonhae is now a speechless depression patient!" Early in the morning, Dr. Kang headed for psychiatric hospital in Brea and again found Rose, the Soonhae, in such a poor shape. He held her hands and said; "Hi Rose. I know you are Soonhae can you recognize me? I am Sukho! Sukho from Chungju" But she was giving a blank gaze on him saying nothing. He could not tell whether she recognized him or not. She was dirty and smelly. Maybe she did not take a bath for quite a while and the bed was not changed. She looked like a girl right out of very poor orphanage. "Soonhae it's me, Sukho. Can you tell?" But she laid there like a blind fish. Her eyes were not focused and it was a miserable sight. "Oh, is this Soonhae? Can this be possible?"Apparently, she was degraded so badly, she could not function. She lost her human dignity due to severe depression. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sukho could not tolerate this sight. His dream girl degraded to an animal? In anger, he phoned Mark McKnight and met him at a nearby restaurant. Upon seeing him, he protested. "Mark. My heart is aching. Soonhae is your wife but she is still precious to me.We dated at the stony stairs in Chungju cathedral. While we were in Vietnam, you wrote a letter saying you will marry her and make her very happy. Is this your idea of happiness for her? As a severe depression patient, she is not functioning as a human. How can this be possible?" Mark did not answer and dropped his head. Sukho kept asking "Tell me what happened!" With a deep apologetic look, Mark answered. "Of course it was my fault. But you and Dr. Kim in Korea also should share the blame. Think about it! Soonhae was such a lonely girl having no family members around her. She needed someone to support and love. She lost all her family members. If you two loved her so much, you shouldn't have left her alone. Though she promised a marriage with Chong-il,while he was away to Vietnam, Soonhae had extreme anxiety of being left alone. The death of her grandfather was the last string that made her snap. She constantly asked for Chong-ilbut he was not there when she needed him most. She could not handle the stress alone any more and had to be hospitalized for psychiatric treatment. I was there on her side and she chose me as her perpetual company. I though she made this choice because she really loved me but ever since we were married, her heart was occupied by you two men. So actually, I am the victim. I lived all these life without her love. I was cheated" "What? You are a victim? You have been cheated?""That is right!" Sukho gave a thought then came to agreement with Mark. And sure he was right. He was the victim of unloving relationship. Mark explained about his marriage to Soonhae. Soonhae graduated from college during March of 1968 and got a job at US Information Service Center and kept dating Chong-iland they had committed to marriage. But the death of her brother's girlfriend then followed by the death of her brother, Sungmin in Vietnam, emotionally devastated her. Though her prospect of marriage to Chong-ilwas the remaining hope for her and reason to live on but as Chong-il and Sukho left to Vietnam, she fell to a state of depression. While Chong-ilwas away in Vietnam, Mark met Soonhae frequently and they became closer. She could barely hanging on but final blow came struck her when her grandfather suddenly died. His death brought back the nightmare of previous losses and she could not take any further. Her depression symptom got so severe, she needed be hospitalized. With the help of McKnight family, she recovered quite a bit and meanwhile, she was heartened by the kind care given by Mark and his family. Eventually, she decided to marry him. After the wedding, they moved to US and settled in New York. But new life in foreign land was no less stressful and her depressive symptom returned and gotten worse after a baby daughter was born. She frequented mental hospital. Mark decided to move away from the hectic life of New York city. So his family moved to Oxnard, California which is a quiet rural town. They lived a simple life of leisure and relaxation. She had a part time job at a local church and continued her study of fine arts. Mark was a dedicated husband. He continued psychiatric cares for his wife and meanwhile, he was teaching Economics at California State University. But obviously, Soonhae's heart had not been on him. As Mark told Sukho, he was rather a victim cheated by his wife. In the beginning, he dealt with Soonhae as his sister and never thought of her as his future wife. But Soonhae relied on his supporting hand and his feeling of empathy developed into affection and eventually they got married. So his marriage to Soonhae originated from his feeling of sympathy towards her. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sukho was listening to Mark's long story covering past and he could understand his position. "So, after all, you are a victim. And I and Chong-il are losers in winning her!" "I guess you are right. Anyway, you are a medical doctorplease give good treatment for her. I did my best but was not capable to make her any better. Can you help us by making her cured?" "Of courseI will do my best." So the two men promised to work together for Soonhae's recovery. Dr. Kang remembered advises given by her psychiatrist, Dr. Yamashiro. "Dr. Kang can you guide her to recalling some major events happened in the past? That stimulation may trigger her to recover her lost memory." 'Which event can trigger her memory?' Sukho was thinking hard to dig out major events that may have buried deep in her memory. Actually there were many events that were worth remembering but he thought those things happened around the Chungju Cathedral could revive her memory. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dr. Kang got special permission to take Soonhae out of the hospital. He took her to an Episcopal Church in the city of Fullerton. Surprisingly, Soonhae did not resist Sukho's suggestion to make this trip. When the car pulled in front of the church, she showed some sign of recognition. When she saw a stony staircase similar to that of Chungju cathedral, she reacted even more actively. "Soonhae we used play around those stairs. Can you remember?""…"She did not answer but nodding her head as if she was trying to squeeze her memory. "Can you say something? I want to hear you speak." "…" Still she was silent but her reaction was much more apparent. "Soonhae this is the stair we played with pebbles and we threw toss to win a move. Do you see this stony stairs? Wasn't it a fun?" ". . ." Soonhae still did not speak but her mouth was moving. "Wowyou are trying to say something. Aren't you?" ". . ." Soonhae's mouthwas moving more. "Ok. Let's climb up. Take my hand. I will lead you." Sukho held her hand and pulled to the stairs. Surprisingly, she was willingly following his lead and he felt her hand very warm. Old sweet memory came back. He was counting the stairs "One, Two, Three, …. . . . Thirty, Thirty-one, Thirty-two, Thirty-three!" At this final counting, they stood at the top of the stairs and were facing the front door of church. "Thirty-three? No, that is not right!" Sukho was stunned. Soonhae said something though she was mute all this time. "Soonhae not thirty-three? And do you know you spoke?" "No, not thirty-three." She repeated. "Not thirty-three?" Sukho also repeated. ". . ." She again fell mute. She showed a sign of fatigue and almost collapsed at the top stair. Sukho helped her to bring her down the steps and rode back to the hospital. "Good night. I will come back tomorrow! OK?" ". . ." She did not reply but nodded her approval. On his way back home, Dr. Kang was very puzzled but was equally hopeful. "She said it is not thirty-three. What dose she mean?" As he could not find answer, he phone Mark that evening and asked if he had any clue. "Well? Occasionally, my wife was talking about some number. So she did same to you!" "Looks like she did. What number was she mentioning?" "She spoke of the number 44. Forty-four!" "Forty-four? Hmm Oh! I got it. The number of steps of stairs at Chungju Church was 44. We played scissor-rock-blanket as a toss to win an advance. So 44 was the winning number." "Oh, I see. Then my wife has lived on the memory of that church. Her memory of old times is so precious to her! Oh poor Rose!" Mark was weeping. Her attachment to old memory was so strong, the time she spent with him meant nothing. He spent all this years in a void as her heart belonged to someone else. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Next morning, Dr. Kang rushed to the psychiatric hospital to see Soonhae. He held her hand and said; "Oh Soonhaethere were 44 steps at the Chungju cathedral. So the number 44 is so important to you. Am I right?"That moment, her brain started working. It was the moment when she was walking out of the labyrinth of her amnesia. "Yes that is right! There were 44 steps. Forty four!" She was beaming with happy smile for her discovery of a big secret. What a change! What a miracle! She can now talk and smile. Slowly she was getting out of her depressed and clouded state of mind. A few more days passed and she was transforming into completely new person. Everyone around her including Mark, her daughter Jennifer, staffs at the psychiatric hospital and even her psychiatrist, Dr. Yamashiro agreed that she was recovering fast. Now she gained almost normal state of mind and even asked Mark or Sukho to visit Chungju city for reviving old memory. By her quick recovery, she became a new person in a week. She was showing her old smile and recovering her memories. She now could identify Sukho as her old friend and could recall past. She could recognize everyone around her and spoke of old days. Happiest was her husband, Mark. "Dr. Kang. I can not thank you too much. Now I realize how deeply she loved you and in one hand I am very jealous. But she is my wife and I thank you as her husband." But a few days later, when Mark and Soonhae learned that Sukho was waiting all his life to keep the promise of reunion with Soonhae, Mark was disheartened. Soonhae, regained her clear judgment, realized how bad she was to the people around her. "Sukho has waited all his life in a hope of meeting me again. But I betrayed him and chose Chong-ilbut even him I betrayed while both were in Vietnam by marrying Mark. That way all three men of my life ended up unhappy lives just because of me. What a wretch I am. I deserve all thathard days of my depression and bed-ridden life. Come to think of it, Sukho is the first victim and Chong-il is second. What did I do? What a bad girl!" After full recovery, Soonhae was discharged from psychiatric hospital. Now she was finally freed from confinement of hospital. She decided to start her life again. She said-- "Dear Sukho. I feel like we are back to Chungju church. I vividly remember the prayer we had at the prayer chamber of church." "Prayer chamber?" "Yes." That chamber is where Soonhae and Sukho had first embrace and kiss of their lives. Sukho moaned recalling that moment. Also he recalled the scene of prayer chamber in Vietnam and the pledge he shared with Ninh. Meanwhile, Soonhae was in agony. "Sukho dedicated all his life in waiting for me. How can I pay him back for that dedication?" But there was nothing she could do for him. She could not turn back clock. There was no way she could compensate his sacrifice. All she could do was to shed tears of regret. Twelfth Story: Voice form South China Sea To Dr. Kang, March and April of the year 2003 was like a compressed file for all the preceding 33 years of his life. During the two months, he experienced his reunion with Soonhae. At Vietnamese town, he met many significant persons including Qui and James Nguyen. But one person he really wanted to meet was his old lover Ninh Le, whose whereabouts he had no clue yet. Though he met her younger brother, Qui Le, he was very evasive about her. All he knew was that her brother, who had been blinded, was serving as a pastor and her son became a lawyer and was residing in the city of Westminster. He also learned these two persons were instrumental in inviting Captain Chung to US and they gave him a hero's welcome honoring his humane act of saving Vietnamese boat people. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ As he was so eager to know about Ninh, he decided to pay another visit to Rev. Qui Le and insisting on telling about his sister. He guessed Ninh Le was either still staying in Saigon ormoved to US safely and living somewhere in Texas where many Vietnamese immigrants were settled in. But he had one lingering question in his mind. She married Captain Tran so her son had to carry the name, Tran, but his last name was Nguyen. And he was not living with her mother. Why? So he went over the Vietnamese church in Westminster to know more about Ninh. Luckily, both Rev. Le and his wife, Dana was in the office greeting him. "Oh, Dr. KangI apologize about previous meeting. I was talking about myself and that I could not finish. So I will tell you the rest of my story!" "Oh that is fine. I just want to know about Ni…" Sukho was interrupted even before he could pronounce the name of Ninh as he already started talking his unfinished story. Sukho had no choice but be patient and hear him out. "I lived a very tough life after being blinded. But I met an angel this Dana is my angel and since I married her, I received new eyes. Though I lost my physical eyes, I can see even brighter world. The world I see now is much more beautiful than the world I used to see." "I don't understand. A brighter world?" Sukho was puzzled. "Yesafter meeting Dana, I started attend church and soon received Jesus as my savior. Once I received him in my heart, all thehatred and regrets melted away. I could forgive those perpetrators who did so much harm on me and my family. I forgave those Viet Cong soldiers who killed my parents and regained the peace of mind. Thanks to Dana, I overcame all the darkness and despair. I have changed into a bright and positive life and finally decided to help others to overcome their hardship. You know Helen Keller who was blind, mute and deaf. She had triple disabilities but she could achieve much more than I could possibly do. Since that fact enlightened me, I love this hymn "Lately the life of Christ burst out alive in me! Old things have passed away, even myself is new. His life floods through me, like rivers towards the sea. His love shines on me like sun shining on the dew. With Christ I'll savor life unending every day; Now and forever I'll walk with Him all the way." What do you think? Can you understand my joy of living in a brighter world?" He continued his story. He had overcome the hard situation by his spiritual renewal. His wife Dana, the motivator and supporter of Rev. Le, also had a dark past. She was a product of a Vietnamese street girl and American GI. She was abandoned near the rear gate of a US Air Force base in Da Nang. As the baby was born in Da Nang, the soldiers who found her named her, Dana. With the help of an adoption agency, she found an Italian home in the city of San Bernardino, California. She led a normal life until her age of 18. But one day, she found out that she was adopted. In her shock and sense of loss, she ran away from home and lived street life. She mingled with wrong people and even tried illegal drugs but she met a pastor of a Baptist church in San Bernardino and her life changed. She met Jesus and became a born-again Christian. She was working on a mission for disabled persons and one day, she met a blind young man, Qui Le. Her empathy turned into affection and eventually, she married him and became his eyes. Those stories were all sincere and heart warming but Sukho was dying to know about Ninh and her son, James Nguyen. So he had to interrupt Rev. Qui to ask about her. "Please reverend. I want to know about your sister Ninh where is she now?" "Where is she?" Rev. Qui answered with a deep sigh. "Yes. Where does she live now?" "Didn't you know, Dr. Kang?" Dana spoke. "I don't know anything about her. So please tell me where she is. Also I want to know more about James Nguyen." "Ah, my sister Ninh and my nephew James!" Qui was moaning in pain. Dana talked in stead. "Our reverend does not want to talk about his sister. It is such a horrific experience." "Really? Did you say it was a horrific experience? Then please tell meI have been waiting for the news of her for past 34 years." Dr. Kang was telling truth. He had been waiting past 34 years to keep the promise to visit the Red River Valley in Texas and also promised to walk along the Valley of Love with her. After a long pause, Qui finally spoke. "Dr. Kangthis is going to be my last time to talk about my sister. And will not repeat again." Then he started talking the following story. ======================== On August 1stof 1968, a grand wedding ceremony was taking place in the heart of Saigon. Though the bombs were falling and people worried about the war situation, this wedding between the son of a senator and daughter of an army general was luxurious and full of extravaganza. It was held at Max Hotel in downtown Saigon just next to a large Buddhist temple. Ninh Le and Kan Tran had a Buddhist style ceremony and after 3 day honeymoon to Hawaii, they settled in a big house in Saigon. Next year, Ninh gave birth to a boy and they named him, Huy Tran. Her father-in-law was so happy that he gave a big diamond to Ninh to celebrate the birth of his first grandson. The newly wed couple had everything they wanted and everyone envied them. But the war situation got worse and US government started pulling out troops from Vietnam. Soon, only military advisors were left and other fighting units were leaving country. Soon, the Republic ofVietnam started collapsing from inside and quickly losing its territories. In 1975, Viet Cong opened all out offence on Lunar New Year (Ted). The ruling class people knew the end is near for the republic and started move their wealth to foreign countriesand prepared to immigrate to US or France before the republic would collapse. Equally worried were Tran and Le family members. Then April 30th of 1975 was the final day for Republic of Vietnam. After a period of fierce fighting, North Vietnam Army and Viet Cong flooded Saigon and citizens of Saigon welcomed them as liberators though they were a part of that republic. With the collapse of republic, the city name, Saigon was changed to Ho Chi Minh City. Many high official of South Vietnam ran away to other country to escape any retaliation by liberators. Tran family was still faithful to previous regime. The couple and son, Colonel Tran, committed suicide and so did General Le and his wife. But parents of Ninh wanted their children to survive and they prearranged their evacuation through American Embassy. Finally, April 30th was the last day of republic. "Sisterour country is now completely vanished. Do you remember what our dad said? We supposed to go to US Embassy and ride a helicopter to Tan Son Nhat Airport to leave country. Don't forget the briefcase our parents prepared for this day!" So Ninh, Qui and Huy Tran ran to US Embassy. On the way, Ninh shouted; "WaitI left something very important. I should take it with me. Wait here. It wouldn't be long." Ninh rushed back to house and after some delay, she rushed back short-breathed. "Sis what is that? What is so important?" Qui shouted angrily. "Wellthis. This wallet.""That wallet?" They rushed to US Embassy in a haste but alas! The front gate of the embassy was tightly shut and there was huge number of people milling around in front of gate. There was no way to approach to the embassy compound. A rough-faced embassy official shouted his instruction. "It is too late. There are no more helicopters to fly you out. You should go to the airport. Maybe you can catch a plane out of country." So they ran to the airport but again, it was too late. The last plane was just taking off and soon vanished into far away sky. The day light started getting darker and there was no hope for them to leave the country. "So we missed the last plane because of that delay caused by my sister's wallet. She had to turn back to pick it up and due to that wasted time, we missed our plane. That wallet!" Then Rev. Qui darted an angry look at Sukho and paused for a while. "Because that wallet?" Sukho tried to continue conversation. "Yes because that wallet. Do you know what was in that wallet? There were several photographs of my sister, Ninh and you, Dr. Kang!""Really?Picture of her with me?" "Yes. That picture delayed our departure and started all the misery." "Oh dear!" Sukho was recalling his past. Just like himself, Ninh treasured those photographs and lived with the old, sweet memory. "Oh poor Ninh!" Sukho lamented. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ At the Tan Son Nhatairport, they met their neighbor, Lai family, who were Chinese origin. They also planned to leave country before the country fell to Communists but could not be on time to catch plane. As the night fell, they had to return home but the house was completely ransacked and the power was cut. In the darkness, they spent a night of terror and fears. They could listen to the radio broadcast which repeated the announcement that the Republic of Vietnam was finished and now the country was unified under a new nation. Obviously, a drastic change was taking place. Ninh knew what was happening. Her parents and in-laws chose self-destruction over surrender to communists but what about their bodies? For sure they would be mutilated and insulted even after their death. What was the meaning of their lives? The month of May in 1975 was a disaster for the high ranking Le family it was a continued ordeal of home invasion, robbery, threat of death and insults from the people. Meanwhile, there were new ruling classes emerging and the country was transforming into new one. Old glory was gone. Every day was like a hell to the surviving members of Le and Tran family. Then, Ninh visited Lei family she met at the airport for any possible way to leave country. Surprisingly, the unified Vietnam government allowed residents of Chinese origin to leave country as long as they gave up their property rights. They issued certificates allowing departure from the country and those with certificate could leave from sea port using any vessels. If lucky, they could meet a navy ship from US fleet and legally enter US as political refugees. "So you can go to US! But is it only for Chinese ethnic group?" "Yes, indeed. But if you disguise as a Chinese, you can leave but it will cost you more. In two days, we will travel to Vung Tau to find a boat. Do you want to go with us?" "Of course. So do we ride a boat out of country?""Yes. Rather than stay here and wait fora death, we will venture the escape to US. Of course, a danger of drowning in the middle of sea is a possibility. We must bribe Viet Minh official. They don't take money only precious metal or jewel will be taken.""Mr. Lei we want to go. Help us." "OK I will. But first of all, you should change your last name into Lei, Mrs. Tran