*Mean's POV*

I sat next to Mike who  driving slowly on road to Bangkok. Sometimes, I pull a thin cardigan that I wear. The rain is still falling with swift reaction with air causing windshield to fog up. Radio continues broadcast news of accidents and traffic conditions.

I glanced at Mike, his eyes straight ahead and his grip on the steering wheel too tightly, but his expression flat without emotion.

Two hours ago, I steal time to call Kim on our hotel phone. In a council meeting which should finish the day after tomorow, our phones were confiscated and I had trouble contacting Kim there. In fact, I miss his voice. Miss chating before bed and ended with the words I love you.

It took a minute before my call accepted. I heard Aunty Inn trembling voice when answering the phone.

"Aunty Inn, it’s Mean. Is Kim there?"

Silent. It looks like the house is also empty. There is no sound of Kim play games in the living room, or the voice of his father watched the news every night. It was ten o'clock, and Kim’s family rarely sleep before twelve.

When I repeat my question, just Aunty Inn cry’s voice that I heard, while preached about Kim’s Mom accident.

At first, I’m not believe it. Ensuring repeatedly until I slumped and tried to digest the bad news. I immediately dial Kim’s number, and he hang up at the first ring.

"Kim? Where are you? Are you alright?" Kim didn’t answer. "I'll be right there. Please wait for me, kay."

Kim sound so softly, almost no sound in the middle of the rain and boisterous din of people talking around me. "Ok."

Click! Phone is turned off, and his cell phone can not be reached anymore after that. May be he turned it off.

And then, me and Mike insisted to immediately return to Bangkok. We had to borrow a car from an acquaintance Mike there because we came there with a school bus.

Fortunately the traffic is not too jammed, but the sky was dark and heavy rain slows our trip.

"Just calm down." Mike voice broke the silence. Maybe he sensed my anxiety.

"Hmm." I tapped impatiently radio button. "Can I change the radio station? Hear the crash news makes me nervous."

Mike just nodded briefly, let me choose. Piano instrumental song began. At least, this is more calming.

"There is Pie there. He will be definitely alright." Mike said again, as if he could read my mind.

I'm wringing my hands, still anxious. "I'm afraid Kim will mad. You know it well, Mike, Kim is easy to lose his temper. He must be ...." I’m not able to continue. Destroyed. That is what I want going to say.

"Pie is there. Don’t worry," he repeated making me sure.

Yup, right. Pie will keep Kim so that he will not reckless. Please keep Kim, that what I told her before we catch up to Bangkok. And, she has accept that, though I know how hated Pie at the hospital.

Pie doesn’t like everything to do with the hospital, the smell, funeral homes, cemitry. I just heard the story a glimpse from Nongh. Since her mother passed away, Pie start to distance herself from any kind relative with hospital. She rarely going to hospital, unless she really forced. When I entered the hospital for an appendectomy last year, I found out the real story.

Who really know the whole story is Nongh. Me and Mike who had known her for two years not even able to scrape that past injuries and heard it from her own mouth. She kept it all tightly, like a shield, like a secret. What she feels, what she thinks, we don’t know clearly. Finally, I decided to not force. Maybe such things it is better not to talk about.

The air gets cool. Mike doesn’t turn off the AC car with dew and fog crept increasingly thick windshield and obstruct the view. The car stopped at a red light, soon we will arrive.

Suddenly, I m afraid, like want to cry. Want to hug Kim, wants to tell him that everything would be fine. Want to see him smiling and not crying. Really want to be there quickly.

Without realizing, tears started fall to cheek. I sobbed, covering the face with both hands.

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