Chapter 17.

1940.

“Be careful, Aom.” Kimhan helped her to walk, the path is so small, also it’s dark. They have been walked for a couple hours. Aom looks so tired.

“Mike, we need to take a rest.” Kimhan said. They take a rest in a safe place, Kimhan sat and rested his back to the tree, Aom is sleeping, her head is on his lap.

“To night is a very long night for us.” Mike said.

“Our efforts will not be wreck less, we will go back to France, Mike.”

“Yeah. France, I miss my little sister and my mom.” Mike smiled.

“Mike, thank you for always be my loyal friend, and a condescendent for me.” Kimhan said.

“We are together since we are small, you are like a brother for me, Kim.”

“You are my family, Mike.”

“We promised to take care each other, right?”

Back to 1923, Kimhan and Mike was a little boy, they are 8 years old.

Kimhan is crying, he sat on the port, he holding his necklace.

“What’s wrong with you, Kimhan?” Mike comes and sat beside him.

“My mom told me, my father wouldn’t come home again.” Kimhan cried.

“Don’t cry. My father also never come back home.” Mike said and pated Kimhan’s back.

“My father is my protector, Mike.”

“You have your mom, You have me. We could protect each other.” Mike said.

“Right, Mike. We could protect each other. Promised?” Kimhan wiped his tears and showed his pinkie finger.

Mike interlaced his pinkie finger to Kimhan’s, “Man promised, we will protect each other no matter what.”

“Man promised, we will protect each other no matter what.” Kimhan replayed.

They sleep for a couple hours, Kimhan wakes Aom up, “Aom, wake up, my lady, we need to continue to walk.” Aom opened her eyes slowly.

“Kimhan..”

“Are you okay? Ready to walk?” Aom nodded and smile. “You are my lady, the strong and thoughtful one. I am sorry I came late last night and let Van touched you.” Kimhan said, he caressed Aom’s cheek.

“You didn’t late. You saved me.” Aom smiles.

“Come on, love birds, we need to move!” Mike teased them. They smiled and prepared themselves. Eat a some food and continue to walk again.

VAN’S HOUSE

Mr. Manaying and Mrs. Manaying came to Van’s house immediately after they heard that Aom disappeared last night. Van sat on the couch compressed his head with ice. The room is a mess. The bottle of liquors are every where, the cards that they played last night still on the table, with money that they use as bet, cigars smells fill up the air.

“What’s happened? Where is my daughter?!” Mr. manaying shouted. He pulled Van’s collar.

“Calm down, honey!” Mrs. Manaying tried to calm him, she is crying since she heard Aom was disappearing. Aunt Inn and Yam are standing there, but no one dare to talk.

Mr. Manaying pushed Van back to the couch. “What happened to my daughter?!” He shouted. Van didn’t move.

“Uncle, let me explain what happened last night.” Yam said. “Last night, Van threw a party here, like you see now, and he involved to fight with Aom, Aom slapped him because he was drunk and tried to kiss Aom, he dragged Aom to her room, and when I came Aom was not there.”

“There are two France soldiers that came and hit me on my head! They took Aom!” Van said.

“Yeah, they hit you because you tried to Aom.” Yam said. “But I found this in Aom’s stuffs.” Yam passed a letter to Mr. Manaying. He didn’t open the letter immediately, he stood up and pulled Van’s collar.

“You tried to my daughter?! You little bastard! You are the real bastard! Pretend to be a good man but trying to hurt my daughter!” Mr. Manaying hits van repeatedly.

“Stop it, uncle, stop it.” Yam, Mrs. Manaying and Aunt Inn tried to stop him. He stopped after a few hits. Mrs. Manaying took the letter from his hand.

Dear Father and Mother,

I am sorry that I went away. I can’t marry Van. I am sorry that I disobeyed you. I don’t love him, I love somebody else. I know you couldn’t accept him, he is a French soldier. I am too afraid to tell you, and I know this love is not possible for you, so I choose my own path. I am sorry for being an useless daughter for you. Forgive me.

Aom.

Mrs. Manaying hand’s shaking, she cries and painted.

FRENCH SOLDIER’S CAMP

“This is crazy! No one knows our plan! But someone destroyed our weapons!” Commandant franques shouted in frustrated.

“I am sorry, commandant, I believe that they are the insiders.”

“Who are you?!”

“I am Zee,”

“Tell me what do you know!”

Day is turned to night, Kimhan, Aom and Mike keep walking under the moonlight.

“We are not so far,” Mike said.

“Yeah, tomorrow we will arrive in the refugees camp. We will be safe there.” Kimhan said. He hold Aom’s hand.

“Let’s take a rest here. It’s safe.” Mike said.

“You take a rest first, Mike. I will stand by to watch.” Kimhan said.

They took a rest, Mike laid himself on the ground and sleep. Kimhan sat, Aom on his side.

“why don’t you sleep, Aom?” He asked her. Aom hugged him.

“I am thinking about my parents.”

“I am sorry, Aom. If you thought it’s not right, we could go back.” Kimhan said.

“No, being with you is right, nothing can go wrong if I am with you. I just feel sorry that I cannot say goodbye to them. Never mind.” Aom caressed his hair.

“Thank you. My mother will be happy if she met you.”

“We will meet in France, right?” Kim nodded. He kissed Aom’s hand, and kissed her forehead. “Now, go to sleep, we need more energy for tomorrow.” Kimhan said. Aom laid down herself beside him, their hands holding each other tightly.

“Move! Move! We must find them!” Commandant Franques shouted. “The refugees camp is not far from here, if what he said is right, we could reach them before they get th