“Aom…AOM! Are you up?”

Mrs.Orn peaks her head out of the kitchen as she heard the loud calling.

“Who came here so early in the morning Honey?”

“It sounds like Ta Bua” Aom answers while walking to open the front door.

“What is he doing here? We don’t need company right now” Mrs.Orn mumble.

Ta Bua walks up the stair to the front door, “Man, this stair is too steep, careful someone will fall off it one day. How was last night for you guy? During the bombing it was as bright as day, I was running my off”

“What are you doing here so early in the morning Ta Bua”

“I’m here to ask you to go visit Pol with me, I think he’s probably scare less last night”

“I’m not free today, can’t you go by yourself?”

“Hell no, if I go by myself they would take me prisoner. If you go with me it would make me more at peace”

“So did you eat anything yet?”

“I had a little rice soup” Ta Bua said with unsure voice.

“Ok, then you can eat some more with us”

Mrs.Orn walk out of the kitchen with tray of food in her hand, “What are you doing here so early Ta Bua?”

“I came here to ask Aom to go visit Pol with me. I peak in at the boat dock a bit before I came here. I don’t know what the hell they were doing, preparing a lot of soldiers to do something, so I don’t dare go in alone”

“What did you say?!” Aom asks with a very loud voice, but after she realize it, she begin talking in normal voice again. “So you went to the boat dock already?”

“Just passing by, soldiers walk everywhere, look like something big is going on there”

Aom tries to keep her emotion calm but Mrs.Orn looks at her daughter in panic. So Aom look at her mom and shake her head as a warning not to be alarm.

“But you know I heard from people last night that the soldiers wwere flashing the lights everywhere along the river during the night. They were trying to find something or maybe somebody stole something again?”

Aom didn’t answers that question but trying to change the subject, “Should we eat Mom?”

“I have to get soup, why don’t you go and help your Grandma out to eat”

Aom went into the room to help her grandma. As she walk out Ta Bua greet her with respect, “How are you doing Ma’am? Are you better?”

“I’m ok, how are you? What about Pol?”

“He’s still at the hospital at the boat dock”

“The doctor at the boat dock is very good and Kimhan is so nice. Orn, so what was going on last night?”

Mrs.Orn didn’t answer but walk in the kitchen to get more food and Aom just prepare the utensils without answering anything so Ta Bua step in.

“The Japanese soldiers were trying to find something last night”

“Yeah I saw that too, did you take anything from them again?”

“No Ma’am! Don’t say things that can get me into so much trouble like that”

“Bua, eat with us” Grandma invited the old man, so he got up to wash his hand in the kitchen but when he walks back he suddenly stop as he looks downstairs from the front door.

“What are the Japanese troop doing in front of the house?”

Those word made Aom drop the plate that she’s holding in her hand. She quickly got up and close the front door and turn to everyone and said,

“Mom hurry and scoop the rice into the plates for everyone and start eating. Ta Bua! If you say anything about what you see to anyone, I’m gonna make sure you pay for it!”

Aom voice was so cold which make Ta Bua drop his jaw, “What is going on Aom?”

“Don’t stand here, go sit down and start eating. Mom, hurry and scoop the rice. Grandma, don’t panic ok?”

Aom hurry to the storage room and unlock it quickly before giving the command.

“Mr.Worden…” Aom said it in whisper voice and said it in English to make sure there is no miss communication, “the troop are here to find you, please come with me to the room over there, hurry!”

Mrs.Orn scoop the rice into different plates with a shaking hands. Both Ta Bua and Grandma were looking back and forth at themselves and Aom.

“Orn, what is going on? What is Aom doing? And who is that?”

“He is an American prisoner of the Japanese troop Mom, he escaped and came here to hide in our house last night”

“Ohh…” Ta Bua understand the situation quickly, “No wonder Aom said it like its life and death situation to me a minute ago. Them come on, hurry, still need one more plate of rice, don’t spill it…here let me do it” Ta Bua said it while pulling away the plate from Mrs.Orn’s hand.

Aom guides Mr.Worden into her bedroom to let him hide there and close the door of her room before coming back and sit down with the rest of her family.

“Let’s eat, keep calm and don’t act suspicious”

The petite girl sit down and reach her hand out to the soup bowl. Ta Bua was the first to eat calmly.

“Good morning”

A familiar voice said it from downstairs, which made everyone froze. The beautiful hand that is reaching for the soup bowl shake a little which made her spill the soup. Aom has to pause herself and get her act back together as that familiar voice walk up and open the front door.

“I’m sorry to bother you while you guys are eating”

Mrs.Orn looks up at Kimhan and give her a faded smile, “Did you eat? Wanna eat with us?”

Ta Bua slurps the soup loudly like there is nothing going on.

Aom turns to Kimhan and try to smile a little at the tall figure that is standing at the front door. Kimhan wear a beige uniform that fit her body perfectly, that black eyes stare at the petite girl with delight.

“Please come in…” Aom tries to keep calm as much as possible but her voice is still not too friendly.

Kimhan walks in and is follow by 2 more soldiers.

“What is going on?” Aom asks with emotionless voice.

The tall figure hesitate a bit before answer, “Last night…a prisoner escape…there was a witness…said that the prisoner might be hiding…in this area…so I have to search…every house”

“Is that so?” Aom smirks, “How is that possible? How could you let him escape?”

“I don’t know anything more than that…they order for me to search…so I search…but how do you know that there is one guy that escape?”

That black eyes look at Aom straightly, Aom still smirk at that black eyes.

“I don’t know, I just assume or are you saying there is more than one. I didn’t think your troop can be so careless. Go ahead if you want to search my house, then search…”

Aom gets up and slowly walk to wash her hand while Mrs.Orn and her grandma froze in their place. Ta Bua still keep on eating like there is nothing going on.

“I’m sorry I have to bother you like this” Kimhan gently said it to Mrs.Orn and Grandma.

Mrs.Orn still give Kimhan a faded smile, “No worry, go ahead”

“Please continue eating, I won’t be long…just have to see a little bit…what is that room?” Kimhan pointed to the storage room.

Aom quickly cut in, “That’s the storage room, it’s not lock you can go in and search if you want”

Kimhan turns to the soldiers and give order and they quickly go and search that room.

“Do you want to search my room as well?” Aom said it with a daring voice.

The tall figure hesitate a bit before answering, “I’ll search it myself!”

Mrs.Orn drops her spoon loudly. She looks up at her daughter and call out her name with a shaken voice.

“Aom…”

“Keep on eating, I’ll be right back”

The petite girl slowly walk Kimhan to her room. The beautiful hand that touch the door shake a little before pushing it open.

“If you don’t want me to then I won’t search…”

Aom pause a bit as Kimhan said those words, she bit her lip as she’s thinking before pushing the door so it’s widely open.

“Go ahead!”

This time Kimhan is the one who pause before bowing her head to the petite girl and walk into the room.

The room is small but is neatly kept. The curtains and bed sheets are white so the room look more spacious. On the night stand there is a small jasmine garland that caught Kimhan’s attention. Kimhan hold the garland, exam it closely and smell it.

“It’s so beautiful, this is the flower that you used to tell me right?”

Aom is a little annoy by that gesture, who give her permission to smell my flower, Ao