The white motor boat that just left Aom’s house is taking back many high rank officers of the Japanese troops back to the city including the Culture Ambassador, that came as witnesses of the engagement ceremony, the engagement between the nephew of the Admiral of the Japanese troop and one lucky Thai girl in everybody’s point of view.

Right now Aom’s house is back to normal, when less than an hour ago was fill with both Thai and Japanese military officers that came to congratulate them. Dr.Yoshi is the representative who bring all the gift to the petite girl’s house that is now scatter all over Aom’s room, which she doesn’t care to open it up and look at it one bit. Even if she knows that one of the box contain a very expensive pearl necklace that was send directly from Japan. During the ceremony Aom was ask to pour tea for them in the middle of at least ten cameras from many newspaper. However, not one of them explain to the petite girl why that person didn’t show up for the ceremony.

“Please lift up your chin a bit and smile…” said one of the camera man as he saw how Aom didn’t smile at all.

Aom gives him an evil look but calm herself down as she saw her dad’s face looking over at her with an intense look as well, so the petite girl has to force a smile. Aom knows that as long as these military officers are here, the underground soldiers from her dad plan are working on getting Mr.Worden out.

A week before the engagement ceremony, Aom’s Dad came to her house to check if everything is well prepare. However, he also comes with a Japanese soldier. While the Japanese soldier tries to help out, but it just a cover up, a polite and clever way of keeping an eye on Aom’s Dad and everyone knows it. Outside, it seems like everything is normal and it’s just a regular visit from Dad, so the soldier didn’t come with him every day.

Two day before the ceremony, her dad whisper to her, “We have to move Mr.Worden out of here during the engagement ceremony, we can’t wait until the wedding day, because the submarine would leave by next week”

“I only have Ta Pol and Ta Bua working on this and they probably can’t do much”

“I’ll send two more guys to help, we can’t use any more people, it would look too suspicious”

“But the people around here would be suspicious”

“Just let them be, those people can’t do anything to us. So can you find a casket?”

“Yeah I found one”

“Ok that’s good, I’ll introduce you to the two guys tomorrow. You just have to introduce them to Ta Pol and Ta Bua, they would know what to do from there on”

Aom gives out a long sigh, looking out the window of her house. She walks pass all the gift without caring. Mrs.Orn looks up at her daughter as the petite girl walks pass her.

“Honey, where are you going?”

“I’m going to the cabin, I just want to know if everything is alright”

“I don’t think you should, it would look too suspicious”

“I think it will be ok, I’ll be careful”

Aom walks the cabin behind the orange orchard and while she’s walking, she could hear the sound of metal banging from the boat dock.

‘That person is there...still working without caring about her one bit’ Aom thinks to herself.

Aom was in a hurry and was looking down on her feet to make sure that she won’t trip because of her long cream color Thai style dress. She didn’t notice her surrounding until she reach the cabin and saw a tall figure leaning back, sitting and looking over at her.

That keen black eyes look like it knows something, that red lips isn’t plaster with smile like always and that face look cold and distant. Aom pause at her place, didn’t say a word, like she wanted that person to say something first. That black eyes look at the petite girl from head to toe because Aom is still in her engagement dress, which made Aom wants to smack herself in the head. That person didn’t show up at the ceremony but she still drag herself in this dress down here so Kimhan can see it anyway.

“If you are looking for him, he left…”

“What are you talking about?”

That red lips smile sarcastically at her, “You probably think that…I’m a stupid person for you to laugh at right? You used to accuse me…of being an invader that uses force because I have power, but you never told me…how you used this invader as buffer for your operation!”

The petite girl press her lips together but her face shows that she is really upset, however, Kimhan still keep on talking.

“You didn’t hate me…because you got invaded by a person…who have power, but you hate me because you’re part of the pro-Allied resistance movement! At first, I thought you help that prisoner…because it’s your nature to want to help people…and all you can do is to hide him waiting for this war to be over. I told you, one soldier cannot change the face of the war, but I was wrong…if you can smuggle him out of here…that mean you are part of a much bigger organization…and this one soldier CAN change the face of this war. He didn’t just get out of here with his life, but he got out of here with information about strategic point of this country, and every strength and weakness information of our troops. I really mess up…and also congratulation…you just made me the worst soldier in history of my country!”

Aom just stand there not saying a word.

“There is one sad thing about this for me…” That black eyes look at Aom with sadness and disappointment, “You shouldn’t pick today…to do this operation…because…it’s a very important day…”

Kimhan pause and sigh, she tries to change her tone of voice to be back to normal.

“It probably doesn’t matter…because to you…today isn’t that important anyway…plus it’s the best day to do it too…Nobody would suspect a thing…”

Kimhan slowly close her eyes trying to press every feeling inside.

“You can go back now…and be glad that your work has been successful. Other than me…no one else would know about this…as long as I’m here…you would always be safe…The kimono that was send to you today was from my mom, she wants you to wear our traditional dress in the wedding ceremony…I don’t know if it fits you or not. The pearl necklace…was what my dad used to give my mom…during their wedding day. She said…it would give you good luck and she also wrote you a long letter, but you probably don’t care about it anyway”

That weak tone from Kimhan made Aom balls up her fists tightly, her blood boiled throughout her body.

“My dad wrote to me that…one day…he wants me to take you to see him…but now I know…that day would never come…but I can’t tell them any of this”

Kimhan smiles mockingly at herself, still with her eyes close and doesn’t care if Aom is still standing there listening to her or not.

“All I can do is just…make stuff up…told them that you would also want to go to Japan one day…They want you to go see Sakura flower blooms and play Thai instrument for them…they wanted to know if it would be similar to our traditional songs or not…My mom would play the song ‘Sado-r-gasa’ for you to listen as well. That time for them would never come…and that day would never happen for me as well”

Aom turns around and quickly ran away from that sad voice, she want to get away from that place as fast as possible.

Ta Pol runs up the stair of Aom house.

“Aom, everything is done. Geez, I didn’t know doing this would be so easy. You know, at first when we put Wadan in the casket his face was so pale like he a ghost, it was so funny”

Ta Pol and Ta Bua was laughing like little kids.

“So during operation, did anyone see you guys?”

“Yeah…”

“Who?” Aom asks quickly

“The monk at the temple, he was a little suspicious when we ask for a casket so he came and look. He’s a monk, he probably won’t gossip about this. We could be sure of that”

“Ohh…ok” Aom sighs out in relieve, she isn’t sure if what Kimhan said was because that person really know what Aom is doing or just guessing to mess with her head.

“There is one more person…but it’s probably not important”

“Who?”

“When we carry the casket out of the orchard, the Head Engineer walks out of nowhere, I don’t know what he’s doing there either. He said he just taking a stroll and just came and ask what we are doing. At first we thought it would go bad because those two men that came to help us carry guns”

Aom couldn’t believe of what she just heard but Ta Pol continue being proud of himself, “It’s a good thing that I’m smart, because I told him we now work at the temple. So, he walks around the casket a bit before he left or else he would be so dead right Bua?”

“Yeah, but that eyes sparkle usually, it’s scary I don’t dare look at it” Ta Bua added

Aom’s hands shake a bit, that person didn’t just told her all those just to mess with her, but that person knows because she saw it with her own eyes. 

“You hate me because you’re part of the pro-Allied resistance movement!”

Other than many misunderstanding between Aom and that person, now there is another thick layer of wall added to this relationship as well!

 The war is getting more brutal from every sides and airplanes bombing are going on, both during the day and night. Right now it’s getting to the point where many people are looking at the plane as a normal thing.

All Aom can hope for is that maybe in this serious war situation, that person might get transfer soon so she doesn’t have to get married, but it doesn’t look like that is happening at all. On the contrary, the sound of metal banging and worker changing shift is around the clock days and nights. The supplies of many type of boats and ships are send out daily in massive amount but even with that, it doesn’t seem to be enough.

So, Aom didn’t get to see the Head Engineer’s face for a long time now. Sometime during the quiet night, the petite girl would think about what that person is doing right now. What is she doing, that is so busy that she doesn’t even have time for her own fiancé? Or is it because of that incident from the other day that made that person can finally cut Aom out of her life? It has been a long time now that Aom haven’t heard the sound of a Japanese instrument that would sometime play during the night. And it seems like forever that she haven’t heard that voice whisper,

“Hideko…I love you”

The warm feeling and the sweet smell change into emptiness

“You hate me because you’re part of the pro-Allied resistance movement!”

Aom knows that person have so much pride in herself and her country. And it is because of this reason, that made her and that person couldn’t get along, maybe for the rest of both their lives. Aom tries to tell herself that she would be so glad if that person can really cut her off of that person’s life. But deep down, it hurts her heart a little every time she thinks about it. Many times Aom has to really sit down and think about Mike, so the heartache she feels would die down a little. Aom would think about her childhood friend, how to use to play together, studied together, and how he would be there whenever she have a problem, but the picture isn’t clear, the picture in her mind would be blurry and missing some part. On the other hand, when she thinks about that person that doesn’t live very far from her, that person’s image is so clear in her mind, the way that person talk, the way she smile, even that black eyes that tries the hide the sadness.

Aom sighs out a little because the wedding is happ