A heavy footsteps approach her once again but Aom still leaning against the tree not bothering to turn and look.

“I thought you left already Doctor”

“It’s me!”

That gentle voice said it so clearly right next to her. Suddenly, the coldness that she felt just a minute ago is replace by a very warm feeling in Aom’s heart!

“Dr.Yoshi just went to the camp to talk to me…didn’t think he would stop by here too” the gentle voice said it without any emotion, “Why did he stop by?”

Because of the emotionless tone, it made the warmth in Aom’s heart disappear.

“Nothing, he probably got some free time on his hand, that’s all”

“Hurrr…” Kimhan gives out a long sigh before she continue, “Good for him…he still have some free time to talk to you…as for me…I’m quite busy”

“I already know that!”

“But if I do have some free time…you probably don’t want to talk to me anyway” It’s probably the first time that gentle can’t hide the disappointment in her voice as she said those words.

Aom still froze in her place but her gesture soften up a bit.

“So are we just…gonna keep on talking while…you turn your back on me?” said Kimhan while stepping to stand in front of the petite girl. Kimhan stands so close to the petite girl that Aom could smell sweat and a little sweet aroma from the tall figure.

“I missed you so much…but there is a lot of work…” Kimhan quickly amend herself, which made Aom wanted to laugh at those word, so she just hide her smile.

“I was going to break for a while, so I played the instrument and planning to continue the work after…but after playing ‘Sado-r-gasa’ I can’t help but think of you”

Kimhan pauses for a while but after there is still no words from the petite girl she continues talking in a lower tone, “But you probably don’t care about that either…”

The strong arms push against the tree and lean even closer to the petite girl, so Aom back off to the side more.

“Do you know about the schedule?”

“Yes” Aom answer shortly.

“Dr.Yoshi went to the camp to talk to me…about this…he think we should talk it over…before it’s too late”

“It is already too late or do you think if we talk it over, the arrangement would be cancel?!?”

“You know I tried to do my best…I didn’t mean for all of this to happen…you know it more than I do that I can’t do much…maybe you might not have to put up with me for that long…”

Kimhan looks up at the sky, “The face of the war is changing everyday…maybe I might get transfer to a faraway place…and I might never get to come back. And if you’re that sick of me…I’ll ask to be transfer sooner…if you’re lucky…it would be the end of my luck”

Kimhan said it sarcastically which cause Aom to be furious as well.

“That is up to you but whatever you’re going to do, you should do it quickly!!!”

“That’s what I thought…your answer would be…if my heart stop beating right in front of you…you would probably be happy right?”

“Yes…so much, and I’m waiting for it!” Those words just slip out from Aom’s mouth, but she doesn’t know why it made her heart sink as she said it.

Kimhan just stand there frozen like she is trying to push in her feeling, “You can plead for that to happen…you might get your wish faster than you think”

“Don’t worry, I’ll do just that!”

“I’m not afraid of dying…sometime I think…maybe death…would be the last thing that give me true happiness”

Aom’s heart hurts even more as she heard those give up word from the tall figure.

“Tonight is a beautiful night…you probably want time to think about a person that you love and to plead for death for the person that you hate...it’s probably time for me to leave”

Kimhan straighten up her body, about to turn around but had to pause.

“You have a lot of work to do?”

Aom’s tone is so normal which cause Kimhan to be curious.

“It’s kind of…a lot”

The wind blow heavily which cause the firefly on top of the petite girl’s head to fly down on to her hair and hang on to it for a while. Kimhan pick up the little bug with hand and hold in loosely in her fist and look at it like a little kid.

“What do you call this…in Thai?”

“Firefly” Aom pause before continuing explaining, “For Thai people, we think of it as the spirit of a guy, who light up a lantern to look for his wife who drown in the river. His wife’s name is Mangrove like this tree, so we think that’s why they like to be around Mangrove tree”

Aom stutter a bit while saying it, because she just realize that her childhood friend was the one who told her about this story, at this very spot, and telling her over and over again that,

“I don't want to be like the tale of the firefly that has to light up a lantern to find a spirit of the Mangrove Apple Tree Lady that vanish into the river. In 5 years Aom, I'll come back and stand right here and ask you that same question that you haven't answer. You're not the only one that's waiting for me Aom, I'll be waiting for that day as well!"

Right now…not only the time has change, but the person that is standing here right in front of her has also change. Her promise is about to fade away and it’s all because she is the one who can’t keep her promise!

“We also have similar story in Japan…It’s about a princess and a Cow herder…they love each other but their family wouldn’t let them be together…so they never saw each other again until they died…an angel feel sorry for them so he turns the two spirits into stars on each side of the milky way…but they would orbit to see each other one time a year which is on the 7th of the 7th month…when it is Tanaba Musuri festival…we would make 2 paper lanterns arch toward one another to represent the two spirit…love always end in tragedy” Kimhan give out a long sigh while saying those word and let go of the firefly in her fist so it would fly back to its friends.

“Like this little guy…he would probably light up to try to find his lover for the rest of his life…do you have anyone you’re waiting for?”

“Yes…” Aom answers with a low tone.

Kimhan was silent for a moment, because of the darkness of the night, Aom couldn’t see the feeling on that handsome face.

“I’m sorry…this is probably why you hate me so much…I never meant to cause you this much trouble”

“It’s…it’s not like that…” Aom didn’t understand why she had to explain herself either, “He asked me to wait…that’s all”

“But you…want to wait for him right?”

Aom didn’t answer that question, but look away into the river.

“I understand…you should’ve told me about this earlier”

“It’s not like that…he just ask me to wait and I…”

“You want to keep that promise to him” Kimhan chuckle in like she is mocking herself.

“I’ll try to see what I can do…I’ll go into the city tomorrow…maybe I can still do something about this…but don’t keep your hope up…because both you and me are all tight up”

“What about you…do you have anyone waiting for you?”

“Yes…”

That answer is short but it still cause troublesome feeling for Aom.

“There is one lady who is waiting for me…probably the only lady who truly love me…she might be the only one who pray for me…while other people…hurrrr…It’s ok, for me…just one is more than enough…I never have anything that is truly mine…my life is for the Emperor…my heart is with someone else…my body has to give to mother earth…but I still don’t know when or where that would happen…it’s funny how for some of us we are born in one place…but has to died lonely in another place…”

“You will get to see that girl one day…”

“I might…and it’s not a girl…that lady is my mother…it’s getting late…you wasted a lot of your time talking to me already…I should leave now”

Aom feels hotness under her eyes like tears is about to fall down.

“Kimhan”

Kimhan pause in her place, because that angelic voice call her name so gently, like that day that they were in those bombing crisis together.

“Tonight, I’ll pray for you…”

“Thank you…but you don’t have to…you should pray for the one that you are waiting for…because his life is so much more valuable than mine”

Kimhan steps back, bow her down at Aom before turning around and disappear into the darkness.

Aom balls up her fist and lean against the tree while hitting it aggressively, “Mike…Mike…take back your promise…take it back!!!”

Her voice is fill with the feeling that has been piling up inside.

The next day, the motor white boat stop at the dock at Aom house, while the petite girl is standing there looking into the water.

“I just came back from the city…” Kimhan looks up at Aom a bit before looking away.

“I tried to talk to them…about us”

Aom press her lips together but didn’t say a word.

“I fought with them about many things…but I’m sorry…it doesn’t seem like I can change anything…so what are you going to do?”

“There is nothing to do…”

“What about him?”

“He is faraway, he probably won’t know about any of this”

“Alr