"Aom"

"Yes?" She answer as she still walking in front of Mike.

"Are you really happy that I'm going to be away for so long?"

"Why wouldn't I be? Of course I'm happy for you, that you will get to go study abroad"

"I don't feel like I want to go"

"Mike if you don't want to go, why in the world did you go take the test?"

"Because you push me to do it" 

"I encourage you to do good things, you know it's good for your future"

"Aom, you won't miss me at all when I'm gone?"

"Hmm... I don't know, you have to leave first before I know the answer to that question"

"Now that I really have to leave, I kinda miss my family," Mike pause a little " ..... and also you" 

A glimp of light was shown in the petite girl's eyes but suddenly fade away, follow by a dry chuckle. "Well when you get over there, try to find someone to fight with, I'm sure in no time you would be ok"

"Fighting with other people is not as much fun as fighting with you" 

"Is that suppose to be a good thing?" Aom laugh as they arrive in front of her house.

"Mom, Mike is here and he's going to eat with us" said Aom as she walk up the stairs.

"I got dibs on two prawns Aunt Orn" said Mike as he raise his eyebrows at the petite girl. Aom can't help but stick out her tongue out playfully at him. 

"Good timing Mike, we just about to start eating. Come eat with us" said the middle age lady as she grab an extra plate for him and set it on the floor table. "Aom takes the mango and slices it up, I already prepared the dressing in the kitchen." Aom went in the kitchen and prepare the salad as she's told.

"Oh Aunt Orn, my dad said that the buyer will come and buy the oranges today"

"Mom, Mike got the scholarship to go study abroad" Aom cut in suddenly as she set down the plate of mango salad.

"Oh.. that's great, to where?" ask Aom's mom

"To England" said Mike as he sit down on the floor 

"For how long?" Mrs.Orn ask, as she tried to figure out her daughter reaction and think back about a week ago when Mike's dad came and talk to her.

"You know, Aom is such a cute girl and I love her like my own daughter. I hope when the right time come, you wouldn't mind having Mike as a part of your family right Mrs.Orn?" ask Mr.Gumnan. It wasn't straight foward question but it gives out a pretty clear message of how he wants preserve Aom for his only son. 

This didn't occur to her before, that her daughter is now all grown up and is at the age where she is ready to build her own family. But after what Mr.Gumnan said to her, it just got her thinking. Mike is a good guy and they knew each other since they were kids, so there's no problem there. However, right now he is leaving "to go study abroad" and from past experience, it made the middle age lady worried. One thing that she knows is that, she would not let anything "inappropriate" happen between these two kids before he leaves and have the history repeat itself!

"So how long will you be gone Mike?" said Mrs.Orn, after she finish her thoughts.

"I believe it would be around five years" said Mike as his starts eating his two, promise prawn. 

"That's pretty long" 

"At first I wanna go, but now I'm not so sure" 

"Oh don't worry you'll get used to it in no time" Mrs.Orn try to smile when she said that because from her own experience she knows it's the truth. 

"My mom and dad, they were happy at first, but now not so much" while Mike said this, he tried to get a glimp of the petite girl next to him. He wants to know how she feels about all this, but all he can see is her black long hair. She is focusing on her plate, so finally he said, "seem like the only one that's happy about me leaving is Aom." 

"Why are you picking on me Mike?" Aom snap back at him. 

"What? You just said that to me, ok I'm full already" rubbing his tummy while saying it. 

"Good, so you can help me clean the dishes" Aom said in her demanding voice.

"Aom, we don't treat our company that way" the old lady can't help but remind her granddaughter she shouldn't act childish.

"It's ok grandma, I'm used to it.. I just wanna know who are you gonna boss around when I'm gone?"

"I can do all of this myself I don't need anyone to help me" Aom sneer back as she feels annoy with Mike.

"Ok I'm going to go see the oranges, you kids clean up ok?" cut in Mrs.Orn 

"Alright Mom, I'll go help you after I'm done" 

Aom and Mike help each other with the dishes. She didn't talk to him much as she's still mad at his early remark, so Mike tried to make conversation with the petite girl "My dad doesn't want me to go." 

"He's going to miss you huh?" Aom said back in her normal voice

"Not only that but he said there's some problem going on there" Mike feels relieve now that Aom is back to normal.

"Yeah I heard there might be a war happening, your dad is very observant, I tried telling my mom about it and she won't believe me."

"Aom it might not happen, it just a rumor right now"

"Yeah that's true, but if war happen and you're over there, it will be awful" said Aom while handing Mike a cloth to help her dry off the plates.

"If that happen then I won't be able to come back, I'm gonna suffer so much"

"Why are you gonna suffer, when the war is over, you can come back" Aom shrugs at him and seem like it's no big deal.

"What if the war is going on for 20 years?" Mike feels pretty sad when it seems like Aom don't care that he'll be away from her for so long.

"Then you can come back after that, even better, now