Home, Part 2
From a distance, May looks pale but if you hold her closely; her soft skin is creaming white and her lips and cheeks are a beautiful shade of pink. She has a round face, her big bright eyes are charcoal black, her long straight hair is dark brown and her nose is short and round. Her lips are full and when she smiles, there is a small dimple on her right cheek. May rarely wears any makeup, because of her sensitive skin, she tells me.
As our last night together dragged on, we were running out of words to say to each other. Having shared our pasts, we both knew quit well the hardships and pain that we are currently in. We’re no longer teenagers and we can’t afford any of the mistakes of our youth. For the moment, our jokes and laughter were only masking the real issue we were both too afraid to discuss. In truth, neither of us could bring ourselves to talk about the real issue at hand, mainly, what will become of us after tonight? Do we really have a future together? And more importantly, what we must do and what must we have to overcome to have a future together?
Honestly, the purpose of my trip to Laos was not to find a wife, let alone, to meet anyone like May. I told May I had no immediate plans to return to Laos when she asked me. I truly did not know. I guess May would have more to lose in all of this because all her trust would be on me; all her hopes would be pinned on my promise to return to her. When I told her I did not know, tears filled her eyes and her smile faded.
They say the eyes are the window to the soul and I truly believe this is true. Seeing anyone cry, especially May, someone who I care so much about, is just heartbreaking. I guess I could have lied and told her that I would be back soon; I guess I could have taken the easy way out. But how could I, how could I lie to May after all that we have shared and after all that we have been through… I just held her as her silent tears soaked my shoulder.
The tuk tuk ride to Wattay Airport from my hotel was 50,000 kips for the 4 of us, my cousin, his wife, May and myself. The airport was nearly empty, unlike the scene of my arrival a few weeks earlier. There was not anyone in line and nearly all the seats in the waiting area were vacant. I handed my passport to a Laotian lady at the ticketing counter at exactly 4:45 PM. After a few strokes on her keyboard, she handed me back my passport and a boarding pass. I placed both of my checked luggages on the scale, it read 32 kg, and a porter placed them on a running conveyer belt behind the counter.
More tomorrow…
LHG