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I.
OPINION
II. EDUCATION
by Douangdeuane Douangdara by Douangdeuane Douangdara by Douangdeuane Douangdara
by Montha Phavongxay by Check Kirivong by Douangchit Mounghane
by Anonymous by Von PhrakonKham by Check Kirivong by Douangdeuane Douangdara by Von PhrakonKham
by Douangdeuane Douangdara by Von PhrakonKham by Von PhrakonKham by Douangdeuane Douangdara by Sounantha Phoumarath
by Von PhrakonKham
by Douangchit Mounghane
by Montha Phavongxay by Douangchit Mounghane |
By Von Phrakonkham
"God damn clock!" Noy exclaimed as he sat up in bed rubbing his head. It has been ticking in his mind all night long. Now, the time has finally come. He got up and walked across the moonlit room. Still half asleep and tired, he nearly tripped over a stuffed bear left on the floor. As he regained his balance, he moved closer to the window and slightly pulled the curtains aside. It was still dark, and the moonlight silently sparkled off the dew resting on the front lawn. Down on the sidewalk was an elderly woman walking her dog.
He slowly closed the curtains and went in the bathroom to prepare for the big day he has long awaited. He stood in front of the mirror staring at the image that's staring back at him.
"How did you ever let yourself get involved in a situation like this?" he questioned himself. He hesitated for a while, and then glanced at the bathroom clock slowly ticking away. He knew this day could be either the beginning of something good or the end of something bad.
"5:45. Remember, be here by 5:45 or we'll consider you as part of the problem. 5:45 and not a second later," the voice echoed in his head. The time was now a quarter until five, so he quickly got dressed and headed out of the house.
As he walked past an antique shop, he saw a baby bassinet with a red ribbon tied around it. He looked at the bassinet as though it was his baby in there. He was hypnotized for a while until a street sweeping truck came by and snapped him out of his trance. He slowly moved farther back from the shop's window and ran around the corner.
It was a cold morning; warm air rushed out with each breath he took. He had on a dark blue beanie and a blue cloth sticking out from under it. Both of his hands were tucked into his jacket as he hurried to his destination. The sounds of water dripping from the trees and car engines warming up surrounded the morning. All of a sudden, a bicyclist zoomed pass by, nearly knocking him over. It broke his concentration and he stopped and sat down to rest for a while.
By now, the sun was gradually showing its strength. As he sat against a wooden fence trying to get his thoughts together, a ray of sunlight struck the tip of his shoes. He knew time was closing in on him. However, he remained sitting there for a while longer. Looking across the street, he saw a mother pushing a baby stroller to her car. Soon, another child came running out and jumped into the car. He sat and stared at the car until it sped off.
"Okay! Okay! It's now or never!" he shouted at himself. He dusted himself off and continued walking down the street. By now, he had turned into a darker and colder part of the town. It was where he grew up. He saw the park where he used to play at with his friends. He glanced at the swings gently moving back and forth at the playground. Straight across from the park was his old house. There was a piece of board across the window and a "For Sale" sign posted in the front yard. He nodded his head and walked away.
Not too far away, he arrived at a cemetery. It was still dark and shaded from all the overgrown trees surrounding it. He had many friends and peers who had been buried there. What a tragedy to have lost so many friends in such a short period of time. From the corner of his eyes, he looked at the front gate. It was slightly opened and there was a tent set up for a morning burial. He quickly walked passed and tried not to pay attention to it.
The next thing he knew, he arrived at the block of his final destination. The time on his watched said 5:40. He peeked around the corner and saw his friends waiting outside in a car. The neighborhood was very familiar to him. His grandmother had lived there before she passed away a couple years ago. Before he walked around the corner, he prayed to Buddha to lead him in the right direction.
As he did, he looked around and caught a glimpse of a young woman sitting at a bus stop all by herself. She smiled at him and he gave a little smile back. A few seconds later, the face of a young girl peeked from behind the woman and giggled. He waved to the little girl, but she quickly hid back behind her mother. At this point, there were so many things going through his mind.
He looked at his watch and it was 5:50. Just as he started to turn the corner, the car sped off without him. He tried to catch up with them but it was useless. He stood in the middle of the street trying to catch his breath. They had already left him behind. He turned around and walked back. When he got back to the end of the block, he realized that the young lady and the little girl were gone. However, he didn't see any buses pass by. It puzzled him but he headed back home.
The next morning, he walked into the living room and sat on the sofa. As soon as he did, his three-year-old daughter ran out of her bedroom and jumped on his lap.
"Daddy! Daddy!" she said. "Will you watch cartoons with me?" He flipped on the TV, but before he could turn the channel; there was a special news bulletin being broadcasted. He saw the clips of the news and realized that it was the car belonging to his friends that had been shot at and smashed against the tree. His eyes widen and chills went up and down his spine.
"This is a sad story of 11 young men and women whose lives were taken before their time. It involves gunshots and a high-speed chase. Witnesses said that the two cars were chasing each other when one lost control. As the second car tried to slam on the brake, it was too late. It has been confirmed that the young men and women were members of rival gangs. Reporting live from Sacramento, this is…" he clicked off the TV.
"Daddy, you turned off the TV," his daughter said to him. However, there was no response from him. "Daddy, you're not listening to me," his daughter said to him again. Still, there was no response. She looked up at her dad and stood up on his lap; she gave him a kiss on the cheek. He realized that his prayers had been answer and he gently embraced his daughter.
Daddy, your face hair is scratching me," she told her Dad. He smiled and sat her down. He turned on the TV and flipped to cartoons for her. Just as he did, the phone rang and it was his Mother. She was so relieved and glad that he had not been at the gang related incident that took five of his friends' lives the prior night.
"Mom, I missed her so much," he said to his Mother. She could sense that he was on the verge of tears. "I was so close to going with them."
"I know," his mother replied. "But if you were there that morning, who would your daughter call Daddy? Her mother was brutally taken away from her. Avenging her death will not bring her back. Just leave the punishment to the higher authority above and justice will be served. You have your daughter to think about now. She needs you and she loves you."
"Yeah, I know," he replied. "Okay, I'll talk to you later. Love you. Bye."
He walked to his daughter and picked her up. He held her in one hand and picked up his bandana in the other hand. His daughter grabbed the bandana from his hand and wrapped around her little hand twisting and folding it.
"Do you think Mommy is watching us, Daddy?" his daughter asked him. "I think so. I really miss her a lot."
"Yes, Mommy is watching over us, and I know she misses us a lot too," he said looking at the picture of his wife sitting on the table. He walked passed the picture and out the balcony. It was a little windy outside. All of a sudden, the wind blew a little harder and it swept the bandana away from the daughter's hands and flew away.
"Oh no. The wind took it away," his daughter said with a sad face. "I'm sorry Daddy."
"It's ok, Daddy doesn't need it anymore. Daddy doesn't need it anymore."
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