The Magnificent Seven Chapter 7

The rainy season had begun.  The ground was often muddy as the raindrops fell nonstop on the tin-roof buildings.  And, the presence of rain meant that the atmosphere was often moist and cold—perfect whether for people to easily catch colds.  So, the hospital was not only swamped with injured soldiers but sick civilians.  

Although the nurse trainees’ schedule was hectic, Lwg Dej would often make time to come accompany Xyooj Vaj Huam, even if it meant having to skip her break and meal times.  After cleaning and changing him, she would tell him stories of hope and courage to keep him company.  And while that brief period was exhausting, Lwg Dej never felt tire for she was experiencing a kind of happiness that she’d never had before. 

On the seventh morning after his admittance into the hospital, Noog Xi came to check Xyooj Vaj Huam’s vital signs as usual.  And as usual, she found Lwg Dej resting her head on the bed next to the patient.  While the two slept, Noog Xi quietly checked Xyooj Vaj Huam’s temperature and blood pressure.  His fever had subsided and his vital signs were stabled. 

Just as she finished writing down her observation, she heard a moaning sound.  She turned to look and saw that the patient was mumbling something.  “Water….water…water….” he called hoarsely.

The Magnificent Seven Chapter 6

It was late afternoon already when she returned home to break the news to Niam Tais Paj and Yawm Txiv Txooj Sua.  When she arrived at their wooden shack, Yawm Txiv Txooj Sua was cutting wood outside.  Too focused on his wood cutting, Yawm Txiv Txooj Sua did not even notice her return.  She decided not to bother him as well so she quietly stepped inside the home. 

Noog Xi saw Niam Tais Paj sitting on a wooden stool, polishing her silver jewelries.  “I’m back,” she said.  “Have you and Yawm Txiv eaten?”

“Not yet.”

“Let me cook then.”

She went into the kitchen and pulled out some meat and vegetables.  She scrambled a few dishes for dinner that night. 

When the food was prepared and served, Noog Xi called Niam Tais Paj and Yawm Txiv Txooj Sua to the dining table.  They sat around the round bamboo-woven table and ate their portion silently. 

After swallowing a few bites, the girl cleared her throat and looked at her aunt and uncle.  “Niam Tais…Yawm Txiv…I know that we are very poor now so I found a job,” she said.

Niam Tais Paj and Yawm Txiv Txooj Sua stopped eating.  “You did?” Niam Tais Paj responded surprisingly.  “Daughter, you didn’t have to.  I didn’t mean to force you to find a job with the words I said the other day.”

“It’s alright, Niam Tais.  I know that you and Yawm Txiv need all the help you can get.  I am still young so let me suffer a bit.”

“What job did you get daughter?” Yawm Txiv asked.

“A nursing job.”

“And when do you start?”

“Tomorrow,” the girl answered firmly.  “But, this job is not like my previous teaching position where I can live at home and walk to work everyday.  This job requires that I live at my work place.  But before that, I will be taking courses in Vientiane for 6 months and then spend another 6 months training in Thailand before returning here.”

“What?  That’s ridiculous!  I won’t let you do it!  Even if we are poor now, Yawm Txiv and I will find a way out!”

The Magnificent Seven Chapter 5

The journey to Looj Ceeb was an arduous trip, taking the Zos Hav Xyoob villagers to the town of Sam Thong first.  As new refugees, they were not permitted to enter Looj Ceeb until they went through proper health examinations and documentations in Sam Thong—Copper Marsh, or Lima Site 20.  It was a mountain ridge town almost a day’s walk from Looj Ceeb.  It had about a population of 8,000 residents and was located north of Looj Ceeb but southwest of the Plain of Jars.  The town had a dusty, dry red airstrip surrounded by karts and sat along a clear flowing pristine mountain stream.  Some of the town’s surrounding trees have been cut down to use as fire wood but the few scattered pine trees still stood tall.  Downfield of Sam Thong were valleys of thorny bushes and purple fountain grasses. 

While Looj Ceeb was the CIA-supported base for guerrilla operations against the communists, Sam Thong was headquarter of USAID operations in northern Laos.  It served as the center for refugee assistance as well as standard aid programs, and kept its own hospital and school.  Sam Thong was the only town to occasionally receive foreign journalists.

With the exception of a few policemen—the civilian town of Sam Thong was emptied of any soldiers.  The day was pouring rain and the temperature was cold so even civilians were not visible outside.  When the two policemen guarding the gate to Sam Thong spotted the new group of refugees, they ran over.  After speaking quickly to the village chief, the two policemen led the group to a building that sat on the northeastern side of the airfield.  It was made out of wooden planks painted a light sky-blue color and wooden black shingle roofing.  The facility included some operable square-shaped aluminum windows with tempered glass to permit the passage of light and ventilation, and two opposing-opened wooden steps on the outside that connected with the main entrance.  Inside the building, there were rows of evenly-spaced red plastic chairs.  Office spaces took half of the building. 

A group of 10 men and women—mostly Westerners but a few Filipinos and one Hmong medic greeted the newly arrivals.  The policemen handed the group over to the staff and left. 

An American man, who seemed to be in charge, spoke to the group through the interpretation of the Hmong medic.  “Everyone, please have a sit,” he instructed.  “We will come by to examine you all for health problems.  Anyone with severe issues will be sent to the main hospital.  Those who are in good health will be given some vaccinations before proceeding to your living quarter.” 

The Hmong medic interpreted.

The Magnificient Seven Chapter 4

            Two weeks have passed since the Red Lao soldiers captured the threesome and sent them back home.  Fearful of alerting the villagers, the soldiers dropped the three off at the edge of the village.  The young teacher had taken Teeb from the back of the Red Lao Hmong soldier, Thoj Zoov Ntxhw, and carried him on her back to her sister-in-law’s home.  It was already midnight when they reached Teeb’s family’s thatched hut on the north side of the village.  Xwm knocked on the family’s door and a few seconds later, the pregnant woman showed up.  Upon seeing her son, she grabbed him from the teacher’s back with tears of joy.  She thanked the elder boy and the teacher for helping to find her son and for sending him safely back. 

The teacher and her elder student decided to conceal their captivity from Teeb’s mother to help the woman to remain calm.  After she took her son, the teacher sent Xwm home.  They agreed not to share the experience with his parents either.  Xwm’s parents were concerned that he returned home so late but were grateful that their son was safe. 

When Noog Xi returned home, Niam Tais Paj and Yawm Txiv Txooj Sua were worried as well.  Since she had come to live with them, wherever she went to, she would usually be home before the sun set.  So her late return made the couple extremely inquisitive, and they kindly forced her to reveal the truth. 

They were terrified to learn about the incident.  They became circumspect and forbidden their niece to pass further than 10 feet from the house.  She had reassured them that they did not need to take that much precaution, but they felt uneasy if they didn’t.  Having been captured twice now, they could not let her endure such an experience again.  In the end, they intended to keep the girl home until they could confirm that it was safe to walk around the village again.  So, the teacher had to cancel class and the husband and wife lied to her students’ parents that she was ill and would keep to the home for many days.

The Magnificent Seven Chapter 3

Conscious now, Noog Xi turned her head to look at the window to the right.  The darkness of the night had faded away.  The moon went back to sleep and the sun came out to give light to the world.  Although the window in her room was still shut tight, she could witness sunlight creeping through the cracks of the window and traveling faster than anything else in this universe across time, space, and the walls of the house.  The light inside was bright enough that it kept her awake.  Not wanting to get up yet, she turned her whole body to the right side and stared at the window.  When she did so, Noog Xi could smell the sweet scent of freshly brewed rice coming through the cracks of the thatched-roof home.  Even this bright into the morning, she could still hear faint sounds of roosters crowing, calling for the sun to rise.  Suddenly, she did not hear the crows anymore but the sound of a sharp blade cutting through hard pieces of dry woods instead.  She knew that the sound was coming from her uncle chopping woods outside to be used for the day.  The noises helped to reassure her of her safety.    

After of few minutes of lying awake, the young woman’s back began to ache so she decided to get up.  But before stepping outside to wash her face, the dream crept back into her thoughts.  How she wished everything in the dream was just a dream like every other dream, but it was not.  Those vivid images were remnants of her past.  Even though she was safe and sound now, the experience haunted her every night in her sleep.  But in dreams, things did not occur the same way twice and they also did not stick to reality.  Sometimes, she would see things that never happened or have yet to exist in her lifetime while other times, the details and ending to her dream would often change.         

The Magnificent Seven Chapter 2

(This is the official poster for the The Magnificent Seven)

 

 

November, 1964.  Which day, Noog Xi could not recollect.  But she remembered that it was a festive time—an occasion for families to pay respect to their ancestors, for the young’s to court and the wise to socialize with friends and family.  Most importantly, it was a time to continue practicing the traditions and customs that her ancestors elaborately weaved many millennia ago for their descendants. 

The sound of the rooster’s first crow woke all the siblings up.  Filled with joy and excitement, they scarcely slept through the night and merrily mingled as they quickly washed up and prepared for the New Year’s morning ritual.  The younger ones were incredibly eager to watch their father hold his split ox’s horn to hu plig or call the spirits of the family to return home and impatient to smell the aromatic incense sticks burning away at the tick of each second that they dragged their sleepy father and mother out of bed.  Only when the chipped residues from the incense sticks fell gracefully into the bowl of raw rice were they satisfied. 

The morning ceremony ended after their father offered fresh food to the ancestors to ask for fortune and protection, and glued new rice papers onto the xwm kab wall by using chicken feathers dipped in crimson chicken blood.   Afterward, her family had their meal.  The newly harvested rice and tendered, home-raised chicken boiled with chicken herbs melted tastily in her mouth.  Noog Xi ate until her stomach was plumped like a frog despite her mother’s warning to avoid overstuffing so that she may maintain a slim figure and find a husband.  She simply ignored her mother’s advice.  She hadn’t eaten home-made food for a long time.       

The nebulous mist that shrouded the mountain top had dissipated by late morning when the girl walked outside with a large tin basin filled with used plates and bowls.  She laid the basin on the dirt ground and stretched her body to feel the cool wind brushed past her bared arms.  She closed her eyes and breathed in her ancestors’ presence.  Noog Xi recalled of the time when she asked her grandfather why the Hmong chose to live on the mountain tops.  He told her that there once lived two looj or dragon brothers.  The younger brother, however, arrived from his mother’s womb a little different.  He had a bird’s beak for a mouth and wings on his back.  His elder brother loathed him for his special features.  Wishing to prove that the elder brother was superior, he declared his younger brother to be his nemesis and vowed to dominate him in everything.  The kind-hearted younger looj desired for nothing else but to maintain a peaceful relationship with his brother and to live as only a free being under the sky.  So, every time his malevolent and greedy elder brother chased him, he ran away.  Gradually, everything related to the younger looj began to perish at the hands of his elder brother—kingdoms, knowledge, and history.  To save his kind from extinction, the younger brother retreated to higher and higher altitudes until only his descendants knew that they, the beaked and winged looj were born on the mountain tops while the lowlands were for the pure-breed looj.  That was why the mountainous terrains of Xiengkhouang Province may be inhospitable to many, but it was a safe haven for the descendants of the beaked and winged looj.  At least for the time being.

The Magnificent Seven Chapter 1

Some of you may recall that I have uploaded the first two chapters to this story before, but removed them because I realize that I had a problem continuing with the point-of-view that I initially used.  So, I took the story off to make the necessary changes and now it is ready to be viewed again.  Enjoy!

Update

For those of you who would like a brief synopsis on this story before diving into the readings or to help you decide if this story is worth your time investment, here is the synopsis taken from a post I've posted a while back.

Synopsis:

A rare female of her time, 22 year-old Lis Noog Xi returns to Laos in 1964 after completing college in Australia only to find her homeland in turmoil and war-torn. Shortly after her arrival and on the morning of Hmong New Year, her hometown of Nong Het is raided by Pathet Lao soldiers and she is taken a prisoner. After her miraculous escape and having no news of the whereabouts of her family members, she goes to live with her maternal aunt and uncle. But no Hmong village is safe against the infiltration of communist soldiers, so she and her aunt and uncle are forced to seek refuge in Sam Thong. It is there that Lis Noog Xi meets Edgar “Pop” Buell, head of the USAID Program in Laos. With her ability to read and write in English, Pop hires her to recruit, train, and heads a team of ethnic highlander nurses. She along with her fellow friends and comrades, Vaj Yuj Yeev, Hawj Yaj Mim, Thoj Suab Cua, Muas Ntsa Iab, Yaj Lwg Dej, and Xyooj Ntxhi Nag run Sam Thong Hospital to serve the needs of the people and the injured Hmong soldiers under Military Region II.

Their journey as nurses test their strength and significance as Hmong women in an era of ever changing fates, where their history is neglected in the context of a man’s world. They get tangle up in love affairs with some of General Vang Pao’s top ranked soldiers, pilots, and secret agents, discovering that to love someone during a time of war is bittersweet and a punishment from the heavens. Would Lis Noog Xi choose her youth sweet-heart on the communists’ side or a CIA-backed astute colonel instead?  Can a group of seven friends overcome the challenges befall upon them and change the lives of many individuals? ~The Magnificent Seven

Note: This story contains characters "loosely" based on real historical figures (dramatized for reading interest) so don't take the characters or events as true to their real life counterpart.  This story is categorized as a work of fiction. 

 

 

So, it was told that the folk legend unfolded like this…

Once upon a time, a young man named Nuj Txeeg was not only handsome and kind, but an equally talented qeej—bamboo reed pipe, player.  His fame and music stretched far and wide, all the way to the kingdom beyond the sky.  In that kingdom, there lived the youngest daughter of a king, but she had a disease—an enormous goiter.  And thus, she came to be infamously known as Ntxawm Mob Txia—the little goiter fairy.

Bored of her heavenly life, Ntxawm Mob Txia often peeked into Earth to observe the mortals’ lives.  One day, the heartfelt qeej music of Nuj Txeeg caught her attention and she instantly fell in love with the lad.

When the annual New Year’s celebration arrived, Ntxawm Mob Txia descended to Earth.  She singled Nuj Txeeg out at the local New Year’s festival, and would not pov pob—toss ball, with anyone else but the talented qeej player.  Her choice in tossing the ball only to Nuj Txeeg meant that she had given her heart to him, and have chosen him to be her groom. 

The young lad, however, didn’t regard Ntxawm Mob Txia in the same manner that she did him.  For one thing, her goiter appearance was not appealing and for another, Nuj Txeeg was already in love with another girl—the beautiful Nuj Saub Noog Xi.  Nuj Txeeg had courted Nuj Saub Noog Xi for a long time, and the two agreed to have their wedding after the New Year. 

Nkauj Nog Chapter 1

The color of the morning sky did not change much from its night counterpart.  The clouds appeared liked a herd of gigantic dark and angry elephants, readied to destroy anyone and anything in its path.  The wind blew turbulently at times, flaunting its prowess and forcing everything except the sturdiest object to bend before its greatness.  The heavens did not smile with its bright orange flames, but instead, wished to cry any minute.  It seemed as if the heavens was moved by the goodness of someone below, and pitied that person very much.

A woman, slender and graceful, stood patiently by the gate of a manor as if waiting for her husband.  Although there were loud cheers and laughter vibrating from inside the main courtyard, the woman’s face was pale and wet with tears.  She looked past the gate to the far distance, and then back at her abdomen.  She touched it and more tears flowed down her cheeks.  Her husband did not know that she was with child for a few months already.

“Nyab—Sister-in-Law!” a woman called from behind.

“Mab, it’s you,” the woman by the gate turned around and answered.

“Nyab, don’t shed anymore tears.  I too am saddened by what my brother has done to you, but no matter what, what has been done has already been done.  Whether anyone likes it or not, Luj Tuam is bringing his second wife home today.  Let’s just consider that this is your fate so the only thing you can do now is continue to be a good-hearted person who does the right thing.  One day, the sky will brighten and my brother will see your goodness.”

Nkauj Nog Prologue

            Once upon a time, the Miao lived in the fertile valley of the Yellow River.  Although majestic and grand, the river often flooded during the rainy season and swallowed many lives.  For some, the catastrophic circumstance was so intolerable that they were prompted to follow Txiv Yawg—Chiyou, to the northern land where they established the magnificent, technologically-advanced Kuj Cuab Cuaj Lig Ntuj—Juili Kingdom.  It was only after Txiv Yawg was defeated and lost his life at Lima Pass to the Yellow Emperor—Huangdi, that the Juili Miao crossed the river once more and returned south to reunite with their Miao relatives.

The Juili Miao soon discovered that their southern counterparts were scattered everywhere, dwelling a poor and backward lifestyle that lacked structure, leadership, and unity as a people.  They knew that in order to lead a life of comfort and prosperity, the Miao people must be organized into a civilization.  Thus, the Juili Miao became the leaders and applied Txiv Yawg’s innovative and profound principles of governorship, development, and solidarity to change the future of the Miao.  But the Miao homeland was impressive.  To reduce the daunting task of governing such an enormous country where some citizens may not even be aware of the existence of a monarch, the Miao leaders decided that it was wisest to divide the land into three kingdoms to better facilitate the process of ruling a people.  The western kingdom became known as Cuaj Zag—Nine Dragons; the middle kingdom was known as Lig Xia—Blue Li; and the eastern kingdom was termed Ntuj Kag—Clear Heavens.  So for a period of time this notion of governance flourished, and the three kingdoms existed peacefully and harmonically—prospering together.

But civilization and progress often lured attention, jealousy, and lust from neighbors.  Lingering in the northern land was the old nemesis of the Juili Miao—the Suav, descendants of the Yellow Emperor and his people.  Their population was booming but land became scarce.  When they heard of the prolific soil in the south, they gradually embarked on the journey south like large groups of infesting locusts and began to intrude and rob land away from the native inhabitants until they finally approached the northern border of the three kingdoms. 

Leej Nus Ntxim Hlub

              “General Manager, you are my most loyal employee and friend,” the chairman said.  A man of robust and charismatic features, there were light patches of skinfolds around his eyes, his hair had a mixture of gray and white strands, and he appeared overwhelm and tire.  “Tell me honestly, except for Suab Kaj, don’t you find the rest of my daughters very useless?”

                “Chairman, I…” the general manager answered hesitatingly.

                “You don’t need to pity anyone of them,” the chairman brushed his secretary off.  “I am their father.  I know how they are.  The eldest spends all her time shopping and making herself look pretty, the second one cares only about cooking, the third and fourth are flirtatious silly girls who hit on every man they see…old or young, the fifth is a bookworm who spits out nonsense every time she opens her mouth, and the sixth…well…she just doesn’t say or do much.  And who is to blame for all of this?”

                “No one, Chairman.”

                “That’s where you are wrong, General Manager!” the chairman shouted.  “You need not be afraid of being frank to me.  You should say that everything is your fault, Chairman.  You were the one too busy running your business that you’ve neglected your family.  Without their mother, instead of showering them with love, you’ve showered them with money to make up for the times you couldn’t spend with them.  In the end, it was you who turned them into useless creatures who can be of no help to you...again, except for the little one.  Thank the heavens for giving her a little more wit than her sisters.”  He sighed.  “But I won’t live forever to take care of them.  What will their lives become when I perish one day?   So General Manager, ask me how I’m going to fix this mess?”

A Candlelight Dream

 



            The beat of the Miao drum rumbles fiercely like thunder, like the beating heart of a people whose hope for freedom sways with the flickering of a candle’s flame.  Blood splatters everywhere, the cries of injustice echoing throughout the majestic hillsides.  I walk through the scene one last time, untainted by its brutality.  I feel like a mere helpless transparent ghost who can only glance from afar.  No matter how much I scream, no matter how much my heart ache with theirs—I can do nothing now.  The two worlds are drifting apart and I am being pulled back to the life I once knew. 

            I stare at an oil-painting of a young and beautiful Manchu princess sitting next to her husband.  “Isn’t she beautiful?” I ask.  “But she’s not coming back.  That’s the path that she has chosen.  Don’t worry.  Perhaps that’s her fate.  She will be happy there.”  I smile, and my stepmother weeps.

            But deep down in my heart, I know that I will miss her—my half-sister.  In this lifetime, I will never meet her again.  This is my punishment, for neglecting a beloved sister in this world and for turning an innocent young lady into a demon.  But no matter how much hatred is in her heart, perhaps she is the stronger one; the one who is willing to trade a life here for that life there, simply to be able to live with him and be loved for who she is.

            It is me, who is the real coward.  Like I’ve abandoned her here, I have once more decided to abandon him there. 

Every time I close my eyes, I still see him standing there—playing his qeej beautifully and happily beside the luxuriant blue bamboo forest.  The waterwheels cranked melodically and harmonically, pouring clear water into the river that was so clear the pebbles at the bottom appeared liked a well-played chess game.  That’s the image that I want to forever remember of him.    

But I know his ending too well.  Whether I stay with him or not, I cannot change what is predestined to happen.  It is better that I not see his tragic ending.

            Love, however, is something that defies the test of time, the will of heaven, and the laws of the universe.  No matter where we both are, our hearts will always be together.

            I know that in spring when I admire the pink blooming plum buds, he smiles with me; in summer when my hands are touching the cool June rain, his hands are brushing past the dripping heavenly water too; in autumn when the dancing leaves make my heart withers, he too longs for my presence; and in winter when snowflakes flutter gracefully to weave the earth ground into a soft blanket, we will both walk together under the magical winter moonlight.  With every step I take to glide forward, he moves with me.  Although we can no longer see each other, we’ve never parted…

            So they are among us and we are among them.  The two worlds march forward in synchrony and harmony.  We need their world to keep going so that we may be their future.  And we need to keep going so that our descendants may have a future.  And thus the two worlds continue to move apart with every click of time until someday when the right conditions bring the parallel worlds to meet once more...          



Cherry Blossoms Are Falling

 

Synopsis

An American-Hmong born, Madison Moua is ruthless and opinionated.  She does things her way, and only her way.  Although she shows kindness and respect to those who reciprocate the same behavior, she detests deceitful people the most.  She loathes that older Hmong men like her paternal uncle are disrupting their nuclear familial structure and going to Laos to marry high-school age Hmong girls.  She is furious at the fact that some girls purposely lead the men on as well to extract money from them.  However, the most unacceptable fact to her is that now, the young Hmong Lao lads are engaging in the same activity.  But what would she do when she suddenly finds out that she will be marrying Looj Xyooj, a Hmong man from Laos?  Will she go against her morale and accept the marriage or will she protest against it with all her might?  

Chapter 1     

Looj.  That was his name.  A word borrowed from the Chinese, meaning dragon.  But what kind of a dragon was he?  Only time could tell.  But for the moment, he lived up to the epitome of his name well.  A young man of good spirit and heart, his parents gave him the handsomest of features and height—dimples brightened his face any time he uses those happy muscles.  His wit was unmatched too.  Having been educated at Thammasat University’s doctoral program, he was currently assistant professor at the National University of Laos when his parents conveyed the news to him.

“I'm not going!” he protested.  “I'm not throwing my dignity away like that.”

“Son, but your father and I want you to have a better life,” his mother contended. “One where your opportunities are limitless…where you won’t have to receive your paycheck three four months later…and your father and I can retire from this hotel business with your support.”

“And that opportunity comes with you moving to America,” his father added.

“But...”

“No more,” his mother replied and hushed him.  “Your father’s friend has agreed to marry you to his daughter so that you may easily go and stay in America.”

“But I have Paj Dawb already.”

“Aren't you interested in knowing which daughter will be your future bride?” his father questioned him curiously.

“No I don’t.  I have a girlfriend and a career here already.  I'm not going.”

“Remember little Maiv Dib...the one who came with her parents to visit us many years ago...if I remember correctly, weren’t you very fond of her...she...my son...will be your future wife...” his father remarked and rested a hand on his shoulder.

Her name echoed in his head, and made him nostalgic of the past. She had come with her parents to visit his family when she was about 10.  A girl reared in the comfort of luxury and the ideals of being an expressive American, she was unaccustomed to rural life in Laos.   She cried often during the trip, despising her parents for bringing her along.  But her pure stubbornness and innocence have etched a deep impression on him and after she left, he kept her in a special place locked inside his heart. He had hope that someday when they were both grown, he would receive the prospect of meeting her once more.

“So, what do you think?” his father provoked.  “Have you changed your mind?”

He snapped out of his daydream and looked sternly at his father.  “My answer is still the same.  ‘No!’” he replied firmly.

“Why are you so stubborn?” his mother cried.  “Receiving the chance to go and live in America is a golden opportunity dreamed by many young Hmong men. Why are you so unyielding to the idea?”

“And why shouldn’t I be?” he slashed back.  “Life there may be suitable for them, but not for me.  I like living here and doing what I’m doing.  Besides, I believe in being faithful...not only to Paj Dawb...but filial to you and father, Mother.  Who will take care of the two of you when I’m not here?”

“Don't worry.  I will take care of your father and your father will take care of me.  We're not living in 1975 anymore.  We don't need you to stick with us like glue,” his mother answered.  “What we need is financial freedom, and only you can provide us with that.”  His mother said hopefully.

“But I can do that here too.”

“But we can’t wait, son,” his father answered.  “Actually...there’s something we’ve been hiding from you for a while now.  The truth is that your mother and I…have recently taken out a large loan to buy another piece of land to expand the hotel.  But it turned out that we've been conned and lost all the money.  Now, we're greatly in debt and this hotel business provides just enough for us to get through each day.  If we don’t find the money soon to clear our debt, I’m afraid we’re going to lose everything we’ve invested our life in.”

“How much money did you both take out?”

“About 1 billion kips,” his replied stutteringly.

“1 billion kips!  It’ll take me 5 years to earn that much!”

“Exactly son.  But if you move to America, you might be able to earn that amount in less than a year.  Then, you can help your mother and I out of our dilemma.”

“Why didn't you two discuss this with me before doing anything else?” he asked angrily.

“We were...but you were so busy with your university teaching that we rarely saw you,” his mother answered as if putting the blame on him.  “And then after we've lost everything, what were we going to say to you too, son? That we were conned and are now greatly in debt?”

“Yes...despite how busy I am, at least discussing things with me will allow me to find an alternate route to help the two of you.”

“But we’ve found that alternative already.  And, the quickest solution is for you to move to America, marry Maiv Dib and stay there.  Then you can work and send money home to help your father and I become relieved of our debt.”

Looj sighed frustratingly.  “Is this really the only solution available?”

His father nodded.

“We're sorry, son,” his mother cried.  “Your father and I are truly sorry about this.  It feels as if we are selling our son off to pay for our debt, but we know that you are kindhearted and honest and you won't disappoint us.”

***

Madison Moua.  That was her name.  Although everyone called her “Maddy” for short and those who could not pronounce her name fluently called her “Maiv Dib,” instead.  She had a pretty face, milky skin tone that glowed like her short shoulder-length black-shimmering hair.  The younger of two daughters, she was the one not yet married.  A person of style, her personality matched her outer appearance quite well—proud, independent, and rebellious.  Although she held righteousness in high regards, her opinions though once formulated, become biased and unchanged.  She neither understood nor appreciated her parents’ confinement of her role as a young Hmong woman in America. 

Despite of the fact that she was arranged to marry the stranger from Laos, she bore no intention of being a faithful wife to him.  She detested the idea that more and more young Hmong men from Laos are conducting an act of fraudulent by enticing naïve Hmong American women into marrying them, disrupting the elder women’s marriage life while destroying the future of the young ones, simply so that they may come and live in America.  Once they earned an American citizenship status, the gold-diggers treat their wife worse than an animal.  She knew some of the victims personally; they were parents of the high school students she taught.  She had prayed that she would never be put in the same boat, but it seemed that her prayers were futile.  And now, her parents would not accept any other response from her but to agree to the marriage.  So, she vowed to make her marriage with him a living hell so that he would return quickly to Laos to spread the news that Hmong American women are not to be toyed with.

He would be arriving that evening, and she could not wait to leave the house.  She quickly brushed up, grabbed her handbag and made her way to the door.

“Maddy, where are you going?” her elder sister-in-law asked.  

“To hang out with my friends,” she replied with a smile.

“Didn’t Father tell you to stay home?  Your fiancé will be here soon.”

“I don’t care.  Since dad want him to be his son-in-law so bad, dad can host him instead.  I’m leaving,” Madison said and left.

“Maddy!  Maddy!” her sister-in-law called after but she was gone.

***

She returned home late that night, drunk.  After making her way up to her bedroom, she suddenly felt like vomiting so she quickly made her way to the bathroom.  But, it was locked.  Her urge to vomit heightened and without another second’s thought, she quickly grabbed the key and opened the door.  She clung onto the toilet seat, and let her stomach content emptied out into the toilet bowl.  After feeling better, she sensed that the bathroom was warm and water vapor floated everywhere.  She got up and touched the glass mirror.  It was wet too.  Water had condensed onto it.  Then she turned her ear to the direction of the shower and heard water running, a sound that her ears had tuned out earlier because she was not quite sober. 

“Am I losing my mind?” she thought.  “I thought I turned the shower off before I left?  Or…did a thief climb through my window?”

Scared and panicked, her heart began to race.  She grabbed the toilet plunger firmly in her hands, and took a few steps toward the shower.  She was about to remove the shower curtain when someone else moved it first.  She was arrested as she stared at a man with water steam flying away from him.  He was half-naked except for a towel wrapped around his waist.  Frightened, she shrieked.  She shut her eyes tight and began to hit him with her plunger.  He, nonetheless, ducked successfully and she smashed into the shower walls and curtain instead. 

“Stop!  Stop!” he shouted while trying to halt her action, but the girl continued on.

Since she kept moving, she lost her grip as the wet tile floor caused her to slip.  And while falling down, she accidentally pulled on his towel and it too tumbled to the floor.  She looked up at him, and the two froze while staring at each other.  They both screamed, shaking the entire house like thunder and lightning had just stroke it.

***

                She was forced to sit next to him, but feeling annoyed and angry, she scooted to the side of the couch.  She stared at her parents as they too looked on in disbelief at her physical state.

                “Where did you go all night?” her father asked calmly. 

                “To hang out with my friends,” she answered.

                “So after I demanded that you remain at home, you decided to go out and get drunk?”

                “Why not?  It’s not as if there’s anything important to do at home,” she replied.  “Besides, that’s not the point dad.  The point is who gave him permission to use my bathroom?”

                “I’m sorry,” the young man answered.  “I didn’t know.  But since it’s connected to my room too, I thought it would be okay to use it.”

                “Well, it’s not because that bathroom belongs to me only!” she protested.

                “Maddy…” her father called to halt her.  He then turned to the young man.  “It’s okay, son.  Don’t worry about it.  Your room is connected to that bathroom, and you are equally entitled to use it.”

                “Dad…” she continued with her disagreement.

                “I was hoping that you would stay home so that I can properly introduce you to him, but since you decided to leave, it’s fine that you have to meet him this way…sooner or later…he will be your husband, daughter,” her father remarked with a smile.  “Maddy, this is Looj Xyooj, your husband.” 

                “Oh…so he’s the gold-digger from Laos whose father sold him to be my husband to pay off their family’s debt…no wonder he has no sense of refinement,” she shunned.

                “You!” her father responded.  “If you don’t have anything nice to say then don’t say anything at all.  Go back to your room now.”

                Maddy sneered at Looj.  “Don’t raise your hopes too high,” she remarked.  “You and all those Hmong men from Laos are the same.  I will never ever like a person like you.  And even when you and I are married, don’t dream that I will support you with a single penny!”

                “Go to your room!” her father demanded.

                Irritated and frustrated, she marched away. 

                Looj clutched his right hand into a fist at being humiliated.  Madison’s father could sense Looj’s anger, and sat down next to the young man. 

                He sighed.  “Don’t put too much weight on the silly girl’s words.  She may be too frank and direct sometimes, but I raised her and know that deep down, she’s a good person.  If you can prove her thoughts wrong, you two will live a happy life together.  For now, don’t worry about money.  I will help you out until you land a job here.”

                Looj nodded.

                “Come.  You must be tired from the long trip.  You should go to sleep now.  We have a lot of things to do in the coming days for the wedding.” 

***

                Eight in the morning, and both Looj and Madison came out of their rooms at the same time.  When she saw him, she irritably glared at him before running downstairs first.  He slowly followed behind her. 

“How was your sleep?” her father asked Looj when the lad made his way toward the breakfast table.

“I’m not used to the time difference so had a bit of a trouble sleeping,” he answered.

“You will get used to it,” her father replied.

“Dad, I don’t think so,” Madison interrupted.  “Maybe he was thinking about all the girlfriends he’s missing in Laos and all the new girlfriends he will meet in America, that’s why he had a sleepless night.”

“Are you jealous?” her father questioned.

“Jealous?  What are you talking about, dad?  Jealous of what?”

“Jealous that your soon to be husband will be snatched away from you.”

“That’s preposterous!” she responded immediately.  “Why would someone like me be jealous of a guy that came out from the Stone Age?  On a second thought, I really hope that he gets snatched away.  The sooner the better.  In that way, I can regain my independence.”

Her father looked on unhappily at his daughter’s ill remarks, which made her mother uncomfortable at the tense air.  “Daughter, eat your food.  It’s getting cold,” she rushed Madison.

Madison sneered satisfyingly at Looj, and dipped into her breakfast soup.

“Since you’ve just arrived, you must be wondering how America looks like.  Why don’t we do this?  Maddy can take you on a tour of the town,” her father suggested, causing Madison to choke on her soup.

“Are you okay?” her mother asked.

She nodded and wiped her mouth with a napkin.

“In the afternoon, we’ll meet up to discuss the wedding.”

“Dad, why are you doing this to me?” Madison questioned.

“Do what?”

“Have Hmong Lao guy stick with me?  I’m meeting up with my friends today.  I can’t take him on a show and tell trip.”

“Fine, then take him with you and your friends.”

“I can’t do that either.  He’s a country-bumpkin.  He’ll just be an embarrassment.”

“Madison!  For once…can’t you say anything nice about Looj?” her father asked angrily.

“No, Dad!  Not while I am being forced by you to marry.”

Her father sighed.  “You either take him with you or both of you will be staying home today, your choice.”

“Dad!”

“Have I not made myself clear?”

“Daughter…don’t argue anymore.  You know how your father is.  If he’s set his mind on something, it’s final,” her mother tried to calm her down.  “Just give it a try.  I’m sure it won’t be as bad as you think.”

Madison sneered at Looj, who returned a gentle smile.