to the moon...

and back
 1

Sitting at the back of the cab, eyes laid upon the city lights, he let out a sigh of relief. It had been
a long time since he last saw his best friend. They had always kept in touch, but not so much
anymore. Not after graduation. His friend decided to join the art business, while he had other plans.

“He said he’s got some good news for me. I wonder what it could be,” he thought.

Finally, the cab reached the destination. Upon exiting his ride, he was warmly greeted with the
tightest of hugs from his dear friend, Huy. They proceeded into the building and had some fine
dinner.

“So, I see you have your very own gallery now,” said Minh. “That’s delightful. This place isn’t so
bad.”

Huy raised his eyebrows, taking a sip of brandy. “It’s nothing compared to your mission. You’ve
fulfilled the dream voyage of your life and made our country proud. All that hard work really paid
off, hasn’t it?”

“Hey, we both did our best. You deserve some glory, too. To our efforts!” The two gentlemen
rejoiced as they drank a toast to their hard-earned successes.

Finishing the rest of their dinner, they strolled along walls of artwork in the gallery.

“Have you been drawing lately, Minh?” asked Huy, gazing at a particularly fine painting nearby.

“Of course, why’d you ask?”

“Ah, I was just curious. Astronauts usually don’t have much time on their hands. It’d really be
such a waste, you know. Your talent,” Huy said, scratching his clean-shaven chin.

“It’s all good. I make my own time. Besides, I’d go crazy if I don’t draw something.”

“Do you have your work with you then? I’d love to see them.”

Minh hesitated for a moment, as his skills were a bit rusty, but decided to open his satchel
nonetheless. Next thing he knew, Huy yanked the holy portfolio from Minh, and dug his hands
into the sketches, beginning his expedition deep into uncharted territory.

“Oh my, oh my,” Huy browsed through the portfolio in awe.

“Come on, are they really so bad?” asked Minh with half a face in his palm.
“No, not at all. These are amazing! I’m surprised you still stick with the ‘old Saigon’ theme. Listen.
I have a proposition for you.” Huy switched to a serious tone. “You have wonderful paintings here,
and I’m having an exhibition, on the old Saigon as well, in a few weeks.”

“So you’re saying…”

“I’m offering to display your artwork! What do you think? I’m ready to hear your side of the
bargain.” Huy immediately produced a pen, ready to take notes.

Minh smiled dismissively, “We’re friends! I’d be happy to lend you these paintings, but…”

“But?”

“I will need them back after the show. You know how important they are to me.”

It took the baffled connoisseur quite a while to fully comprehend what his friend meant, and when
he did, he roared with laughter. “Well well, it looks like we have ourselves a loverboy. Honestly,
do you still think of her? The childhood friend you kept telling me about.”

“Can’t take her off my mind,” Minh shrugged in submission.

“Well, don’t overthink it. They will not be for sale. They’re yours, and always will be. Anyway,
it’s late and you must be exhausted. Go home and rest. Shall I walk you out?” Huy kindly
suggested.

The conversation ended and Minh departed for his home. Walking to his taxi, he bid his old sport
farewell. As for Huy, he waved until Minh went out of sight and returned to his beloved gallery.
An hour spent, having found the perfect spot for his friend’s masterpiece, Huy closed up and was
about to leave, when a car arrived...
 2

It was a dull, drizzly afternoon and the streets were strewn with people busy running around in
their own vicious circle of work and leisure. Each drop bequeathed itself to the cool air, danced
around with the huffing winds and fell onto the windows to create those melancholic lyrics from
nature. Nonetheless, the hectic pace and the onslaught of working people scurrying for somewhere
were invariable. The city never slept.

Returning home from the workaday world, there would be nothing more enjoyable than diving
into the comfort of her beloved bed. “I’m wilting under enough pressure of having to take work
home,” Ly thought. Life was meant to be full of tempting challenges, but now hers was nothing
more than a monotonous schedule: going on boring business trips and negotiating with enterprisers
whose lucrative ventures were always beyond comprehension. Tasks to tasks, deadlines to
deadlines, all the meetings, conventions and revelries haunted her for life. Caring for herself was
low on her priority list, and normally, Ly would be glued to the screen dealing with those dormant
papers all over her desk regardless of the outside world.

But not today, for she was caught in lethargy like the way Saigon was suddenly caught in the rain.
Her eyes wandered outside, her gaze hazy in search of something, instead of looking at the boring
screen of her phone or laptop. Right then, her car screeched to a halt at a red light. Her gaze
remained on the outside world when suddenly she spotted, through the glass window of the car,
an unwonted figure standing.

Right around the left corner of the intersection was a building she had never seen, or say, noticed
before, not in the middle of this boisterous city. The design of this place was unique: Although the
walls were painted in cadaverous green and its outer decorations were purely refurbished retros
with a bronze tint, through its crystalline glass one could vividly feel the warm light flooding out
onto the streets, illuminating the banners hanging around each and every corner of it. All of the
banners also carried a sense of vintage and all read the line:

“The Old Saigon”

Ly was mesmerized. She felt an urge to leap forward for a closer view. As she stepped up, she
heard the chime of a silver bell resouding in her ears...

“Excuse me. Do you need any help?,” asked a middle-aged man, stepping out of the building while
carrying a framed photo in black and white. Maybe he was one of the organizers.

“Eh… Hello… I just happened to come across this on my way home and am wondering if I could
ask for more details of it?”

“Well as you can infer from the name, our gallery themes ‘The Old Saigon’. We would like to live
up to that expectation by giving visitors a nostalgia of the past via vintage-styled drawings and
photos of old Saigon, street corners, narrow alleys and maybe street vendors in the early 1990s.-
the man answered eagerly.

“So... why isn’t it open yet?”

“Ah yes, that always troubles all the visitors to our place. For your information, we are opening
our very first exhibition at this place and we want it to be as spectacular as possible. I hope I have
made myself clear with that answer.”

Ly didn’t seem to have been listening as she had shifted focus elsewhere.

“Eh herm…”

“Oh yes… Sorry, I was just...”

The man continued with a wide grin on his face:

“It’s okay. Say, would you be willing to join us on our opening day? I suppose you might be
interested in what we have in store for you, considering how much attention you have paid to that
painting over there.”

“I... I…”

“Sure, why not?”- A sudden thought crossed her mind as she nodded her head gently.

Ly’s eyes were focused on a painting on the shelf. She didn't know why she fell for it at once nor
why those letters- “To the moon…”- arrested her attention. She could subconsciously feel an
implicit connection with the old days at the very first disturbance. The Saigon in her own childhood
had been so blissfully peaceful. The Saigon in her childhood had symbolized the true “la perle de
l'Extrême-Orient”. The old Saigon had purely been the antithesis of the dearth of green spaces and
delineated- grown trees , the mundane view of skyscrapers in the skyline and the austerely opulent
lifestyle. The lucid memory of childhood and the old Saigon clouded her mind, leaving her
enthralled by faithful reminiscences in the grim silence...

Her train of thoughts was abruptly disconnected by the sound of another car honking at her. The
man had disappeared and the light from the building had gone out.

“Whose car is it? Get out of the way!!!” shouted a furious driver.

“I’m really sorry. It’s my car.”

Ly hurriedly got back into her car. The car started to move again, leaving behind all her
subconscious questions into the drizzle...
 3

It began to rain.

Ly’s head rested on the window, her eyes fixed upon the whimsically dancing golden droplets of
rain. She lifted her fingers and traced along the trails of the droplets in an attempt to synchronise
herself with those graceful movements, humming a song she recently heard on the car radio. She
slightly pressed the car window lift button to let in her favourite refreshing, earthy rain smell. She
closed her eyelids, leaned back in the comfy seat, and allowed herself to be immersed in her own
train of thoughts.

It began to rain more heavily.

…Amid cyclos with female passengers in gorgeous ao dai, blue Renault cabs that old Saigoneers
often called xe coc, and small bicycles and pedestrians, Ly was sitting behind her father’s back.
The little girl was on her father’s enviable, invaluable gold ounce-worthy mini coban blue Honda
Super Cub 89-90. She loved wrapping her arms around his waist and letting her eyes wander here
and there. At times, she marvelled at the huddled Ben Thanh Market whose retro-styled signboards
always impelled her to read aloud; or at the red-bricked Notre Dame Cathedral where her father,
on an irregular basis, would park his bike by a bench, buy a yellow balloon for her to play with,
and boast with other middle-aged men about his much treasured Cub.

“Oh Lord! Could there be just one frigging day without any traffic jam?” The driver scratched his
head frustratedly, his hands slamming at the car horn. HONK!

Ly was woken from her daydreams of her long-lost Saigon, and of her long-lost father who was
involved in the 1982 Bau Ca train derailment. Tears of nostalgia rolled down her fleshy cheek.
Her mind was boggled by the discomforting blend of after-images of her childhood Saigon and
façades of this modern city. ‘It feels just like yesterday, yet at the same time it is so alienating to
me,’ she thought. Caught up in the whirlpool of Saigon’s hustle and bustle, Ly found herself taken
aback at her delayed realization of the changes to her once beloved city. It took her a long while
to integrate into the present reality of cars and motorbikes busily sardining on the street in the
slight rain to rush back home. And to utter a reply.

“Yes, but that was like, erm, around twenty, thirty years ago. And it was long gone, I suppose.”
Ly said, giving a sigh at the thought of the city’s current volume of traffic.

“Not really, Miss. To me, it’s still the same Saigon.” He pushed the accelerator pedal, then the
break, trying to avoid the quick-tempered ninjas. “Different people, but same old place for me.
You know Missie, Saigon has never lost itself to the influx of the new.” He paused for a bit, taking
a sip of water. “I’ve been a taxi driver for five years, meeting people from many, many
backgrounds and listening to great stories about their life, this city. Or this country’s politics…”
It began to clear up.

Ly muttered frequent “oh”s and nodded her head with little attention to the taxi driver’s words.
The cab now apparently moved a bit faster after its escape from the second jammed roundabout.
In realization of the sickening exhaust fumes intruding into the car, Ly closed the window. And
her eyes for a short nap after a long day at work.

“‘If you dig deep enough, you will see that everything does remain as what it always is. Like the
moon’s enthralling fullness every month or so, albeit its changing shape on a daily basis.” The
driver continued, speaking at a slower pace as if he could sense her doubt of his words.

Startled, Ly thought of that painting she saw earlier in that gallery. Though she could tell, from
her broad knowledge of and keen taste for arts, it was just a mediocre work of some rising artist-
wannabe, everything about that painting seemed peculiarly familiar. The denim-colored
background that conjured a fine sense of reminiscence. The unfinished phrase “To the moon…”
that filled her heart with unspeakable anxiety and yet, comforting expectations of a scenario she
daren’t think of for a long time. And even the gallery man’s inexplicable eagerness on making
such a last-minute invitation to a random stranger like her. At one moment, she thought she knew,
and was certain of her speculation as well as her acceptance of the invitation, who the artist was.

But to follow her gut, open her heart’s door to welcome hope, and close it again was something
else. There were butterflies flying erratically in her stomach. Would I be ready to allow myself to
be present at that place in a week’s time? She began to bury her sleep-deprived brain with what-
ifs whose answers lying somewhere distant in her dreams, in the 8-hour REM sleep she had been
neglecting for days…

The car came to a halt, waking Ly up to the unmistakable sight of her apartment. She was on the
point of leaving the car when her phone screen vibrated in her handbag… Three missed calls and
a voicemail from her department director. She pressed it.

“Hey Ly, it’s me - Mai. I’ve been trying to contact you earlier but it seems no good. Anyway, I’m
sorry but we’re gonna have a short business trip to meet our new client in Beijing tomorrow. It’s
gonna take around 7 days. I’m sorry for this short notice but I really, really need you to accompany
me. Call me when you receive this, okay?”
 4

He threw himself at the sofa in the dim saffrony light of vintage bulbs, sinking himself into
brooding silence and thinking about the next space trip while sipping the finest whisky in the
world. Every time he had something important on his mind, he came to whisky. He did not know
since when he had this habit, but he did not care anyway. He just loved whisky, from its tantalizing
aroma to its pungent taste. The aroma of whisky was unique and famous for its burning sensation
in the windpipe whenever someone had a smell of it. One could get turned on just by the aroma,
and then right at the first nip you could feel a flame burning your whole body, giving you such a
sense of ecstasy that no other drinks could ever do.

It started raining. The reflection of the street lights through tiny raindrops that were whimsically
spinning in the air and then landed smoothly on the windows made the room even more saffrony.
The petrichor emanating from his uncared-for garden got stronger as the rain was getting heavier.
But no matter how heavy the rain was, the voice of a banh mi vendor in the street could never be
drowned out. The mouth-watering smell of Saigonian banh mi sneaked through a slit of the
window, arousing in him a pleasant hunger. He missed this feeling. It had been a very long time
since he last had a chance to savour a classic banh mi. He reminisced about the time when he could
eat banh mi every day, or to be precise when he had to eat banh mi every day for he could not
afford more luxurious food such as pho. He could not resist it anymore. He made a beeline for the
banh mi vendor, giving no hoot about the heavy rain. He had to get one.

When he got back with a delicious banh mi in his hand, he was soaked to the skin. He put it down
on a table, and when he was about to go to the restroom to change his wet clothes, his phone rang.
It was Huy.

“How are you, Minh? Do you feel any better now?” asked Huy.

“I am much better now, thank you. By the way, what makes you call me today may I ask?” replied
Minh, scratching his forehead in curiosity.

“Nothing much, I just want to check if you can show up at the exhibition tomorrow” said Huy.

“Oh my god, I completely forgot about it. I am so so so sorry… I have already had another plan…”
replied Minh in repentance for his absentmindedness.

“Oh, what a pity. It seems like she will not be able to buy any paintings” said Huy.

“Wait what? She? Who is she?” asked Minh, deeply interested.

“Oops I am sorry I forgot to tell you this. Yesterday, a woman came and asked if she could buy
your paintings. Of course I had to turn down her generous offer and she was really disappointed.
But she said she would be able to persuade you into selling those paintings if she had a chance to
meet you. Well, it seems like I have already lost a guest” explained Huy, shaking his head in
disappointment.

“Hmm, I may call on you when I have done my business” said Minh, intensely curious.

“Really? I am so glad to hear that. I know you will find that story interesting. Anyway, who knows
if you can exchange those paintings for something…hmm…intimate with her” said Huy, bursting
into laughter.

“Oh please… I am not that kind of person” said Minh.

“I am just kidding. So it is settled. See you there, ciao” said Huy before hanging up his phone.

No sooner had his friend hung up the phone than he was engulfed in feelings and thoughts. He did
not know why he had a hunch that it was her, the girl whom he grew up with. They had not met
each other since time immemorial, and she did not even come to meet him that one last time. He
waited for her for hours, but there was no sign of her. He was still waiting for her after all this
time, always. He then remembered that he was still soaked to the skin, and the banh mi he bought
remained untouched. Gazing at it, he reminisced about all those times in his childhood when she
bought him one and they ate it together. Those times had always been and would always be the
best times of his life. He grasped the banh mi, but it had been cold.

“Even if it is her, does she still remember him? Or time has made everything cold, just like what
it has done to the banh mi?” Minh wondered.
 5

The sounds of shuffling steps and quiet chatter surrounded her. She stood there, tapping her foot,
chewing her nails. Occasionally, she leaned up to look at the queue. It was as long as the eye could
see. As the queue got shorter, so did her patience.

Any time now. Any time now.

After what seemed to be an eternity, she managed to squeeze herself into the exhibition.

A massive dose of nostalgia hit her. An astounding variety of photographs and paintings of the
Saigon of old, presented in gorgeous detail. It’s almost like she stepped into a time machine going
back 20 years. In one corner were cyclos, Renault cabs and Honda Cubs. In another were street
vendors selling bo bia, and gorgeous ladies in ao dai. And in the center lay magnificent paintings
of the Notre Dame, of Nguyen Hue in all their glory back then. There seemed to be no sense of
urgency in any of the paintings. It was a much simpler time, a time when she was just a carefree
young girl.

A floodgate of memories rushed open.

~~~~~~~~

Another one of those wet summer days in Saigon. It had been drizzling for the whole day without
any sign of stopping , somewhat dampening the city’s usual hustle and bustle. The rain would have
made for a nice atmosphere to relax if it wasn’t for the fact that today was moving day. Thumping
sounds formed a steady rhythm against the backdrop of the rain as box after box was loaded into
the truck.

Her family eagerly waited as the final piece of furniture was packed and loaded.

“Looks like it’s time to say goodbye. Is there anything you might have forgotten?”

“Ly? Where is she?”

A slight look of concern appeared on the mother’s face

“She’s probably somewhere upstairs crying. She really loves this place, you know? I’ll go get her.”

In fact, she wasn’t anywhere near the house. Panic began to spread as the family scrambled to look
for her. Eventually, they found a small figure lying by the side of the road.

She had been running… somewhere, to a place that she could not recall .
All she remembered was the pitter-patter of raindrops falling on her umbrella, the splat-splat of
footsteps on the wet asphalt, and the shrieking sound of wind blowing past her ears.

Time was running out.

She ran and ran, clutching tightly on to the umbrella against the vicious blows of wind as if she
was trying to hold back time. Her heart pounded rapidly like a stopwatch about to run out.

Time, however, is relentless and uncaring.

Just one more minute.

A violent gale separated her and the umbrella, sending her down to the asphalt.

Raindrops started dotting her face, each one stung with icy bitterness. She was too numb from the
cold to feel any pain. Tears were quickly washed away.

The rain slowly soaked her to the bone as she lay there, completely resigning her fate to the gods.
Everything seemed to blur.

Time out.

~~~~~~~~~

A man bumped into her. The rain had stopped falling.

“Sorry. I didn’t see you there”

She was like a deer in the headlights, awkwardly stumbling on her words

“Oh, uhm… sorry”

 6A

“Will I have the pleasure of taking you out with me tomorrow?” - the boy asked feverishly while
looking up at the window of her room. Normally he would be screaming with excitement, but not
tonight, for he only needed her undivided attention. They said into the darkness are endless myths
and promising fascination, especially at a night like this - no lights to blind the stars, no artificial
sound to drown out one’s uncontrollable surge of emotions, no disapproving looks from familiar
faces to put one off acting on his non-standard youth spontaneity.

But not in this town, not anymore.

No one in their right mind would ask a girl out at this time of the day.

“Out?” A soft voice whispered as the door creaks open.

His eyes were now drawn to a beautiful girl, her nightgown resplendent in starlight, her brownish
soft, curled hair flows in the brisk wind of the moonlit night; yet her eyes all misty and gloomy. If
this moment could have be captured, perhaps he would have selfishly saved the display all for
himself, or let the world admit that infatuation in a blink of an eye is more of a reality than a
possibility.

It then occured to him that she had not been having a good day. This broke his heart gently.

“But to where? Almost everyone has moved out of this town so there would be no place else for us
to go. Haven’t you heard the news…?” By this time, the lights seemed to have gone out in his eyes
- they had become little shimmerings landing on the corner of hers. He only gave her a silent nod.

“Then you should make haste, too! They are coming.” She continued in a hurried tone.

“Like what your family is doing?” His voice lowered.

She slightly knitted her brows at the clever response.

“I… I was about to… tell you… that.” She hesitantly answered as a grim reality started to dawn
upon her.

“When?”

She was officially caught up on her words, now that his idea of the problem had far exceeded her
expectations. In her mind she felt that it was best for both if he did not know of her moving away.
Why? Could it be that she was not so good at goodbyes? Or was it because she was terrified at the
thought of having to turn away from his slowly fading out figure in the scenes she has known all
too well her whole life? She was not quite sure.
But now, there was nothing left to deny. And soon enough, she started to feel her eyes wet and her
cheeks red again. Small sniffles had started to become scattered hiccups before breaking into
fervent sobs. She thought she had failed her bestest friend.

“Calm down. Calm down. Everything will be alright. Don’t be such a crybaby!” His face creased
into a warm, sweet smile. Apparently he knew she was usually this despondent if she messed up.

“You still remember the time you said you wanted to grab the moon?” He asked dearly, because
he also knew it would cheer her up instantly no matter the circumstances.

She rapidly nodded. Only he understands her well.

“Good!! Then we will do so tomorrow. Meet me at… you know… the place…” - with all his might
he shouted - “I have a surprise just for you, so you have to be there!”

The butler of her family woke up to the noises he had made.

“You sure have no manners, little brat. Why are you interrupting our Missie’s sleep at this hour?
I would not care to tell you about our intentions, but tomorrow is an important day for Missie,
when…”

“... when i’m sure she finds pleasure and great happiness. Please excuse my interruption.” - he
cracked a mischievous grin and took off before the butler got any more infuriated .

The girl quickly wiped off the glistening remnants of her previous antics and chuckled to herself,
gazing at him with the softest sigh she could ever make while resting on her hands, slightly tilting
her head to secretly admire how moonlight just naturally gravitated towards his face,

“Tomorrow, the play, surprise, you and me” - he turned around for the last time before pointing
towards the starry night sky - “To the moon!!!”

“To the moon!!!” - her cheerful voice echoed as he faded into the night.
 7A

Although everyone had left and the gallery had already been closed, Minh and Ly stayed to the
very end. The streets were now empty and the evening was static. The lights from the neighboring
buildings had already been out, only the street light where they were standing was flickering in a
second interval. Like a clock ticking.

He looked into her eyes and wondered how if he would be able to ever meet somebody else with
such mesmerizing dark eyes. Memories began to flood back as he cast his soul into the depth of
her eyes, back to when they were still young, wild and free and had the world by tail. Whether it
was racing across the pasture under the scorching sun or lying flat on the meadow in a summer’s
afternoon breeze, skipping rocks on the riverside or playing with dirt on the suburbs, sitting on top
of an abandoned building to watch the sunrise or observing the night sky on that same building,
they always had each other. Even on that very night when they made that promise.

~~~~~~~~~

After a while Minh realized he had been gazing at Ly in an uncomfortably awkward way. However,
her reaction to this was a far cry from what he had expected. Rather than being shy and all, she
answered his glaring with a wink and the gentlest smile in the world, or to put it more precisely,
in his world. This brought a brighter blush to his cheeks.

“Well, thank you for joining me tonight. I never thought I would go to an art exhibition before, but
now I’m here with you... Feels good to get back in touch with someone from the long, long past.”
Ly said

“It sure is… Seems like neither of us expected this to happen...”

Now they found themselves at a loss for words again. Minh had longed for this moment all the
time. He had played thousands scenarios in his head where the same conversation would take place
with different settings. Either having small talks over a cup of coffee in a cozy cafe or lying next
to each other under the night sky enjoying the stars above, he had always imagined them talking
endlessly. And yet, reality is always a letdown to him, for they were here on the dark, empty street.
Speechless.

A sudden thought came to Minh’s mind.

“So… Are you...free for the rest of the night?”

“Hmm, I don’t know. I have something that needs to be done with at home and...”
“Oh okay, I guess I can’t help with that… - he lets out a sigh of disappointment - so I suppose I
would just…” Minh let out an inaudible sigh of disappointment, which was loud enough for Ly to
make out.

“Oh silly, of course I will come with you!” She purses her lips and smirks whimsically, “I do have
plans, but is for later. Now I want to be with you. I know my priorities.”

“Wait...You’re actually going?” said Minh, who was now in extreme jubilance and had to repeat
that question, just to make sure he didn’t mishear her.

“Yes, yes, I am,” she reassured him with a giggle. “Now, where shall we travel to?”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Minh said with a confident grin: “Back to where we left off that
night.”

Ly was taken aback by Minh’s words. She knew too well what he meant by that.

“To the moon…?” She mumbled and then froze a little.

From that very night, she had always been thinking it was over for her. She was late and time was
out. She missed her chance to figuring out what “To the moon” would be. The door was shut to
her, forever. Or is it?

“Hurry up, Ly! It’s not very far from here. You know, down the old path and on the left corner,”
he interrupted her train of thoughts and without any further comments, reaching out for her hand
and grasped it tight.

“Let’s go. To the moon.”

~~~~~~~~~

Minh took her down to the streets she had once run her heart out on. The sky was clear tonight and
the stars above lighted up the path their heading. Ly hastily followed Minh’s quickening footsteps.
She looked around and realized how much everything hds changed. There was once a grocery store
right to the left side, where the two would always go to for sweets and its special cotton candies.
Now it was replaced with a convenience store opening 24/7 with all kinds of goods but cotton
candies were not available anymore. A few blocks away once stood a newsagent, where the radio
would be buzzing all day with foreign songs and news from every corner of the world. Grown-ups
used to gather around this spot all the time for tea, newspapers, and gossips, but now it had turned
into an internet café, and people inside were just all minding their own businesses. “It’s just…
sad.” Ly thought to herself as they walked past them hurriedly.
Then, Minh came to a halt. Ly realized they had arrived at what seemed to be one of the old
buildings, based on its decorations and vintage details, and still it looked anew, just like someone
had always been taking care of this place with absolute assiduity. It looked as if it came out from
those fairy tales that she used to listen to. Cherry red covered its four walls, with a slight touch of
golden along the edges for more elegancy, whereas Vicorian-esque wall lamps already lighted up
the exterior with a tint of gaily amber although the inside was black as night.

“Okay, there we go,” he took Ly closer to the door. “Now, cover your eyes and I’ll lead you in.”

“What? Why would you want me to cover my eyes? What do you plan to do with me?” She
seemingly pouted at his request, although she was still very anxious.

Minh stifled a sigh and pulled Ly closer. His hands then wrapped around Ly’s body. Now Ly was
flushing again. As her head rest against Minh’s chest, she felt too shy to make any resistance, or
even if she had done, she would have felt the grip tighter. It was best to stay this way for a while.
Minh easily covered up Ly’s eyes now that she was still in his arms.

“Now you really are much more amenable than you were before, heh? That’s cute.” He teased at
the poor girl.

He opened the door with his keys and led her into the house.
 7B

“A little bit more and… there! You can open your eyes now.”

Ly followed and closely opened up her eyes to see the hauntingly beautiful creation of the artist.

The house was literally a midnight canvas. So many stars loomed above, pretty enough to ignite
the heart of any nature's child. They winked at her from the endless arch of void-black color
covering the four walls. In places they were birthstone-blue and beautiful, all a-glitter in their
heavenly finery. The ones furthest away were like flashing pinpricks in a veil of darkness. They
had a faint, silver tint and they looked like they were the distant, glittering sparks from a blazing
fire. All of them were beacons of hope for all the lost souls of the world, or so Ly had always
thought. It seemed as if there was a snowfall sparkling in outer space.

Amid the stars and in the middle of the room was the moon. It was depicted as a great silver orb,
just like how Ly liked the moon to be. The moon felt as lively as ever, partly due to the careful
details that were put into every stroke of brush.

“Do you like it?” Minh asked with a certain degree of uncertainty and perplexity, for Ly had been
observing it for so long.

“Like it? I absolutely adore it,” she jumped with excitement. “Did you paint all of this?”

Minh gave her a slight nod.

“You had created a masterpiece, that’s for sure.” She paused for a bit, “So this is what you have
always wanted to show me all along?”

“It is, indeed. But obviously I couldn’t have done it in the first place...
Well I could but it would turn out really ugly.”

Ly gave a chortle at Minh’s confession.

“Back then I just happened to find an abandoned house right on the outskirts of the city, and
proceeded to ‘take over’ it as usual. It was not in perfect condition at all. The floors and stairs were
all creaky, and there were holes in the roof tiles so big you could have a clear view of the night
sky. And that was what fascinated me the most.”

“Now let me guess… Hmm… If I know my Minh well enough, he wouldn’t go without doing the
place up a little bit, would he?”

“True. Hence the roof was of no use, I found myself a ladder and slowly removed the tiles. It took
days, of course, but once it was all cleared up, I guarantee you that it was the best stargazing point
of the city.”
Ly looked at Minh endearingly and saw the same kid she had been together with all her childhood.
This brought a bright smile to her face.

“And yet you weren’t there to witness it, though. Ever since you left without goodbye, I could not
find the joy in this place anymore. I chose to work as hard as I could to get over you, but my
memories wouldn’t let me go that easily. Even to this day, I could not forget the past that you can
always find featuring in my paintings.”

Ly’s smile turned into a frown.

“Upon finishing my trip to space I came back and found this place still standing at the very same
spot. It turns out my friend Huy had been preserving the place for he knew it meant a lot to me,
although it hurt me the same. And since it reminded me of our promise so much, I decided to put
everything out on it hoping my feelings would go away – he continues with a smirk – to no avail,
obviously.”

“Why would you do that? You think you can just brush off your feelings for me like that and call
it done, even if you failed to do so?” At this moment Ly was infuriated by Minh’s remark. “Do
you have any idea of how many times I have woken up in the middle of the night sweating
profusely with tears rolling down my face? It has always been the same dream, Minh!!! The dream
where I tried to reach you…

“I was running because I thought I could make it in time… But it seemed that I was destined not
to… It was raining so hard and the wind was blowing so viciously I could barely hold myself
still… And when I could not inch forward anymore… I lost grip and hit my head on the pavement.
I was later found unconscious in the rain by my family and suffering from a fever, or at least that
was what I had always been told. I knew I had lost my chance...”

Ly couldn’t hold back her tears as she heads for the exit.

“But I never once thought that I would lose you… Not until now.”

Ly then walked away in sadness, leaving Minh behind completely dazzled. He now realized that
it had long been a misunderstanding. He saw that he had been selfish, for what had been in his
mind all along was just his sitting under the falling rain, whereas his best friend was lying against
the cold hard ground trying to reach him. He saw that as he made any attempt to find him, Ly did,
too. He saw that although he felt alone, Ly had always been with him. Until now.

Upon channeling the events and figuring out the answer, Minh ran after Ly and managed to hold
her at the doorsteps.

“Ly, wait!”
“Stop, Minh. It’s done, okay? You’d be better off without me in your life anymore.”

“What do you mean by that???”

“Haven’t I told you? I have a plane to catch right now and that’s it. You can’t do anything to
change that. Neither do I… So just go and leave me be.” Tears started rolling down on her face.

“Ly, listen to me! I’m sorry, okay? I was a fool not to have known better, that you have always
been my true one after all this time. So please, Ly.”

Minh lifted his hand towards Ly’s. She felt weak and helpless and there was no more resistance
she could put up against either Minh or her life. She had to leave, for good. Dark thoughts started
to drown her mind.

“Just… let me go, Minh… I… I can’t…”

“It’s alright. I understand now. I know we still have things to be done with, so I’m not stopping
you. If you really have to go, then go. Go as far as you like, travel to the ends of the world, if you
want to. Just remember in your heart that I’ll be right here waiting for you. I’m not letting you go
again, Ly. Not today, not tomorrow, never again in my life.”

Ly was touched by Minh’s words and fell into Minh’s arms. They stayed it that way for a while
before a car stopped in front of the house. It was Huy.

“Seems like you guys have got everything worked out,” he took his hat off to Ly and continued.
“Now, now Minh, it’s time to leave. I’m sorry Miss, but I think I have to borrow your man here
for a while. He’s going back to his job on the space shuttle and… I’m afraid it won’t be done in
any time soon.”

“How long will you go?” Ly asked.

“I don’t know… It varies depends on how much work there is left before the project is complete.
But rest assured that I will do everything in my power to get it done…”

“Okay okay I know all of your reasons.” Ly kissed Minh on the lips. “Shoot for the star, my dear.
But as you return, please remember to bring back to me…”

“What?”

“You.”

END.