by Tom Wilson
"A good report," Colonel Nha summarized.
"Thank you, comrade Colonel."
Nha scratched his heavy jaw. Major Nguy remarked to himself that the sparrow had aged during the past weeks. He had followed this man for five years now and had always respected his dedication and quick mind. The respect had wavered only in the past week with Wu's dramatic increase in influence. He wondered if Nha knew that all of his staff were increasingly unsure.
"So?" Colonel Nha put his question simply.
"I very respectfully request to be transferred to a combat unit, comrade Colonel." Should he add that he could no longer properly accomplish his duties? Perhaps, he told himself, when the time is more appropriate.
Nha arched an eyebrow in surprise. He tapped the papers before him. "But you do a superb job for me, old friend."
Nguy wished Xuan Nha would drop the charade of friendship. Perhaps once, when they had arranged defenses together during field trips to the southern or western provinces, but no longer were they comrades-in-arms. The colonel no longer seemed to need friends. Even Thao Phong, the fighter pilot colonel, and Maj Tran Van Ngo, his handpicked replacement at Tiger, had noticed his distance during the past week. Both men had asked Major Nguy what was troubling Xuan Nha, for he was normally the one to know such things, and he'd been at a loss to answer.
Now Xuan Nha looked at him with a brooding, troubled look, and in the silence Major Nguy realized he must tell his superior officer what bothered him. He was a dutiful person, and it was his job to keep Xuan Nha informed.
He blurted, "My duties as executive officer, your second-in-command, can no longer be carried out, comrade Colonel. I am under the constant scrutiny of the chief intelligence officer."
Nha sighed. "It is one of the ironies of our great socialism that even the heroic and most capable officers remain under the watchful eye of the Lao Dong party. Even me. Even General Luc. Perhaps even General Dung. None are exempt."
"I can no longer give an order when you are gone which is not scrutinized and often reversed." He started to continue, then remembered his wife's terror and grew quiet.
"When the struggle for unification is won, we soldiers will reap our true rewards. Remember the time following our glorious struggle for independence? When we went from village to village to ensure the loyalties of the people? We held limitless power. It will be so once again when our country is unified. There will be great need for capable administrators such as you. Stay with me and I promise you will be rewarded."
Nguy wanted to believe him. "I have tried to serve you well, comrade Colonel."
"And you have."
Major Nguy hesitated, wondering if he should go further. The previous morning his wife had been taken from their modest quarters before their children's eyes by four men wearing the nondescript uniform of the Internal Affairs secret police. Terrified, she'd been driven to an unmarked building near the river and taken to the basement. Blindfolded and questioned throughout the morning about her husband's acquaintances and activities, even about their intimacies and private discussions. Throughout, she had heard screams of terror and agony. She was rudely released in Ba Dinh Square and left to make her way home. Although she hadn't seen him, she had recognized one of the interrogator's voices.
"It is best if I am transferred, comrade Colonel." He decided not to tell Nha about his wife. Nha was either ignorant of or in collusion with Wu and what had happened. Perhaps it was Wu and Nha's wife, Li Binh. Regardless, Major Nguy would likely gain no support from Xuan Nha, who was not political.
The colonel steepled his fingers beneath his chin. "I am submitting you for promotion. You know that, do you not?"
"Yes, comrade Colonel."
"Be patient. It will come. In the meanwhile, I will speak with Lieutenant Colonel Wu. He should not interfere with your duties."
Nguy grew alarmed. "Please, sir, do not do that."
Colonel Nha was obviously interested in his outburst.
"I would like to return to one of the rocket battalions."
Xuan Nha smiled. "We all would like to return to combat. We in the staff also serve, you know. At least that is what they would have us believe. You are my right arm here."
Nguy was not to be deterred. "I am weary of headquarters duty. I cannot tell you how much I would appreciate it if I could return to combat."
Colonel Nha nodded thoughtfully, perhaps remembering the good times they had shared. Perhaps the time Nguy had shielded his superior from harm and bomb fragments with his own body during a Thunder plane attack west of Hanoi.
"I will continue to serve you well in the field."
"And your promotion? A rocket battalion is commanded by a major."
"I will wait for another day."
"And you are sure you wish to do this?"
"Yes, comrade Colonel."
Xuan Nha stood and walked to the window, then stared without expression out at the rooftops, toward Ho Tay Lake. He nodded finally. "I have a certain position in mind which would require all of your talents."
Major Nguy waited.
Colonel Nha wagged his head tersely toward the door. "Return to your duties. I will call you later in the morning and tell you of my decision."
Major Nguy turned and left the room. Wu was in the outer office, speaking with old Sgt Van Ng. Wu smiled a superior look at Nguy. "You look like you are dressed for a parade, comrade Major."
Nguy fought down an angry rebuttal and gritted his teeth. He wondered if Wu had overheard the conversation.
Lieutenant Colonel Wu narrowed his eyes. "Is there a problem, Major Nguy?"
"No."
Wu raised his eyebrows.
"No, comrade Lieutenant Colonel," muttered Nguy.
Wu nodded, happier. He went into the colonel's office then. Before the door was closed, Wu heard him saying, "There is a matter of concern, comrade Colonel."
Major Nguy saw the one-eyed sergeant looking at him as he strained to hear more. He hurried out into the hallway.
You've won! he pleaded inside his mind to Wu. Leave me alone.
Xuan Nha
Wu was far too cocky with his newly bestowed rank, Xuan thought as he listened to the man's report on the activities of Major Nguy. It was apparent what his wife's nephew was aiming for as he almost openly made his bid for the executive officer's job. He spoke of Nguy's growing incompetence and said that others on the staff were as concerned as he.
Xuan raised a hand. "I have known Major Nguy for several years. I read his reports daily and see his work, and I am happy to be able to leave my post and know it is in competent hands."
Wu bowed his head in feigned humility. His mouth was twitching with a smile, Xuan noticed.
"Perhaps the Colonel is speaking of the Major Nguy we had a month ago. I assure you he is a different man today."
"How is he different?"
A smile of camaraderie. "I have received certain reports from the party. What makes this especially worrisome is the sensitivity of his position, his access to so many secrets."
"Are you saying he is a spy?" Xuan asked incredulously.
"Not that. It's just that a person in his position must be entirely reliable."
"What have you found?" asked Xuan, knowing that Wu did not have to answer anything involving Lao Dong party business.
Wu was evasive. "Perhaps no single thing that is terribly wrong, but there are little troublesome things which may provide reasons for his increasingly suspect activities. Did you know his wife is Chinese?"
Xuan smiled. "Your own name is Chinese. Have you wondered about yourself?"
Wu's smile was erased and his look grew more cunning. "My family is the same as your wife's, comrade Colonel."
"I know, and it is an honorable one. The Chinese have been here for five thousand years now. Those with such names may have been purified with good Tonkinese blood after that long, don't you think?"
"Of course, comrade Colonel. But Major Nguy's wife's family immigrated in 1937, less than
thirty years ago."
"Have you considered that Major Nguy is a Hero of the Struggle for Independence?"
"So long ago, comrade Colonel. It also came to the party's attention that he was a prisoner of the French Union Forces."
"He led a prisoner's revolt and was severely wounded in a daring escape."
"I assure you, the party is concerned about him."
Xuan Nha started to argue further, then hesitated. He was reluctant to speak against the Lao Dong's wisdom, even with this relative of his wife's. Wu could say the party disliked green pigs, and who was he to say that green pigs were not enemies of the people if the party said they were.
Wu saw his hesitancy. His smile returned.
Xuan cleared his throat. "Perhaps you are correct."
The smile widened.
"I will send Major Nguy to the Wisdom complex. I will say that I've selected him to be in charge of construction there."
"A wonderful idea, comrade Colonel! Of course I must assign a very competent party representative there to keep an eye upon his activities. The party will require it since his loyalty has been questioned."
"I will tell him today that he must go."
Wu's eyes glittered.
"But of course I must also think of someone to replace him."
"If I can be of help in any way, comrade Colonel, I would be happy to serve."
"I have never doubted that, not for a minute."
30/1630L—Bangkok, Thailand
Julie Wright
Pan Am had a contract for their crews to stay at the Princess Hotel in Bangkok, and Liz had been able to get reservations and special rates despite the holiday season. The two women sat in the lobby, waiting for the men who were more than an hour late.
Julie saw them first and stood, waving her large handbag. "There they are," she said in her husky voice. Liz stood up behind her, not nearly as excited.
As the two men approached, Julie began to fidget and run out of patience. When they were ten feet away, she hurried over and hugged the Bear, ignoring the fact he was toting a well-stuffed B-4 bag. "I missed you, Mal Bear," she said.
He gave everyone an awkward smile as he endured the hug.
Liz was more subdued and stood her ground as Benny put his bag down and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Good to see you again," he said.
The other two could act as properly as they wanted. Julie just wanted to cling a little longer and savor the fact that they were together again. She was quite unable to turn the Bear's arm loose. They walked and she held on, not caring what anyone thought.
"We're all on the third floor," she told him. "Liz and I have a double room. Separate rooms for you guys. We figured you were the big spenders."
"We're later than we thought we'd be," said Mal Bear. "Waiting for a plane, then trouble getting here from the airport. There's a bunch of marines in town from Vietnam."
"You had to take an airplane?" she asked. "I thought your base was nearby."
"Takhli is two hundred kilometers by highway," he said. "A hundred and twenty miles. Takes four or five hours by bus, because the drivers stop and leave a gift at all the Buddhist spirit houses, and there's one every couple of miles. Last week it took one of our guys seven hours to get here by bus because of a herd of elephants."
"Elephants? Like in wild elephants?" asked Julie.
"They've domesticated them. Use them to haul lumber, pull plows, lift things, stuff like that. Anyway, this guy was in a bus and they got behind a herd of elephants on the highway. Things got pretty fu—— . . . pretty ripe back there behind them, so the driver tried to pass and they slid off the road."
Julie giggled joyfully, feeling alive. "Don't tell me!"
"Yep. They skidded on the sh—— . . . on the elephant dung. Anyway, we thought it was best to wait for the afternoon airplane to Don Muang airport."
The women laughed. He was trying so hard not to curse that Julie felt like kissing him and telling him what she felt for him right here in the lobby. She was tired of holding back.
"You been to Bangkok before?" the Bear asked her.
"Liz has, so she's our tour guide. All I've learned is that Bangkok's real name was some Thai word meaning City of Heaven, and that the big attraction here is the Green Buddha."
"The Emerald Buddha," corrected Liz. "I remember, because emeralds are things I could easily grow fond of." She batted her eyes.
Julie squeezed Mal Bear's arm before finally releasing him. She was a private person and had never imagined that she'd allow Liz to see her like this. Of course, Liz would likely not realize the enormity of her feelings. She was too self-centered to think much about others and so poised and so damnably stunning she could get away with it.
It was impossible to keep the happiness from bubbling into her voice. "We start tonight with dinner on a floating restaurant. Then we sightsee tomorrow. If it's in Bangkok, we'll see it. Four days' worth," she said.
"We may not be able to stay that long," said Benny.
"Oh?" Liz was looking at him.
"You've probably heard that President Johnson called a bombing halt for New Year's, but we don't know how long it'll last. We'll have to head back if the bombing's resumed."
"Let's enjoy while we can," said Julie with false bravado. She didn't want to think about the Bear returning to danger.
The two men went to the desk to register.
"I forgot just how nice Benny is," whispered Liz.
Julie watched Mal Bear closely, unable to tear her eyes away. She had just made her irrevocable decision, damn the torpedoes and straight ahead, and was ready for whatever lay in her path. She turned to Liz, realizing she had been saying something about dinner. "Did you say reservations at eight?"
"Eight-thirty. That'll give everyone time to go up to their room and relax. Perhaps take a nap and try to catch up on the time difference. We can meet the guys at seven-thirty, have a drink here at the hotel, and still make our reservation time.
Julie didn't want to waste any of the time she could spend with Mal Bear.
Benny finished at the desk and approached. Liz touched his arm, an intimate gesture with a hint of sensuousness. Julie wished she had more of that sort of composure.
Liz said, "I was just telling Julie. We can all go upstairs and relax for a bit, then meet down here for a drink at seven-thirty before we go out to dinner."
"If you two want to, go on upstairs," said Julie. "I'll wait here for Mal Bear." She wanted to be alone with him but couldn't appear too obvious about it.
"We'll wait for you," said Benny, being polite.
Damn! said Julie to herself.
Julie listened with half an ear as Liz and Benny chatted about the canals, the floating restaurants, markets, and other Bangkok sights that lay in store.
Mal Bear joined them, showing his smile.
"Shower time," he announced. "We flew down here in a very old gooney bird. The fu—— . . . the thing growled and groaned all the way, and we sweated and got dirty as hell . . . excuse me . . . from thirty years of accumulated dust and grime. Dunno about you folks, but I'm going to clean up."
"Last time I was here the water was turned off in the middle of my shower," said Liz.
Mal Bear grimaced at the thought and hefted his bag.
Liz explained the schedule again as they went up to the third floor together in the small elevator. She pointed down the hallway toward the rooms. Benny was in 37, Mal Bear across the hall in 38, and both women in 33.
"See you at seven-thirty," Mal Bear said, and after a single backward glance disappeared into his room.
Benny placed his bag in his room, came back out, and embraced Liz lightly. He included Julie in his warm look. "Great seeing you both again," he said. "Just great."
Inside their room, Liz gushed. "I didn't remember how nice he was. He's a real gentleman. The people back in Yorktown would love him."
Julie was nervous as a cat and about to break out in hives, and Liz wanted to talk about people in her homet
own?"
"They're trained to be officers and gentlemen," she said archly.
Liz looked thoughtful as she fluffed a pillow. "I think I could really get to like him, except for the war thing." She picked up a paperback, lay on her bed with the pillow propped behind her head, and began to read.
Julie sat at the small desk, trying to concentrate on her own book. After rereading a single paragraph for several long minutes, she put the book down and walked to the window. A sculptured garden below was bathed in the golden glow of the waning sun. A Thai gardener busily walked around with clippers, pruning things and staring critically at his work.
Horrible thoughts came to her. She'd all but offered herself to the Bear in Manila, but he had said the time wasn't right. She'd listened and loved him more for his strength. Now the thought of that self-restraint began to bother her.
Why had he hesitated after coming on so strong the first night? They'd been together long enough after she'd decided to lose her virginity, so why hadn't he been overpowered by his lusts? She looked down at herself and didn't wonder as she thought of how dowdy she really was.
She tried to think positive about the guys who constantly came on to her. But she wasn't interested in any of them. Her guy was the one who'd shown the forbearance, who just fifteen minutes ago had gone into his room with hardly a backward look.
God, but she was miserable! The doubts grew. Why hadn't he turned back to her at the door as Benny had done with Liz? He could have at least given her a smile.
She stalked slowly, miserably to the door.
Liz lowered her book. "Where are you going?" she asked.
Julie trusted herself to mumble, "Out," before she hurried into the hallway.
A stew went by, dragging her suitcase behind her down the hall, and Julie averted her head. A moment later she rapped lightly at number 38.
No answer. She sucked another breath of courage and knocked again, louder, and heard movement inside.
He peered out through a crack, then held the door open for her. She saw he was still wet from the shower, clad only with a towel wrapped around his middle.
She threw her arms about his neck and pressed against him, sobbing.
