— Chapter Fifteen —
Covered with cuts and bruises Pon, Kim, Spock and Stu walked down the passenger boarding stairs. The other passengers got onto buses to take them to the arrivals gate. Taksin and other officially dressed individuals, greeted the four as journalists and photographers snapped away at the bedraggled party,
They stood posing for several minutes, much to the curiosity of the other passengers. They gave their passports, both phoney and original to one official and got into a large stretched limousine and drove out of the airport.
Taksin chatted to them all about their adventure, produced several copies from the previous days Bangkok Post, and showed them the headlines:
It showed their photographs again and a news item that explained how the original story had been a ruse. The article went on to describe the plot made by terrorists and how the three men had recovered the holy relic and the palace had sanctioned the story.
Spock and Stu thought, ‘That’ll impress the girls’
They knew the Thai’s didn’t sensationalise things, so their new celebratory status would go unnoticed
Their limo arrived at Pons quarters; an overjoyed Banti and family greeted them along with an excited baby, Samnan. Kim and Pon went over and hugged their tot, who thought he was being suffocated and started wailing, but Kim settled him down and they all went inside.
Vitchae, Cenat arrived late afternoon, and they all tucked into a meal that Banti and Pons sisters had prepared, while relaying the recent events to a captive and attentive audience.
Pon noticed Spock and Stu kept looking at their watches and realised they wanted to go see their loved ones, so he leant across the table and said to Stu.
“Your Hilux is parked around the back, it’s been cleaned and they have put a full tank of ga..........”
Once again talking to himself as the lads whizzed around the table shaking hands with Taksin, wai’d the monks, hugged the girls and kissed Samnan.
They then headed off toward Stu’s pick up. Shouting back how they would call them later and see them soon.
Driving along the motorway Spock got his phone out of his bag and turned it on. The familiar signal for Thai 1-2-call flashed up and he started to dial. He looked at Stu
“Aren’t you going to call Dao?” he asked as he typed in Moo’s number.
“Maybe later” said Stu, nervous in case her phone had still been off
“Ok mate, good idea” said Spock, and he puts his phone back in his pocket.
****
The new detainees at Giam Chi Hoa prison felt subdued and terrified, they had all been given the same information from their respective Embassies, and now started to comprehend the hopelessness of their situation. Mophi had been unceremoniously dumped and shackled with the others earlier in a lot of discomfort from his recent operation. An infestation of flies swarmed around his gauze-covered lesion, but he was too weak to swat them away.
Later in the day they were informed they had been charged, although they never knew what for as it was none of their business until the trail date of what charges they faced. The trial had been set for six months hence and in the interim they would all be incarcerated in the main prison.
They were released from their manacles, and led at gunpoint outside, across a small forecourt and into a large foreboding building and into the main hot and sweaty prison housing. Once their hands and feet had been re-shackled they shuffled along until the guard opened a 3m x 3m cell that already held three chained foreign convicts who sat uncomfortably on the hard floor. They were shackled with the other three, thin, gaunt individuals and the cell was locked.
Grimes stared out of his chamber at the rest of the cells nearby, full of Vietnamese convicts all chattering away, some shackled some stood at the cell doors. He noticed some of the cells contained about twenty men and looked cramped and inhumane with no room to move. Grimes felt a strange sensation as he surveyed his new surrounds; it was one of despair and hopelessness.
A guard came to the bars, uttered something to them in Vietnamese, and smiled.
“What did he say?” asked Akhim.
One old convict looked up and translated for them:
‘Welcome to hell.’
****
Pon spent the afternoon with his family and friends just enjoying his homecoming. He, Vitchae and Cenat went to the temple of the sacred light and returned the fake relic to its glass case positioned above the Buddha’s head and waited for the spectral light show as the sun passed overhead. They were alone in the holy place. The light show finished as the sun carried on its journey; the three monks sat and prayed giving thanks for the safe return of everyone.
Vitchae and Cenat both noticed that Pon seemed different but decided that if he wanted to talk about anything they would be there.
After several minutes of prayer and meditation, Pon asked them for their advice and told them about Kim and Ca.
The two elder monks listened and although shocked they reminded him of the fact that what had happened was in the past.
“Lord Buddha teaches us don’t think of the past or the future, one has gone and the other hasn’t happened, only think of the present and you are a holy monk, it’s time to forgive.” advised Cenat
Pon knew his old mentor had given him wise guidance.
He stood up and respectfully wai’d the two old monks, friends and advisors
“Excuse me Masters, but I have something important to attend too.”
With a glint in his eye, he left the temple, walked purposely towards his quarters to be with Kim and trying to remember where he had left his mullet.
****
Spock and Stu drove along Sakhumvit Rd the main road into Pattaya and decided to go for an afternoon welcome home beer. They knew that the girls should still be at the market. They headed down Pattaya Nua Road and towards the dolphin roundabout; they decided to go to the beach road bars. Stu suddenly stopped the car. He’d spotted someone familiar outside an open-air restaurant.
Spock noticed Stu looking back, so he looked and gasped
“What’s Dao doing there and who’s that she’s with?” asked Spock to a shocked Stu
“I don’t know but I’m about to find out” said an irate Stu as he backed his pick up into a parking space and they both got out.
Dao had her back to the lads as they walked up and stood behind her.
John saw the lads hovering and nodded for Dao to look around.
Dao turned and saw a cut and bruised Spock and her husband. With a shocked expression she spluttered,
“Hello darling”
Stu felt like his stomach had hit his throat, dizzy and bewildered he pointed to John and bawled.
“Tell me who the fuck’s this?”
Dao fumbled for any words that would come out
“This is my friend John, he’s from Wales”
John just looked at the two lads and didn’t want to get involved in a domestic dispute, especially not with the two rough looking characters who now confronted him.
“What do you mean friend, is he the reason your phone has been turned off?” shouted Stu getting angrier by the second
Dao taken aback and lost for words, kept looking at John for some moral support, which never came as Stu’s facial expression turned to one of rage, and it was the same look Spock had witnessed before when he’d pummelled Grimes and Akhim. He didn’t want his friend to hurt like this, so he calmly suggested they all went and talked in private. John stood up and told them he didn’t want to get involved and told them that all he ever did was to send Dao money and stay with her occasionally when he came to Pattaya. Stu thought about the times Dao used to tell him she went home to be with her son, when she had actually been meeting John. Stu calmly leant over the table and thumped John hard on the nose. He then turned and walked over to his car with Spock hot on his tail, he got into his Hilux and screeched away, leaving Dao trying to catch up to him and John holding his bloody and broken nose.
The car sped down beach road. Spock looked at his friend who had a vacant expression and no awareness of the situation as he drove erratically and uncaring.
“Come on matey” said Spock, knowing from his own past experience, whatever outside pain Stu had endured over the last few days, paled into insignificance compared to what he now felt inside.
“Let’s stop for a beer and chat, you don’t want to crash” Spock advised, noticing how close Stu had been getting to the other vehicles on the road, especially the slow moving baht buses that have a nasty habit of just stopping without indicating.
Stu turned off onto Soi Six and parked the car and they both went into the King Kong bar, Stu wasn’t in the mood but knew that a short time may take away a bit of the pain.
After copious amounts of Singha and tequila shots downed in quick succession, a wankered Stu was driven home by a slightly spannerd Spock.
Moo had left the market early after Dao phoned her; she then called Spock who told her to close the shop and go wait at home until Stu got his head straight.
They returned home early evening, with a wankered Stu protesting he wanted to drink more. Spock helped him into his house. Moo and a tearful Dao where sat waiting in the living room. Stu saw Dao and shouted at her a few chosen obscenities then he went to their bedroom to pack her bags.
Spock questioned Moo about John and whether she had been aware of the affair, he became angry when she admitted she did but could not tell him. Spock mellowed as he realised Moo had been put in a difficult situation.
Moo broke the tension between them and told him he looked a twat without his teeth and told him she would go with him to the dentist first thing in the morning.
Dao went upstairs to see Stu and returned a few moments later with her bags packed with her clothes dumped inside them, in tears.
Stu lay on the bed, he felt empty inside, with the words of advice Nick had told them when they’d first met now ringing in his ears
Fall in love with the place, not the girls.’
Stu had a restless night tossing and turning and thinking about Dao and the happy times they had together and the ‘what if’s’? He thought about what he’d just experienced in Vietnam and was glad he’d had Spock and the Meesilli’s to pull him through. He would phone the mad monk later for some wise advice. He eventually fell asleep around 9am.
Spock and Moo had called in around 9.30am they’d had a key so they let themselves in. Spock went to Stu’s room and, seeing he was asleep decided to leave him and call in on the way back from the dentist.
Dao had been calling Moo constantly throughout the morning as Stu had his phone switched off. Apologetic, Dao wanted her and Spock to help, but Moo got angry and said in Thai ‘Som Nam Nar’ [serves you right] Spock and Moo would help, but not yet.
Spock and Moo visited the dentists and impressions and moulds were taken for his new dentures, and as he and Moo walked out of the dentists’ reception Spock picked up an English newspaper and casually walked out with it, much to the distain of Moo. You are a ‘Ka-Moy,’ thief, she said to a smiling gummy Spock.
“I’ll bring it back when my teeth are ready” and he glanced at the paper.
“It’s three days old anyway,” he grumbled looking at the date.
They returned to Stu’s around lunchtime. He was still sleeping, so Moo went to open the shop, while Spock pottered around his house and garden, until Stu woke up. He left the newspaper on Stu’s coffee table, unread.
Stu woke up around 4pm, turned his phone on and within five minutes had a phone call from Dao. He had calmed down a little, but felt hung-over, exhausted and empty inside. Dao spoke for about ten minutes, but Stu did not want to listen, so he eventually told Dao he would talk to her later and hung up and went downstairs to make a cup of tea, joined a few minutes later by Spock who had seen him from his kitchen window.
“How are you feeling matey?” enquired a concerned Spock
“Rough’ said Stu as he pulled out some bacon from his fridge and started to fry them both a sandwich, which they took into the living room. This would take a lot of healing.
****
Ca sat alone in the small police holding cell. He had been told that he would be transferred to the main prison the following day as the powers to be, were still deciding what to charge him with.
It was a hot afternoon and he stared out of his cell, his head bandaged with a large pad covering his severed ear. He heard faint familiar voices arguing with a guard about how much a visit would cost them, a bribe to visit prisoners, which is standard in South East Asia.
Ca could hear the deal being struck by his mother and his brother, Phaol.
They stood outside while the guard removed Ca’s shackles allowing him to move closer to the cells iron bars. He put his arms through the space between the bars and held onto them both. They had a tearful embrace, Phaol and Diudang explained to Ca that his wife had also come but she was trying to find a nearby hotel for her and their daughters to stay for a few days and that they would be along shortly.
Ca explained what had happened and they shared some barbequed fish that his brother had brought along. Ca told them both about meeting Captain Ca and how he had already saved his life. Ca’s mother sat in shock at the news about her husband still being alive. Phaol, also taken aback, kept asking question after question about his new brother, whilst his mother just sobbed as the memories of the past came flooding back.
“I would like to meet this man,” said Phaol
The conversation went on uninterrupted for about an hour, then the clanking of keys and outer doors opening temporarily halted the talks
“We are not leaving yet” Phaol told Ca “We have paid to visit all day” he assumed the guards were either coming to kick them out or get more money. He was wrong on both counts as a smartly dressed soldier, in Cambodian military uniform with his left arm in a neat sling, was escorted into the holding cells and taken along to Ca’s cell.
Phaol and Diudang were stunned how much the soldier resembled a younger Ca and they just stared with mouths agape.
Diudang tried to stand up but her legs had gone numb from sitting on the floor, so Captain Ca told them not to get up and he joined them and squatted on the wood deck
After the initial shock, Ca introduced the Captain to his mother and brother, and told him how pleased he was to see him and thanked him for coming.
The family chatted to the Captain for about twenty minutes about his life and upbringing and of their husband and father. Captain Ca appeared a little vague as his father never spoke about his past life in Vietnam, because he couldn’t remember a great deal from that period. This put Diudang’s mind at rest about why he’d never tried to contact her and why he remarried, although she became a little sad by the news.
Ca then produced a photograph from his pocket and showed it to them all. The photograph, taken a few years ago in Sereypheap village, showed the Captain in his uniform, standing between his mother Darah and his proud father Nguyen. He handed Diudang the photo and she again sobbed and stared at the now much older Nguyen. Although he now looked elderly, she could still make out the features of the man she fell in love with and married.
The boys continued chatting as their mother held onto the photograph and her mind wandered to the past, occasionally chuckling to herself as a memory popped into her head. She had single-handedly raised two sons and life had been good to her, she never had any unpleasant feelings toward Nguyen and wished him a long and happy life.
The conversation between the men ebbed and Captain Ca promised that when he returned to Cambodia he would visit his parents and inform Nguyen about his old family and maybe they could all meet, although he was not sure of what his fathers’ reaction would be, but maybe this would provide closure on his past life. Diudang wasn’t sure of her feelings either. It had been too many years and they would now be strangers.
She handed the Captain back the photograph but he told her to hang on to it. The Captain told them he had to return to Cambodia with his Commander in a few days time, so he could stay in Ho Chi Minh City and visit Ca until ordered back to Hanoi. He then turned to face Ca and with a sombre look spoke.
“Yesterday I met with Minister Tangh to plead your case; we discussed this until well into the evening”
Ca sat back away from the bars as if he knew what his brother was about to tell him as he spoke
“After a lot of discourse, mainly by my commander, the ministers’ brother and Kim’s husband Pon, he’s decided to show leniency.” The Captain paused as he could see his half brother looking dazed and surprised then continued,
“You are to be punished, but would only receive the minimum sentence of two years imprisonment.”
Although Ca and his family felt stunned by the news of his pending incarceration, they realised that two years wasn’t a long time and it could have been a life sentence or worse, He’d misjudged both Thran and Pon, He considered himself lucky and uttered. “Thank you brother, that’s twice you’ve saved my life”
If you are going through hell, just keep on going!