Saigon
Krakauer and his girl walked out onto the terrace with the music fading slowly behind them and the soft wind blowing gently against their faces.
The wind lifted her black hair up ever so slightly showing off her beautiful slender neck.
Krakauer instantly understood the beauty of it all and it struck him so hard that that his heart felt like it was breaking.
All this because he knew he wasn’t supposed to like her.
If his mother had really been like that girl, he simply couldn't be attracted to her, he shouldn’t, it was unnatural.
Although it was all so absurd he nevertheless found her to be absolutely beautiful.
None of this made any sense to him and worst of all, was all very painful.
“Who are you?” the Vietnamese girl asked.
“No one”
She smiled sweetly, and then said:
“Everyone has a name”
Lawrence then looked towards the dark horizon.
Some of the explosions not unlike lightning bolts or fireworks were lighting up the Saigon sky at intervals.
They weren't fireworks at all of course, but artillery shells exploding in the remote, but Krakauer couldn't say where exactly.
In a country that had already been at war for twenty years hearing explosions at a distance was quite normal and hardly anyone seemed to take notice anymore.
Not even him, not now at least, with such beauty like hers, right there in front of him and categorically for him.
That’s how those macabre lightning bolts almost became beautiful to look at, as if they were really fireworks. Even the matter of his troublesome past had suddenly become irrelevant.
Lawrence was therefore finally able to let himself go for good, because she was in all honesty, too pretty to do otherwise.
Her neck was thin and delicate and her sleek dark hair came down over her shoulders.
She was pale-skinned with an undeniably East Asian shaped face which was made up to perfection.
Lawrence gently took her at the waist turned her towards him and held her tight until he forgot everything.
She then turned to face him and that was the moment when their eyes met.
“Who are you?” she repeated as he moved closer.
“No one” he said again.
Then he kissed her.
Her lips tasted like fruit. Lawrence had no idea of what kind, he just knew they did and her breath was indescribable.
As he kissed her a deep all-encompassing feeling of well-being came over him, as though everything was in its rightful place.
He felt what could have been an electrical charge go right through him, and his whole body shivered.
Once they had parted lips, despite feeling breathless, she gently ran her fingers through his hair.
Still caressing, she said:
“Again, Gi-Ai... Tell me your name”
“I haven’t got one”
The girl smiled.
“Oh come oooon, Gi Ai... Everyone has a name, father and mother. Many lost them but everyone had”
“Not me”
“How's that?”
“I’ve never had anything like that honey” he told her and then kissed her again but this time, the feeling was even stronger than before.
But I’ll never forget you – Lawrence thought to himself.
I’ll probably never see you again but I’ll never forget your eyes, your face, your smell or this night in which I was 'still alive'.
“You tell me your name” said Lawrence.
She smiled sweetly, and then said:
“That's not the same, giai... I no tell you my real name. I am no like you. No one must know I do this job”
Even though her comment did hurt Lawrence a bit he accepted her reply all the same, because at least it was a sincere one.
“Tell me anyway,” he said.
“Call me Tiun Ki, giai” she said lying, but at any rate, he was okay with it.
“That's a cool name. Sounds sharp”
Although she didn’t even know what the word 'sharp' meant, she imagined by the tone of his voice that it was a compliment.
She smiled back at him.
The two of them gently embraced each other and didn’t let go, watching the explosions flashing over the sky of Saigon at a distance while Krakauer kept stroking her long dark hair.
The Baker team B never did go back to that bar again just like Lawrence therefore never saw her again either.