Aperture on the East (30 page)

“
That was last minute and
short notice,” said Ivan.

“
It had to be. Miss Kim is
pregnant,” said Mai.

Ana took a step back. Her mouth was
half open in astonishment. Zoe wrapped her arm around Ana’s
shoulder.

“
I can’t believe it,” said
Mai. “It’s barely two months since you two broke up. Men are
pigs.”

Ana felt dizzy. She sat down in a
chair, and buried her face in her hands.

“
Aunt Mai,” said Zoe,
“couldn’t you have waited till after we moved to tell us this?
Actually, we really didn’t need to know it to begin
with.”

“
You know I can’t keep my
mouth shut,” said Mai, “and your mother will find out sooner or
later anyway.” She turned to Ana and said, “I’ll help you move
these boxes. Why don’t you rest a little till you feel
better?”

Ana stood up, grabbed a box, and
headed out of Mai’s apartment. There was a van waiting outside to
collect all the boxes and take Ana, Zoe, and Ivan to their new
home.

“
Aunt Mai, you’ve really
upset my ma,” said Zoe. She was pouting.

“
You keep an eye on your
mother,” said Mai. “Make sure she doesn’t start drinking. Let me
know right away if you suspect anything. She is really vulnerable
right now.”

“
She wouldn’t be if she
hadn’t known what happened,” said Zoe. “Sometimes I wish that you
could just keep a few things to yourself,” said Zoe.

Mai helped Zoe and Ivan move a few
more boxes. When they were finished, Zoe threw her arms around Mai
and gave Mai a good squeeze.

“
Goodbye, Aunt Mai,” said
Zoe. “Thank you for all you’ve done for us. We love you tons.” She
picked up the last box, and walked out of Mai’s apartment with
Ivan. The rainy season had started, and it was pouring again. Zoe
thought that perhaps, since her mother wouldn’t cry, the gods in
heaven, stricken with her mother’s sorrow, let their tears flood
the earth instead. 

Ana focused on setting up her new home
in the next few weeks, trying to crowd the sadness and
disappointment out of her mind by occupying it with other matters.
The new apartment, thankfully, came furnished by the landlord, who
was also a recovering alcoholic. He had promised to alert the
counselor at the rehab center if Ana was ever behind in rent, an
indication of a possible relapse. The landlord let Ana decorate her
apartment according to her heart’s desire, so Ana repainted the
walls and installed her photographs around the apartment. Ivan and
Zoe decorated their own rooms, too. Ivan put up posters of marine
mammals on his walls, and started his own collection of seashells
in addition to the jar Sofia gave him, which he placed prominently
on his nightstand. Zoe made black, purple and red the theme colors
of her room, and filled it with ornate silver candleholders and
embroidered silk cushions. Soon, the three of them had a cozy home
to return to every evening, where they would sit and have dinner
together, and talk about their day. It was never discussed in the
open, but there was a taciturn understanding among them that Nha
Trang was going to be home indefinitely.

Ana was doing well at the electronics
store, and besides the photography workshop, she started to do
studio portraits as well in a room above the store. Ana was
bringing in so much business that the owner of the store had to
hire an additional clerk to help with the volume of customers. On
the weekends Ana taught Russian out of her apartment, and she
occasionally gave tours of Nha Trang to Russian visitors. Every now
and then she took a commissioned photography job, but for the most
part she roamed around Nha Trang photographing whatever subjects
she found fascinating. She saved up money to purchase a secondhand
large format printer, and was now able to print and frame her own
work. She tried to spend some time with Zoe and Ivan, but they
usually had other academic or social engagements; they were more
than satisfied just to have dinner with Ana every night, they told
her.

The rainy season was over when winter
started, which was a little cooler than the summer but still balmy
compared to winter in Novosibirsk. Ana missed the Christmas
celebrations in Russia, but for the most part, she was glad to be
in Nha Trang instead. She went for a walk on the beach every
morning and every afternoon, sometimes stopping to watch Ivan and
his friends skateboard. She rarely watched Ivan skateboard before,
but now all the boys wanted to show off their tricks in front of
her. She was proud when she saw Ivan teach the younger kids how to
skateboard; he had both the patience and the tact.

Zoe started to ask Ana to go shopping
together. This was a new thing for Ana. Their favorite hangout was
the Nha Trang Center. Ivan would play the arcade games while Ana
and Zoe window-shopped. Ana and Zoe developed a new camaraderie as
they critiqued the clothes, accessories, and shoes. When they got
tired of walking, they would meet up with Ivan for lunch at the
food court, and then catch the latest movie. Zoe now dressed less
dramatically for school, but outside of school she still wore
gothic outfits and makeup. Zoe often wore the dress that Ana gave
her for her birthday, and that was validation for Ana’s effort at
being a better mother. Ana was thankful for it every day, and
whenever she felt thirsty for vodka, the thought of losing her
children would quickly put the craving out of her mind.

The Vietnamese New Year
came in the middle of winter, and Mai invited Ana’s family over for
a lavish feast. Ana loved the
bánh
tét
, sticky rice with mung bean paste
bundled up in banana leaves. Zoe and Ivan were ecstatic when they
each received a red envelope with money inside from Mai. They bowed
to her and said, “
Chúc mừng năm
mới
.”
After the
feast they all went to the beach to watch the fireworks over the
sea. Ana looked up at the night sky which was brightened by the
pyrotechnics, and prayed that this good life would never
end. 

One Friday evening, Ana came home and
saw that Ivan and Zoe were watching television in the living room.
She smiled, thinking how precious that moment was, because back in
Russia, Zoe had not always lived with Ivan. It was a wonderful
feeling to come home to two cheerful children who were sharing
their time with each other. Zoe and Ivan had bonded so much and so
quickly. Ana greeted her children, and then went to the kitchen to
heat up the food she made the evening before. Ana was now shopping
for groceries and cooking daily, except on Friday evenings when she
attended the meetings of the local alcoholics support
group.

“
Dinner’s ready,” said Ana
as she brought out the bowls and plates from the
cabinet.

Zoe and Ivan came in to help set the
table.

“
So who wants to tell me
about school first?” said Ana

“
I made a ninety-five on
my math test,” said Zoe.

“
Wow,” said Ana, “you
must’ve worked really hard on it. Your grades are improving so
fast. Looks like you might be able to graduate from high school on
time.”

“
Or not, she has to make
up so many classes,” said Ivan.

“
I just need to take this
exit exam at the end of the spring semester, and if I pass I will
graduate,” said Zoe. “Smart people don’t have to take all the
classes. It’s called skipping a grade or two.” She stuck out her
tongue at Ivan, who did the same back at her.

Ana was delighted to hear that Zoe was
progressing well. When they sat down to eat, the doorbell rang. Zoe
went to answer the door, and came back in with Tuan.

“
Hi, Tuan. Sit down and
eat,” said Ana. She went to get an extra bowl and another pair of
chopsticks.

“
Fish stew and stir-fried
morning glory, I love it,” Tuan said as he sat down.

Tuan had become a frequent visitor at
dinner time in Ana’s household. He would come after work and hung
out for an hour or two after dinner. Sometimes, Tuan even helped
Ana with the dishes and took out the trash.

Ana enjoyed his company tremendously.
She already thought of him as a son, inviting him to all family
events and buying him little things here and there. She even
surprised him with a party on his birthday. It was obvious that
Tuan was in love with Zoe. Tuan was one of those rare dependable,
trustworthy men that Ana had only read about in romance novels. She
wanted Zoe to finish college first, but secretly she was already
fantasizing about planning Zoe’s wedding, and she even daydreamed
about spoiling her first grandchild.

“
Tell us another story,
Tuan,” said Ivan. Ana knew that Ivan liked to brag about his police
friend’s heroic adventures at school. Tuan started telling them
about a case he had recently solved. Zoe and Ivan listened
intently; their eyes followed Tuan’s animated gestures, and they
gasped whenever Tuan would describe a particularly sensational
detail.

Ana watched the three youngsters joke
with one another between each bite of the food that she had
prepared. She wondered if this was what a normal family dinner
looked like. It had to be, everyone seemed happy, and Ana didn’t
know how to make it any better. There was still a void in her
heart, but for now, she was content.

There was a mad exodus of students
when the school day was over some time in the middle of the
afternoon. They came out in groups of three or four, all talking at
once about their afterschool plans, somehow all hearing one another
at the same time. Some were picked up by their parents who had been
waiting by the gate, but most walked home with their pals. Many of
them, those without parental supervision, went straight to the
nearby cafes or stores for snacks, drinks, and arcade
games.

Zoe was chatting with a friend when
she saw Tuan waiting for her in his green uniform on his police
motorcycle. He waved at her, flashing a smile at the same
time.

“
Your boyfriend is here,”
said her friend, Elena. “Are you still coming over to my house for
the movie, or are you going to cancel?”

“
I am coming. Wait for me
here,” said Zoe.

She walked over to Tuan, and frowned
at him.

“
I told you not to come
and pick me up anymore,” said Zoe. “I don’t want people to think
that you are my boyfriend. I know you are trying to protect me from
potential retaliation by Boris’s gang, and I really appreciate it.
But it’s been over six months now. Nothing has happened. I doubt
that any of them knew I planted the bugs. So relax.”

“
You need a ride home
anyway, and I am free,” said Tuan.

“
I’ve got other things to
do,” said Zoe, rolling her eyes. “Well, my friend is waiting for
me, so I’ll see you later.” She walked back toward
Elena.

“
Will I see you at dinner
tonight? At your place?” said Tuan.

“
Yeah. Bye,” said Zoe as
she and Elena walked away.

Tuan looked longingly until Zoe and
Elena disappeared around a corner. He stared into space for a
while, until someone called his name. It was Ivan, who just came
out of the school on his skateboard.

“
What’s the matter?
Where’s Zoe?” said Ivan.

“
She went with her friend
somewhere,” said Tuan.

“
I like you a lot, Tuan,”
said Ivan, “but I think you should give up now. My sister is not
very bright when it comes to choosing a boyfriend. She and my
mother had that in common, unfortunately, chronically dating
losers. Well, except for Eduard and Mr. Nguyen, in the case of my
mother. Anyway, Zoe is stupid for not wanting you. Don’t waste your
time on her.”

“
What do you know about
these things? You are barely twelve,” said Tuan. He chuckled,
looking into the distance.

Ivan shook his head and said, “I’ll
see you later.” He left on his skateboard.

Tuan had passed on a promotion in the
Hanoi Police Department in order to stay with Zoe in Nha Trang. He
was incurably drawn to her, and he couldn’t bear the thought of not
seeing her for even just one day. He was almost six years older
than Zoe, but Zoe’s had boyfriends who were much older, according
to her anyway. He didn’t much like hearing about her old
flings.

He heard his cell phone ring, but he
didn’t answer it when he saw that the caller was his mother. He had
been avoiding his parents. He didn’t want to explain one more time
why he had not returned to Hanoi, or why he had disappointed his
father by turning down the promotion. He didn’t tell them about
Zoe, because they wouldn’t have understood, and might have resented
her instead. That wouldn’t help, if some day in the future she
would agree to marry him.

He went back to the police station and
worked on a couple of cases before he left for Zoe’s apartment. For
now, he was satisfied just to help her with homework and watch a
little television together. Zoe’s mother seemed to like him well,
so he thought that his chances were pretty good.

Zoe was waiting for him outside her
apartment building when he arrived. He smiled broadly when he saw
her. This was the first time that she had greeted him before he
walked up to her second-floor home.

“
Let’s go to the beach. I
want to talk to you,” said Zoe. She sat down behind Tuan on his
motorcycle before he turned off the engine. When he took off toward
the beach, he was a little disappointed when she held on to the
rear grab bar instead of encircling his waist with her arms like
she normally did.