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Truyeän ngaén Ñaøo Vaên Bình

Ñeå töôïng nieäm caû trieäu ngöôøi ñaõ boû mình treân bieån caû trong cuoäc vöôùt thoaùt bi traùng nhaát

 cuûa lòch söû Vieät Nam)

 

Khaùc vôùi buoåi chieàu, thanh nieân vaø ñoàng baøo tî naïn thöôøng tuï taäp ôû ñaây ñeå taém bieån, ñaù banh, hoùng maùt hoaëc chôø ñôïi nhöõng con taøu vöôït bieân coù theå baát thaàn troâi giaït vaøo ñaây... buoåi saùng baõi bieån Khu C cuûa Bi Ñoâng thöôøng thöa thôùt ngöôøi. Laùc ñaùc moät vaøi ngöôøi ñi boä ñeå taäp theå duïc. Tít taép töø xa moät vaøi caùi ñaàu nhaáp nhoâ theo ngoïn soùng. Ñoù laø nhöõng ngöôøi ñang taém bieån vì hoï tin raèng taém bieån vaøo buoåi saùng nhö theá da thòt seõ saên laïi vaø trò ñöôïc raát nhieàu beänh, nhaát laø beänh lao phoåi.

Vì giôø naøy con nöôùc ñaõ keùo ra xa cho neân baõi bieån daøi haún ra, treân bôø naèm ngoån ngang ñuû thöù rong reâu, voû soø, voû oác, löôùi ñaùnh caù, lon coca vaø chai loï. Moãi khi con soùng xoâ giaït vaøo bôø, traøo boït traéng, noù keùo theo nhöõng thöù aáy ra xa ñoä vaøi meùt, vuøi daäp roài xoâ ñaåy taát caû vaøo bôø nhö nhöõng côn hôøn doãi cuûa bieån vôùi ñaát lieàn.

Döôøng nhö trôøi, bieån, ñaát ñai vaø caây coái ôû ñaây bò caùi khoâng khí oi noàng cuûa trôøi nhieät ñôùi aáp uû, voã veà cho neân taát caû toûa ra moät caùi gì ñoù vöøa chaàm chaäm, vöøa meät moûi, nhö caùi khoâng khí u buoàn taïi caùc thaùnh ñöôøng nôi caùc tín ñoà Hoài Giaùo ñang quyø goái khoùc than.

Töø treân choùp nuùi nhìn ngay xuoáng baõi bieån, Chuøa Töø Bi troâng gioáng nhö moät caên nhaø toâle luïp xuïp. Sôû dó ngöôøi ta nhaän ra ñaây laø moät ngoâi chuøa vì chöõ Vaïn; bieåu töôïng cuûa nhaø Phaät ñöôïc trang trí ngay chính giöõa noùc vaø hai ñaàu hoài ngöôøi ta thaùp theâm hai caùi vó cong cong sôn maøu naâu laøm cho kieán truùc troâng coù daùng veû moät ngoâi chuøa. Thænh thoaûng tieáng chuoâng buoàn baõ ngaân leân nhö muoán hoøa ñieäu vôùi caùi khoâng khí oi noàng, buoàn xa vaéng cuûa hoøn ñaûo nhoû beù. Vaøo giôø naøy khoùa leã saùng ñaõ xong. Moät soá ngöôøi laùc ñaùc ra veà ñeå baét ñaàu moät buoåi saùng Thöù Baåy... khoâng phaûi laøm taïp dòch vaø coù taøu Bu Ñaùt töø Terengganu chôû thöïc phaåm töôi tôùi. Nhöng coù moät caùi boùng, thay vì trôû veà nhaø, laïi men theo con ñöôøng doác ñaù phía tröôùc chuøa ñeå ñi xuoáng baõi bieån... Moät caùi boùng nhoû beù, non nôùt... ñoù laø caùi boùng cuûa Chi Mai.

Hoâm nay Chi Mai maëc caùi aùo ñaàm boâng vaøng saëc sôõ do Cao UÛy caáp phaùt. Vì chieác aùo chöa ñöôïc söûa sang laïi cho neân daøi löôït thöôït. Caùi coå aùo laïi roäng cho neân caøng loä caùi veû gaày nhom cuûa con beù. Naéng vaø gioù bieån ñaõ laøm da noù xaïm ñen cho neân neáu ñem boû con beù ngoaøi chôï Terengganu, ngöôøi ta seõ nghó ñaây laø moät beù gaùi Maõ Lai ngheøo khoå löu laïc ôû choán chôï ñôøi. Chæ coù nhöõng ngöôøi tinh yù laém môùi nhaän ra ñaây laø moät con beù Vieät Nam vì maùi toùc khoâng quaên maø chaám ngang vai, khuoân maët AÙ Ñoâng khaù thanh tuù, ñoâi loâng maøy cong nhöng khoâng ñaäm laém. Khi noù cöôøi, maù luùm ñoàng tieàn troâng raát deã thöông. Maëc duø ñoâi maét noù raát ñeïp nhöng treân ñoâi maét aáy luùc naøo cuõng aùnh leân nhöõng neùt sôï haõi, daáu aán cuûa bao noãi baát öng xaûy ñeán töø chuyeán vöôït bieån kinh hoaøng. Döôøng nhö ñaõ quen thuoäc, thay vì ñi lang thang treân baõi bieån, noù ñi thaúng tôùi choã maáy taûng ñaù chaïy daøi xuoáng meù bieån, roài löïa moät taûng ñaù baèng phaúng, ngoài xuoáng. Sau khi ngoài yeân, noù nhìn veà höôùng bieån, nhìn chaêm chuù, nhìn thaät laâu nhö muoán tìm kieám trong ñoù moät caùi gì raát thaân yeâu... ñaõ maát. Vaø nhö moïi laàn, kyù öùc töø chuyeán vöôït bieån kinh hoaøng laïi hieän veà.

Noù nhôù ngaøy cuøng cha meï töø giaõ Saøi Goøn ñaùp xe ñoø xuoáng Bình Ñaïi, Kieán Hoøa. ÔÛ ñaây ngöôøi höôùng ñaïo giaáu gia ñình noù vaøo moät caùi choøi tranh luïp suïp. Taù tuùc ôû ñoù vaøi ngaøy, gia ñình noù ñöôïc “Taxi” ñöa ra “Con caù lôùn” ñeå baét ñaàu chuyeán vöôït bieân ñi tìm töï do. Khi taøi coâng baùo taøu ñaõ ra ngoaøi haûi phaän quoác teá, meï noù nghieâm trang noùi vôùi noù: “Maëc duø con môùi möôøi ba tuoåi nhöng haûi taëc Thaùi Lan chöa chaéc ñaõ buoâng tha cho neân con phaûi ñeà phoøng”. Noùi xong meï noù laáy nhoï noài treùt ñaày vaøo maët noù roài baø laáy moät chai thuoác ñoû daáu trong mình hoài naøo, ñoå ñaïi vaøo chieác quaàn baø ba noù ñang maëc. Theá laø töø giôø phuùt naøy Chi Mai bieán thaønh moät con loï lem, ngô ngaùc ruùc vaøo moät goùc, run raåy chôø ñôïi nhöõng chuyeän khuûng khieáp seõ xaûy ñeán.

Tính töø luùc rôøi khoûi cöûa Bình Ñaïi, taøu ñi nhö theá ñaõ ñöôïc boán ngaøy. Trong khi moïi ngöôøi ñang hoài hoäp chôø ñôïi, khi phaùt giaùc ra caùi chaám ñen naèm veà phía Taây, gaõ taøi coâng la leân” “Tôùi Maõ Lai roài baø con ôi!” Lôøi noùi cuûa gaõ nhö vieân thuoác hoài sinh laøm con taøu soáng daäy, ngöôøi ta reo hoø, haùo höùc baøn taùn. Ngöôøi ta heø nhau gom goùp quaàn aùo ñoát leân nhö daáu hieäu caáp cöùu cuûa con taøu ñeå keâu goïi loøng nhaân ñaïo cuûa löïc löôïng duyeân phoøng, cuûa caùc taøu ñaùnh caù may ñaâu hieän dieän trong vuøng bieån naøy. Theá nhöng ñaây chæ laø söï ngu doát cuûa gaõ taøi coâng. Vôùi kieán thöùc cuûa gaõ laùi taøu chaïy ñöôøng soâng, vôùi chieác baûn ñoà daïy hoïc troø mua ngoaøi chôï, vôùi chieác la baøn cuûa quaân ñoäi, khoâng duïng cuï ño löôøng söùc gioù, söùc giaït; choã maø y töôûng laø Maõ Lai, thöïc ra chæ laø Vònh Thaùi Lan. Vaø caùi coät khoùi boác leân kia chính laø caùi moài “laäy oâng toâi ôû buïi naøy” ñeå nhöû nhöõng taøu ñaùnh caù Thaùi Lan chaïy tôùi. Chæ thoaùng sau, khi con taøu ñang xaäp xình ñeå coá tieán veà phía Taây thì hai chieác taøu ñaùnh caù cao ngheäu chaïy tôùi treân chôû ñaày nhöõng hình thuø ñen ñuûi ñang nhaåy muùa, reo hoø vôùi dao quaém, gaäy goäc, suùng oáng treân tay. Moät cuoäc cöôùp boùc daõ man chôùp nhoaùng dieãn ra. Taøu bò luïc soaùt, moät soá ñaøn baø treû bò daãn ñi. Chi Mai cuõng bò haûi taëc loâi ra. Moät teân ñaõ toan ñaåy con beù qua taøu phía beân kia nhöng khi teân thöù hai nhìn thaáy quaàn con beù toaøn nhöõng veát ñoû, noù noùi xí xoâ caùi gì ñoù roài ñaåy con beù ngaõ chuùi trôû laïi vaøo thaønh taøu.

Nhö nhöõng hung thaàn, nhöõng ngöôøi troán döôùi khoang daàu cuõng bò cuôùp bieån loâi leân. Khi meï Chi Mai bò loâi qua taøu Thaùi Lan thì ba noù lieàu cheát nhaøo ra tuùm laáy chaân meï noù roài quyø laïy döôùi chaân teân cöôùp bieån. Nhöng teân cöôùp bieån thay vì buoâng tha, laïi phaù leân cöôøi khoaùi traù roài vung con dao quaém cheùm xuoáng. Raát may trong luùc nguy caáp ba noù coøn kòp giô tay ñôõ laáy con dao roài neù sang moät beân cho neân con dao chæ phôùt maûnh da ñaàu vaø cheùp phaäp xuoáng vai. Ngöôøi ta thaáy ba noù ruù leân moät tieáng roài guïc xuoáng giöõa tieáng gaøo theùt cuûa meï noù vaø giöõa nhöõng tieáng cöôøi man daïi cuûa ñaùm cöôùp bieån Thaùi Lan ñang keùo leâ ngöôøi ñaøn baø qua beân kia con taøu.

Khi maøn cuôùp boùc, ñaùnh ñaäp, cheùm gieát ñaõ taïm yeân. Ñaùm ngöôøi soáng soùt bò doàn xuoáng khoang vaø taøu bò moùc vaøo giaây xích saét ñeå keùo ñi. Khoâng hieåu thôøi gian keùo daøi bao laâu. Khi nhöõng ngöôøi beân trong khoâng coøn nghe thaáy tieáng nöôùc reõ vaøo maïn taøu. Khi taát caû ñaõ trôû neân im aéng vaø con taøu cöù töï do troøng traønh nghieâng ngaû giöõa bieån khôi. Trong ñaùm ngöôøi soáng soùt bò doàn döôùi khoang thuyeàn coù ngöôøi baïo daïn heù maét doøm qua naép haàm. Hoaøn toaøn im laëng. Im laëng ñeán ngheït thôû. Sau nhieàu laàn tuùng taéng ho, ñoäng ñaäy, ngöôøi ta môùi daùm lieàu cheát moø ra ngoaøi vaø luùc ñoù môùi bieát boïn haûi taëc Thaùi Lan ñaõ boû ñi töø laâu laém roài.

Theo ñaùm naïn nhaân soáng soùt, Chi Mai boø ra ngoaøi ñeå tìm ñeán nôi ba ñang naèm thieâm thieáp beân vuõng maùu. Vôùi söï phuï giuùp cuûa maáy ngöôøi ñoàng haønh, ngöôøi ta cho ba noù uoáng chuùt nöôùc, xeù vaït aùo ñeå baêng boù veát thöông nhöng thaân theå ba noù ñaõ meàm nhuõn vì maát quaù nhieàu maùu. Giôø ñaây qua côn tai bieán, gaõ taøi coâng vaø laõo chuû taøu khoâng coøn boä daïng uy quyeàn, hoáng haùch nhö tröôùc nöõa maø toû ra raát deã thöông. Giöõa tieáng khoùc than, tieáng tæ teâ, tieáng hôøn tieáng oaùn, kieåm ñieåm laïi thì naêm ngöôøi ñaøn baø vaø ba coâ gaùi ñaõ bò daãn ñi, hai thanh nieân bò ñaïp xuoáng döôùi bieån vaø moät ngöôøi bò cheùm troïng thöông laø ba noù ñang naèm ôû goùc kia. Nhöng vaøo giôø phuùt naøy, moïi tieáng khoùc than cuõng chæ baèng thöøa. Khoâng coøn con ñöôøng naøo khaùc hôn laø cho con taøu tieáp tuïc xuoâi Nam.

Hai ngaøy sau, vì quaù kieät söùc ba noù ñaõ vónh vieãn ra ñi. Tröôùc khi nhaém maét lìa ñôøi ba noù coøn gaéng göôïng noùi: “Khi naøo ñeán ñaûo raùng chôø meï roài haõy ñònh cö nghe con”. Roài cuõng baèng söï trôï giuùp cuûa nhöõng ngöôøi ñoàng haønh, ngöôøi ta xeù quaàn aùo boù xaùc ba noù laïi, laáy vaøi neùn nhang ñoát leân khaán vaùi roài xoâ xaùc xuoáng bieån. Tôùi ñaây söùc chòu ñöïng cuûa noù ñaõ quaù haïn. Tröôùc maét noù, maøu xanh cuûa bieån, maøu ñoû choùi chan cuûa maët trôøi troän laãn thaønh moät maøu tím quay cuoàng nhö moät côn loác xoaùy laøm noù choùng maët vaø noù ngaõ ra baát tænh. Vaøo ngaøy thöù ba, khoâng hieåu do may maén theá naøo maø con taøu laïi taép ñöôïc vaøo Ñaûo Bi Ñoâng.

Theo thoâng leä, moãi khi thaáy taøu vuôït bieån taép vaøo bôø, daân tî naïn thöôøng tuùa ra. Ngöôøi ta chæ troû, la heùt baùo ñoäng phaûi ñoát taøu gaáp keûo caûnh saùt Maõ Lai keùo taøu ra khôi. Roài giöõa caùi ñaùm hoãn ñoän ñoù ngöôøi naøo ñuû söùc thì leát leân bôø. Nhöõng ai ngaát xæu ñöôïc thanh nieân dìu xuoáng roài vaùc leân vai coõng chaïy tôùi beänh vieän Sick Bay cuûa ñaûo, trong soá naøy coù Chi Mai. Roài caûnh saùt Maõ Lai cuøng Cao UÛy chaïy tôùi, roài phoûng vaán, ñieàu tra, môû hoà sô vaø nhö theá cuoäc ñôøi tî naïn cuûa ngöôøi ta baét ñaàu.

Nhö moät ñònh meänh, vaøo saùng hoâm sau xaùc cuûa ba noù, khoâng bieát coù phaûi do doøng thuûy löu troâi giaït hay do linh thieâng ñi theo phuø hoä cho con taøu, cuõng laïi taép vaøo bôø. Do veát cheùm ôû treân vai, do boä quaàn aùo nhöõng ngöôøi ñi cuøng taøu nhaän ra ba noù. Do loøng töø taâm cuûa nhaø thôø, cuûa chuøa vaø ban xaõ hoäi treân ñaûo, ngöôøi ta ñoùng cho ba noù moät caùi hoøm moûng roài choân treân moät ngoïn ñoài cao maø raûi raùc treân ñoù coù vaøi chuïc naám moà vôùi nhöõng caây thaùnh giaù caém ôû treân. Sôû dó ngöôøi ta choân nhöõng ngöôøi tî naïn vöôït bieân ôû ñaây laø vì ngöôøi ta nghó raèng nhöõng linh hoàn ñaõ an giaác ngaøn thu coøn coù dòp quay ñaàu doõi troâng veà Vieät Nam, ñeå tìm laïi hình boùng nhöõng ngöôøi thaân yeâu ñaõ boû xaùc treân bieån Ñoâng, hoaëc höôùng veà Toå Quoác thaân yeâu.

Giöõa aùnh naéng choùi chan cuûa buoåi saùng, moät ñaùm ma ñôn sô ñöôïc dieãn ra treân ngoïn ñoài trô troïi. Chi Mai treân ñaàu quaán maûnh khaên tang traéng quyø tröôùc moä ba. Khoâng hieåu noù coøn khoùc ñöôïc nöõa khoâng, nhöng chæ thaáy ñoâi vai noù run raåy. Noù cöù quyø nhö theá cho ñeán khi maáy ngöôøi ñi cuøng taøu dìu noù veà nhaø. Sau ñoù cöù moãi chieàu Chuû Nhaät noù ñeàu ra thaêm moä ba vaø ñaët leân ñoù moät boù hoa daïi maø noù gom goùp ñöôïc treân maûnh ñoài naøy. Cöù moãi buoåi saùng, sau khoùa leã noù ñeàu ra ñaây, ngoài treân taûng ñaù ñeå ñöa maét nhìn ra phía bieån xa xa. Sôû dó noù khoâng ra ñaây vaøo buoåi chieàu vì buoåi chieàu baõi bieån Khu C ñeàu tuï taäp ñoâng ñaûo seõ laøm maát ñi caùi khoâng khí vaéng laëng caàn thieát ñeå aáp uû moät giaác mô, giaác mô moät ngaøy naøo ñoù meï noù seõ trôû veà. Ñoâi khi noù chôït sôï haõi khi nghó tôùi moät khi ñaõ loït vaøo tay haûi taëc Thaùi Lan thì khoâng sao thoaùt khoûi. Coù theå meï noù ñaõ bò gieát cheát roài xaùc bò quaêng xuoáng bieån cho neân moãi laàn coù ñaùm rong reâu taép vaøo bôø ñaù noù ñeàu chaïy ra xem coù phaûi ñoù laø môù toùc daøi cuûa meï noù baäp beành theo soùng nöôùc hay khoâng. Nhöng ñoâi khi noù laïi mô moäng vaø laõng maïn cho raèng coù theå meï noù ñang bò giam giöõ treân moät hoang ñaûo naøo ñoù. Ñeå lieân laïc vôùi beân ngoaøi, meï noù coù theå boû moät caùnh thö vaøo moät caùi chai ñeå thaû troâi theo moät gioøng nöôùc ñeå baùo tin cho ngöôøi. Cho neân cöù moãi laàn nhìn thaáy caùi chai troâi baäp beành noù ñeàu hy voïng vaø môû ra xem. Nhöng cho ñeán baây giôø chöa coù moät caùi chai naøo ñem theo moät caùnh thö nhö vaäy.

Khi maët trôøi ñaõ leân khaù cao, naéng ñaõ baét ñaàu trôû neân gay gaét, ñaùm söông muø treân maët bieån cuõng tan ñi ñeå loä ñöôøng chaân trôøi xa tít vaét ngang treân maët bieån phaúng laëng, noù thôû daøi ñöùng daäy vaø theo con ñöôøng moøn höôùng veà maáy daõy nhaø Long House. Giôø naøy sinh hoaït cuûa ñaûo khaù choän roän. Khu chôï choàm hoåm ñaõ ñoâng ñuùc ngöôøi. Ngöôøi ta ñem caù, ñoà hoäp, mì goùi, cuûi, thuoác laù, baàu bí ra trao ñoåi hoaëc buoân baùn. Töø maùy phoùng thanh, coâ xuôùng ngoân vieân ñang ñoïc danh saùch nhöõng ngöôøi rôøi ñaûo vaø baûn nhaïc Bieån Nhôù, moät baûn nhaïc ñöôïc duøng trong caùc buoåi tieãn ñöa aâm höôûng reùo raét buoàn xa vaéng vì noù gôïi leân caùi caûnh keû ôû ngöôøi ñi. Len loûi trong ñaùm hoãn ñoän ñoù noù raûo böôùc veà phía maáy daõy nhaø Long House naèm ôû treân ngoïn ñoài thoai thoaûi. Khi noù ñeán gaàn nhaø thì tieáng noùi oang oang cuûa moät baø caát leân:

- Chi Mai, maøy coù veà ngay khoâng? Hoâm nay tôùi phieân maøy laõnh thöïc phaåm. Ñi ngay keûo treã. Nhôù mang theo moät caùi xoâ ñeå ñöïng. Neø, gaø ñoâng laïnh nhôù xin maáy chuù aáy mieáng ñuøi chöù mieáng löng toaøn xöông veà chæ coù vöùt ñi!

Noù “daï” moät tieáng roài mau maén böôùc vaøo trong nhaø. Khi noù vöøa quay ra thì töø döôùi chaân con doác nhoû, moät ngöôøi ñaøn oâng cuõng töø töø böôùc leân. Khi oâng ta böôùc theâm vaøi böôùc nöõa thì ngöôøi ñaøn baø luùc naõy cuõng vöøa nhaän ra oâng ta neân nhanh nhaåu noùi:

- Chaøo oâng chuû taøu. OÂng ñi ñaâu vaäy?

 Gaõ chuû taøu maø ngöôøi ñaøn baø vöøa chaøo hoûi ñoù laø moät ngöôøi ñaøn oâng ñaõ ngoaøi naêm möôi. OÂng ta traùn hoùi, neùt maët bì bì nhö ngöôøi chöa tænh röôïu. Thoaùng nhìn, caùi boä voù maäp maïp laøm cho oâng ta troâng coù veû phuùc haäu nhöng ñoâi moâi daày vaø con maét thænh thoaûng aùnh leân nhöõng neùt ñanh aùc laøm cho oâng ta trôû neân moät thöù gì phaûi kieâng neå, e deø. Môùi leân ñaûo coù hai tuaàn, chöa moät ai thö töø lieân laïc ñöôïc vôùi gia ñình maø oâng ta ñaõ maëc aùo thung Maõ Lai, maëc quaàn taây, ñi giaày chöù khoâng ñi chaân ñaát, maëc xaø loûn, côûi traàn nhö ñaùm daân tî naïn khaùc chöùng toû oâng ta laän theo ngöôøi ñöôïc vaøng baïc. Cung caùch cuûa oâng chöùng toû oâng khoâng phaûi laø daân thôï nhöng khoù ai ñoaùn ñöôïc tung tích cuûa oâng ta. Coù theå oâng ta laø daân thaàu khoaùn tröôùc ñaây, hoaëc giaû laø daân aùp phe hoaëc tay toå buoân laäu.

Duø theá naøo ñi nöõa thì chaéc chaén oâng phaûi laø ngöôøi khoân ngoan, coù thuû ñoaïn gheâ gôùm laém môùi coù theå soáng soùt qua cuoäc ñôøi taøn baïo, moùc noái ñöôïc vôùi coâng an ñeå toå chöùc chuyeán taøu vöôït bieân nhö theá naøy. Nghe ngöôøi ñaøn baø hoûi theá, thay vì voàn vaõ ñaùp laïi, oâng ta thaän troïng quay tröôùc quay sau roài xuoáng gioïng noùi:

- Chò Baûy cöù goïi toâi OÂng Naêm laø ñöôïc roài, goïi toâi chuû taøu khoâng coù lôïi ñaâu. Treân ñaûo toaøn ngöôøi xa laï, bieát ngöôøi naøo vaøo ngöôøi naøo?

Roài khoâng ñôïi ngöôøi ñaøn baø phaûn öùng, oâng ta hoûi tieáp:

- Naøy chò, thaèng taøi coâng vaø con beù coù thaèng boá cheát vöùt xaùc xuoáng bieån tuïi noù ñaâu roài?

Ngöôøi ñaøn baø nhanh nhaåu ñaùp:

- Thaèng Taán ñi laõnh thöïc phaåm, coøn con Chi Mai trong kia ra baây giôø.

Ngöôøi ñaøn baø vöøa noùi döùt caâu thì Chi Mai cuõng töø trong nhaø böôùc ra.

Thaáy laõo chuû taøu, noù voøng tay kheùp neùp thöa:

- Con kính chaøo OÂng Naêm.

Thay vì ñaùp laïi, laõo chuû taøu quay qua noùi vôùi ngöôøi ñaøn baø:

- Chò Baûy aø. Xin chò kieám ngöôøi khaùc laõnh duøm thöïc phaåm cho con beù. Hình nhö taøu mình saép coù danh saùch rôøi ñaûo. Toâi coù chuyeän quan troïng muoán noùi vôùi noù.

 Sau moät vaøi giaây löôõng löï, döôøng nhö neå maët laõo chuû taøu, ngöôøi ñaøn baø noùi voïng vaøo beân trong:

- Duõng ñaâu, maøy laøm ôn ñi duøm Chi Mai moät böõa ñeå OÂng Naêm noùi chuyeän vôùi noù.

Sau khi ñöùa con trai lôùn cuûa ngöôøi ñaøn baø xaùch caùi xoâ chaïy ñi, laõo chuû taøu noùi vôùi ngöôøi ñaøn baø:

- Toâi caàn chò laøm chöùng cho chuyeän naøy. Toâi bieát chuyeän laém. Neáu caâu chuyeän eâm xuoâi, toâi khoâng queân ôn chò ñaâu.

Ngöôøi ñaøn baø töï nhieân bò du vaøo caùi theá neáu töø choái thì maát loøng maø laøm chöùng thì caâu chuyeän khoâng bieát toát xaáu theá naøo. Tuy nhieân nghó tôùi chuyeán vöôït bieân troùt loït, do lôùn tuoåi khoâng bò haûi taëc daãn ñi, nghó tôùi chuû taøu baø ta thaáy cuõng coù moät chuùt haøm aân cho neân mieãn cöôõng ngoài xuoáng beân caïnh Chi Mai. Baèng moät gioïng raát nheï nhaøng, laõo giaø cuùi xuoáng hoûi Chi Mai:

- Naøy con. Tröôùc khi xuoáng taøu vöôït bieân cha meï con coù ñöa cho con hoaëc daën con caùi gì khoâng?

Sau moät vaøi giaây ngô ngaùc, Chi Mai kheùp neùp ñaùp:

- Daï thöa OÂng Naêm, meï con daën neáu bò coâng an baét thì khoâng ñöôïc khai teân thaät, ñòa chæ thaät vaø noùi laø ñi moät mình.

Döôøng nhö caâu noùi laïi gôïi leân bao noãi thöông taâm cho neân töï nhieân nuôùc maét noù röôm röôùm.

Tuy nhieân OÂng Naêm khoâng chuù troïng laém ñeán noãi thöông taâm naøy cho neân oâng coù veû boàn choàn hoûi tieáp ngöôøi ñoái dieän:

- OÂng Naêm khoâng hoûi chuyeän naøy. OÂng Naêm hoûi cha meï maøy coù ñöa cho maøy giöõ caùi gì khoâng?

Ngaàn ngöø moät chuùt xíu roài OÂng Naêm noùi huîch toeït luoân:

- Chaúng haïn nhö “Caây” ñoù... (1)

- Daï khoâng.

Coù leõ caâu traû lôøi naøy laøm oâng Naêm töùc giaän cho neân oâng ta trôïn maét noùi:

- Tao khoâng tin!

Roài quay qua ngöôøi ñaøn baø oâng ta noùi vôùi gioïng heát söùc cöông quyeát:

- Neø Chò Baûy, chò laøm ôn khaùm con beù naøy duøm toâi. Vöôït bieân cha meï naøo maø chaúng nhôø con caùi caát giaáu vaøng baïc chöù...

Noùi xong oâng ta tuùm laáy Chi Mai roài xoâ noù vaøo loøng ngöôøi ñaøn baø. Tröôùc tình hình caêng thaúng nhö theá ngöôøi ñaøn baø döôøng nhö cuõng trôû neân baát ñoäng. Nhöng tröôùc caùi uy cuûa gaõ chuû taøu, caùi uy cuûa ngöôøi giaøu coù, baø ta hoát hoaûng oâm laáy beù Chi Mai, sôø vaøo naùch noù, naén vaøo buïng noù roài vuoát daøi xuoáng chaân noù. Roài baø ta laøm ñi laøm laïi nhö theá ñoâi laàn truôùc con maét môû tröøng tröøng cuûa laõo chuû taøu. Roõ raøng laø tröôùc maét laõo, baøn tay cuûa ngöôøi ñaøn baø khoâng heà ñuïng chaïm vaøo moät vaät gì cöng cöùng ñeå laõo coù theå nghi laø vaøng baïc, kim cöông, cho neân chính ngöôøi ñaøn baø cuõng caûm thaáy nheï nhoõm. Baø ta thôû ra moät caùi roài cöôøi caàu taøi noùi:

- OÂng Naêm thaáy khoâng, coù gì ñaâu?

Nhöng döôøng nhö khoâng phaûi laø ngöôøi deã daøng thua cuoäc, sau moät vaøi giaây suy tính OÂng Naêm gaèn gioïng hoûi:

- Ñoà ñaïc cuûa maøy ñaâu ñem ra ñaây tao coi!

Tôùi phuùt naøy thì Chi Mai chæ laø con cöøu non cho neân noù ñöa maét kinh haõi nhìn ngöôøi ñaøn baø roài chaïy vaøo trong nhaø laáy ra moät caùi boïc. Khoâng ñôïi noù thöa göûi, laõo chuû taàu giaät voäi laáy roài môû bung caùi caùi tuùi xaùch, di vaät cuoái cuøng cuûa meï noù ñeå roài loâi ra moät môù ñoà vaät nhö caùi aùo laïnh, caùi löôïc, moät caùi göông soi, moät loï daàu khuynh dieäp vaø moät vaøi boä ñoà loùt. Sau khi truùt boû taát caû ra ngoaøi, laõo caån thaän naén doïc theo maáy veát khaâu xem coù giaáu dieám caùi gì ôû beân trong khoâng nhöng cuoái cuøng laõo töùc giaän neùm caùi tuùi xaùch ra ngoaøi xa. Laõo chaép tay sau ñít ñi ñi laïi laïi. Nhöng cuoái cuøng laõo coá daèn gioïng hoûi theâm moät laàn nöõa:

- Neáu cha meï khoâng ñöa maøy giöõ caùi gì thì cha meï maøy coù daën maøy caùi gì khoâng?

- Daï khoâng!

- Khoâng bieát sao ñöôïc? Cha meï maøy thieáu tieàn tao maøy coù bieát khoâng?

- Daï khoâng bieát.

Tôùi ñaây thì laõo chuû taøu khoâng coøn kìm cheá ñöôïc nöõa, laõo quay qua ngöôøi ñaøn baø lôùn tieáng phaân bua:

- Tröôùc khi ñi cha meï noù naên næ toâi. Ñaùng leõ phaûi traû saùu löôïng, cuoái cuøng toâi bôùt cho coøn naêm löôïng, môùi traû coù ba löôïng, coøn hai löôïng höùa ñeán ñaûo thì vieát thö göûi veà noùi ngöôøi nhaø chung ñuû. Moà hoâi nöôùc maét cuûa toâi chöù toâi coù cöôùp cuûa ai ñaâu. Nay cha meï noù cheát roài noù phaûi thay cha meï noù traû cho toâi chöù.

Caâu chuyeän nhö theá ñaõ trôû neân roõ raøng. Nhöng tìm ra giaûi ñaùp khoâng phaûi chuyeän deã cho neân ngöôøi ñaøn baø noùi laáp löûng:

- Nhöng noù coøn beù quaù laøm sao noù giaûi quyeát ñöôïc chuyeän naøy?

- Noù coøn beù aø? Toâi seõ cho tieàn noù ñaùnh ñieän veà Saøi Goøn baûo thaân nhaân noù traû tieàn cho toâi.

Nghe noùi theá ngöôøi ñaøn baø aùi ngaïi quay ra hoûi Chi Mai:

- Con coù ai thaân nhaân ôû ngoaïi quoác khoâng? Nhö coâ, dì, chuù, baùc chaúng haïn?

- Khoâng, con khoâng coù ai heát.

- Theá ôû Saøi Goøn con coøn ai khoâng?

- OÂng noäi, baø noäi con ñaõ cheát. Coøn baø ngoaïi ôû döôùi queâ, nhöng ngoaïi con ngheøo laém.

Nghe Chi Mai noùi vaäy laõo chuû taøu caûm thaáy tieàn baïc cuûa laõo gaàn nhö tieâu tan cho neân laõo chæ vaøo maët Chi Mai, noùi:

- Maøy phaûi vieát thö veà noùi baø ngoaïi maøy traû tieàn cho tao neáu khoâng tao seõ noùi caûnh saùt Maõ Lai giöõ maøy ôû laïi ñaây... ôû muïc ñaûo nghe con.

Nghe laõo giaø doïa theá, Chi Mai kinh haõi nhìn laõo roài ñöa tay vaân veâ vaït aùo roài noù oøa leân khoùc. Ngay luùc ñoù moät toáp ngöôøi cuûa daõy nhaø Long House laõnh thöïc phaåm cuõng vöøa veà tôùi. Trong ñaùm hoãn ñoän bao goàm ñaøn oâng, ñaøn baø, thanh nieân, thieáu nöõ vaø treû con ñoù coù moät gaõ khi thaáy laõo chuû taøu, dó nhieân gaõ chöa bieát laõo ñang noåi tam baønh luïc taëc cho neân gaõ leân tieáng chaøo:

- Chuù Naêm, chuù tôùi ñaây coù vieäc chi vaäy?

Coù leõ gaõ taøi coâng laø ñoái töôïng quan troïng hôn maø laõo chuû taøu caàn gaëp cho neân laõo taïm buoâng tha cho Chi Mai vaø quay qua gaõ taøi coâng:

- Khoâng coù vieäc gì tao tôùi ñaây laøm gì? Neø tao ñang tính noùi chuyeän vôùi maøy ñaây.

Gaû taøi coâng vöøa veà tôùi laø moät ngöôøi ñaøn oâng khoaûng ngoaøi ba möôi tuoåi. Gaõ maëc moät chieác quaàn kaki vaø moät caùi aùo thung Maõ Lai. Gaõ coù con maét vaø boä daïng raát tinh khoân. Nhöng caùi maët daøi nhö maët ngöïa laïi laøm cho ngöôøi ta coù caûm töôûng gaõ laø moät con ngöôøi nham hieåm daùm laøm moïi chuyeän xaáu xa ñeå thuû lôïi.

Nghe gioïng ñieäu cuûa laõo giaø, gaõ taøi coâng linh caûm thaáy coù moät caùi gì thieáu thaân thieän ôû beân trong nhöng gaõ vaãn nhe raêng cöôøi vaø noùi vôùi caùi gioïng “choïc queâ” laõo giaø:

- Thì chuù laø cha meï, chuù muoán gaëp luùc naøo chaúng ñöôïc?

- Cha meï gì vôùi thöù maøy. Neø tao muoán hoûi maøy moät chuyeän...

- Coù chuyeän gì thì chuù cöù noùi ñi!

Gaõ taøi coâng baát ñaàu saüng gioïng.

- Noùi ôû ñaây khoâng tieän. Tao muoán noùi chuyeän rieâng vôùi maøy ñöôïc khoâng? Hay laø qua tôùi ñaây loøng daï ngöôøi ta khaùc roài... Neø, ñaây chöa phaûi laø Myõ ñaâu nghe maøy, Taán.

Linh caûm thaáy coù caùi gì baát oån ôû beân trong, nhöng ñeå tìm caùch ñoái phoù gaõ taøi coâng noùi:

- Thì ít ra chuù cuõng phaûi ñeå toâi caát maáy moùn ñoà naøy ñi chöù.

Noùi xong gaõ xaùch caùi xoâ ñöïng thöïc phaåm vaøo trong nhaø. Khi gaõ böôùc ra ñaõ thaáy laõo giaø tröøng tröøng nhìn gaõ vaø khi boán aùnh maét ñaõ chaïm nhau, laõo giaø noùng naåy ñi voøng veà phía sau caên nhaø, coøn gaõ taøi coâng thì cuõng töø töø böôùc theo sau.

Khi hai ngöôøi ñaõ caùch caên nhaø khoaûng naêm saùu thöôùc thì laõo giaø döøng ôû nôi coù maáy taûng ñaù lôùn naèm nhoâ leân khoûi maët ñaát nhö  nhöõng chieác baøn loä thieân. Ñôïi cho gaõ taøi coâng tôùi gaàn vaø ngoài xuoáng taûng ñaù ñoái dieän thì laõo giaø môùi baét ñaàu leân tieáng. Khoâng hieåu hai ngöôøi trao ñoåi nhöõng gì maø döôøng nhö caâu chuyeän moãi luùc moãi gay caán vaø to tieáng.

- Ai aên cöôùp cuûa chuù?

- Maøy ñöøng coù qua maët tao. Luùc gaëp taøu Thaùi Lan tao ñaõ quaêng caùi boïc nhoû vaøo trong thuøng daàu maùy trong ñoù coù hai möôi löôïng vaøng. Trong buoàng maùy chæ coù tao vôùi maøy ñöôïc vaøo, vaäy hai möôi löôïng vaøng khoâng caùnh maø bay maát aø?

- Chuù noùi vaäy maø chuù khoâng sôï “Laêng OÂng Baø Chieåu” beû hoïng chuù aø? Treân taøu naêm saùu chuïc ngöôøi bieát ñaâu keû ngay ngöôøi gian sao chuù laïi vu oan giaù hoïa cho toâi? Vaû laïi chuù khoâng thaáy haûi taëc chuùi caû vaøo buoàng maùy khaùm xeùt hay sao?

- Tuïi noù coù vaøo buoàng maùy xeùt nhöng ñaâu coù môû thuøng daàu maùy ra. Maøy töôûng thaèng giaø naøy ñui haû? Lôïi duïng luùc haûi taëc boû ñi, treân taøu troän roän, maøy ra tay cuoãm cuûa tao, boä tao khoâng bieát haû? Tao theo doõi töøng cöû chæ, ñoäng taùc cuûa maøy töø luùc ñaët chaân leân ñaûo. Neø, tieàn ñaâu maø maøy saém daây chuyeàn, nhaãn vaøng?

- Chuù ñöøng coù hoà ñoà, ai laáy cuûa chuù? Chuù muoán toâi theà ñoäc khoâng? Neø, ñöùa naøo laáy tieàn cuûa chuù thì suùng ñaïn aên noù, noù cheát naùt thaây maø khoâng thaáy maët vôï con noù!

Lôøi theà cuûa gaõ taøi coâng nhö daàu ñoå theâm vaøo löûa, nhaát laø lôøi theà aáy laïi thoát ra töø moät khuoân maët thieáu tin caäy cho neân laõo giaø khoâng coøn chòu ñöïng ñöôïc nöõa:

- Meï maøy! Maøy coù traû tieàn tao khoâng? Tao khoâng muoán nghe maøy noùi nöõa.

Cuøng vôùi caâu noùi ñoù laõo giaø vung tay xaùng vaøo maët gaõ taøi coâng. Nhöng gaõ taøi coâng ñaõ kòp ñöa tay leân ñôõ cho neân tay laõo giaø doäi laïi. Nhö con hoå bò thöông, laõo giaø töùc giaän vôù laáy moät khuùc cuûi naèm beân caïnh taûng ñaù nghieán raêng vung leân. Tröôùc tình theá ñoù, gaõ taøi coâng buoäc loøng phaûi thoaùi lui roài thaùo chaïy veà phía daõy nhaø Long House roài quay trôû ra vôùi moät con dao nhoïn, loaïi dao laøm beáp. Coøn laõo giaø thì cuõng hung haõn chaïy tôùi vôùi khuùc cuûi laêm laêm treân tay.

Töø naõy tôùi giôø lôøi ñoái ñaùp, chöûi ruûa, tieáng chaân chaïy huyønh huîch khieán cho moät soá ngöôøi trong daõy nhaø Long House bieát coù chuyeän baát thöôøng neân ñoå xoâ ra xem. Döôøng nhö ñaùm ñoâng cuõng cuõng laø caùi gì ñoù kích thích ngöôøi ta theâm haêng maùu cho neân khuoân maët cuûa laõo giaø vaø gaõ taøi coâng trôû neân luùc ñoû, luùc taùi xanh. Sau khi lieác nhìn ñaùm ñoâng moät voøng, laõo giaø chæ vaøo maët gaõ taøi coâng, noùi:

- Toâi phaûi noùi cho baø con bieát. Toâi cho noù ñi khoâng laáy tieàn theá maø noù coøn daùm cöôùp cuûa cuûa toâi nöõa. Thaät laø quaân choù ñeû maø!

Nghe noùi theá, gaõ taøi coâng laáy con dao chæ vaøo maët laõo giaø noùi:

- OÂng choù ñeû chöù ai choù ñeû! Boä yû coù tieàn muoán chöûi ai thì chöûi haû? Coù ngon böôùc leân ñaây coi!

Nghe gaõ taøi coâng noùi vaäy, laõo giaø gaàm leân roài vung cao caây gaäy roài xaán xoå nhaûy leân. Coù leõ trong luùc haáp taáp khoâng nhìn kyõ baäc theàm cho neân laõo böôùc huït heát moät baäc tam caáp khieán cho thaân hình laõo huït haãng vaø caây gaäy vung leân cao. Coøn gaõ taøi coâng thaáy caây gaäy vung leân nhö theá thì cuõng töôûng laõo giaø ñaõ ra tay haï thuû cho neân voäi vaøng vung con dao leân ñôõ. Nhö moät ñònh meänh, con dao ñaâm ngay vaøo coå hoïng laõo giaø vaø maùu phun ra xoái xaû. Khi gaõ taøi coâng luøi ra xa thì laõo giaø cuõng buoâng caây gaäy vaø hai tay laõo oâm chaët laáy coå hoïng. Nhöng veát thöông truùng nhaèm choã hieåm cho neân khoâng caùch chi maùu caàm laïi ñöôïc vaø chæ ít giaây sau laõo laûo ñaûo teù xaáp xuoáng maët ñaát.

Vì söï vieäc xaûy ra quaù nhanh khieán ñaùm ñoâng cuõng ñöùng cheát xöõng. Chæ vaøi giaây sau, coù leõ vì maùu ñaõ ra heát, töø nôi coå hoïng laõo giaø chæ coøn phaäp phoàng leân xuoáng moät chuùt boït ñoû roài ñoâi maét laõo trôïn tröøng, ñaàu laät qua moät beân, naèm baát ñoäng. Tôùi möùc naøy thì ñaùm ñoâng chôït oàn leân nhö moät caùi chôï. Ngöôøi ta chaïy tôùi ñöùng saùt beân xaùc laõo giaø baøn taùn, chæ troû, tru treùo. Laùt sau, cuøng vôùi böôùc chaân chaïy raàm raäp cuûa ñaùm thanh nieân thieáu nöõ keùo tôùi töø caùc khu khaùc, an ninh traïi vaø caûnh saùt Maõ Lai xuaát hieän vôùi suùng oáng, gaäy goäc treân tay. Sau moät vaøi lôøi thoâng dòch, chæ troû, xaùc cuûa laõo giaø ñöôïc khieâng leân beänh vieän Sick Bay. Roài caûnh saùt Maõ Lai ra leänh troùi thuùc keù gaõ taøi coâng luùc naøy maët muõi taùi xanh ñöùng run raåy nhö con gaø maéc möa. Roài döôùi söï hoä toáng cuûa ñaùm ñoâng hoãn ñoän nhö moät ñaùm ruôùc ôû Phi Chaâu, ngöôøi ta daãn gaõ taøi coâng leân khu vöïc coù voøng raøo keõm gai cuûa caûnh saùt Maõ Lai... ñeå traû laïi cho moät ñaùm ñoâng khaùc vaãn coøn tuï taäp beân böïc theàm, nôi vuõng maùu cuûa laõo giaø vaãn coøn loang loå treân maët ñaát... ñeå tha hoà ræ tai, baøn luaän, suy ñoaùn.

* * *

Tuaàn leã sau, taøu cuûa Chi Mai ñöôïc maùy phoùng thanh goïi leân gaëp phaùi ñoaøn. Ñaây laø giai ñoaïn quan troïng nhaát cuûa ñôøi tî naïn. Ñi hay ôû, ñònh cö hay chôø muïc ñaûo cuõng laø giaây phuùt naøy ñaây cho neân theo thoâng leä ngöôøi ta baûo nhau ñi thaät sôùm, aên maëc töôm taát keùo leân vaên phoøng chôø ñôïi trong noân noùng. Theo nhöõng ngöôøi cuøng taøu, Chi Mai cuõng ñi leân ñeå gaëp phaùi ñoaøn. Vì khoâng thaân baèng quyeán thuoäc cho neân hoâm nay noù vaãn maëc chieác aùo ñaàm do Cao UÛy caáp phaùt. Khi maáy chuù ngöôøi Vieät Nam caàm giaáy goïi tôùi teân thì noù líu ríu böôùc theo vaøo caên nhaø lôïp tole nôi phaùi ñoaøn ñang laøm vieäc.

Thôøi gian baây giôø laø 1982 cho neân ngöôøi tî naïn Ñoâng Döông vaãn coøn ñöôïc cöng chieàu. Theo moät thoûa hieäp vôùi Cao UÛy Lieân Hieäp Quoác, caùc treû em döôùi 18 tuoåi khoâng coù cha meï ñi theo ñeàu ñöôïc ñònh nghóa laø coâ nhi vaø chính phuû Hoa Kyø seõ öu tieân môû hoà sô nhöõng thaønh phaàn naøy cho neân noù ñöôïc höôùng daãn vaøo gaëp phaùi ñoaøn Hoa Kyø. Khi ñaõ ngoài yeân treân gheá beân caïnh moät chuù thoâng dòch vieân, noù thaáy ñoái dieän phía beân kia baøn laø moät ngöôøi ñaøn baø Myõ tay ñang laät ñi laät laïi moät xaáp hoà sô. Sau khi coi xong baø ta ngöûng ñaàu leân, thôû daøi roài xuùc ñoäng noùi vôùi ngöôøi thoâng dòch vieân:

- Xin oâng thoâng dòch duøm laø phaùi ñoaøn ñaõ ñoàng yù nhaän em ñònh cö taïi Hoa Kyø.

Ngöôøi thoâng dòch vieân vöøa môùi dòch xong thì Chi Mai ñaõ keâu leân:

- Coøn meï con?

Baø Cathy, ngöôøi ñaøn baø Myõ vöøa leân tieáng luùc naõy, sau thoaùng ngaïc nhieân baø rôm rôùm nöôùc maét noùi:

- Meï con aø? Meï con chöa tôùi ñaûo thì phaùi ñoaøn laøm sao nhaän ñöôïc?

- Theá thì con phaûi chôø meï con. Vì cha con noùi con phaûi chôø meï con roài môùi ñònh cö. Meï con chöa cheát maø!

Noùi xong caâu naøy thì noù laïi oøa leân khoùc. Coù leõ phaûi ít phuùt sau baø Cathy môùi traán aùp ñöôïc côn xuùc ñoäng cuûa mình, baø noùi:

- Con phaûi rôøi ñaûo theo quy ñònh neáu khoâng thì khoâng bieát ñeán bao giôø hoà sô con môùi ñöôïc môû laïi. Bi Ñoâng khoâng phaûi laø nôi daønh cho cuoäc ñôøi cuûa con. Coâ höùa khi naøo meï con tôùi ñaûo thì coâ seõ ñöa meï con gaëp con ngay duø con ôû baát cöù nôi naøo.

- Khoâng! Con khoâng ñi ñaâu heát. Con phaûi chôø meï con!

Cuøng vôùi caâu noùi ñoù noù ñöùng daäy roài co chaân phoùng chaïy ra beân ngoaøi. Vì caâu chuyeän xaûy ra quaù nhanh cho neân khi noù chaïy ra khoûi ñöôïc naêm saùu thöôùc thì ngöôøi thoâng dòch vieân vaø baø Cathy môùi kòp phaûn öùng ñeå ñöùng leân chaïy theo noù. Nhö moät con nai trong luùc kinh hoaûng, noù cöù nhaém höôùng bôø bieån chaïy tôùi, vöøa chaïy vöøa khoùc “Con khoâng ñi ñaâu heát! Con ôû ñaây chôø meï con!” Nhöng khi chaïy gaàn ñeán bôø nöôùc, coù leõ vì quaù xuùc ñoäng cho neân sau moät vaøi giaây laûo ñaûo, noù teù xaáp xuoáng bôø caùt. Khi chuù thoâng dòch vieân vaø baø Cathy chaïy tôùi nôi, boàng noù leân thì maët noù ñaõ taùi xanh vaø thaân hình noù run leân leân töøng hoài.

Roài trong voøng tay cuûa chuù thoâng dòch vieân cuøng söï voã veà cuûa baø Cathy, ngöôøi ta dìu noù veà daõy nhaø Long House vaø ñaët noù naèm nghæ treân saøn nhaø nhöng noù vaãn coøn taám töùc khoùc. Ñeâm ñoù, do söï khuyeán caùo cuûa baø Cathy, ban an ninh cuûa ñaûo ñaõ cho ngöôøi tuùc tröïc beân noù vaø baø cuõng xin beänh vieän moät hoäp söõa ñeå pha cho noù uoáng.

Hoâm sau, vaøo khoaûng hai giôø chieàu khi Ñaûo Bi Ñoâng vaãn coøn ñang chìm ñaém trong giaác nguû tröa naëng neà vôùi tieáng soùng voã bôø rì raøo töø xa voïng laïi thì maùy phoùng thanh vang vang danh saùch nhöõng ngöôøi chuaån bò rôøi ñaûo khi taøu Bu Ñaùt caäp beán vaøo luùc naêm giôø.

Qua söï doã daønh cuûa maáy baø ñi cuøng taøu, cuûa maáy chuù trong ban an ninh, Chi Mai döôøng nhö cuõng ñaõ nguoâi ngoai. Noù khoâng noùi gì chæ laúng laëng röûa maët roài noù xin pheùp leân chuøa xin vaøi caây nhang ñeå thaêm moä ba noù.

Treân con ñöôøng doác ngoaèn ngoeøo daãn ñeán nghóa trang, Chi Mai vöøa ñi vöøa chuù yù tìm ñeå ngaét nhöõng boâng hoa daïi moïc ôû ven ñöôøng. Naéng ñaõ ngaû veà chieàu laøm cho boùng cuûa noù ñoå daøi veà phía tröôùc. Töøng ngoïn gioù bieån töø xa thoåi tôùi laøm cho maùi toùc cuûa noù bay loõa xoõa veà phía sau. Noù laëng leõ tieán tôùi beân moä ba, baät dieâm ñeå thaép leân vaøi caây nhang. Thaép xong noù quyø xuoáng vaùi vaùi. Vaùi xong noù caém nhang leân noùc naám moà roài cöù quyø yeân nhö theá vaø nöôùc maét chaûy roøng roøng. Qua laøn nöôùc maét nhaït nhoøa, coù luùc noù thaáy ba noù ñang saùnh böôùc beân meï noù nhöng roài hình aûnh cuûa ba noù vuït bieán maát chæ coøn meï noù trô troïi treân moät chieác thuyeàn con mong manh. Roài meï noù giô tay vaãy goïi “Chi Mai! Chi Mai! Meï ñaây neø! Chôø meï nghe con!” Nhìn thaáy meï noù möøng quaù, ñöùng baät daäy nhö muoán naém laáy tay meï, nhöng vì ñoù chæ laø aûo aûnh cho neân noù teù xaáp xuoáng maët ñaát vaø hình aûnh cuûa meï noù cuõng tan bieán ñaâu maát. Khi noù ñang loàm coàm ngoài daäy thì moät baøn tay ñaõ ñaët leân vai noù vaø moät tieáng noùi nheï nhaøng caát leân:

- Thoâi ñuû roài Chi Mai. Chaùu laäy taï ba chaùu ñi roài quay veà keûo treã.

Ñoù laø caâu noùi cuûa chuù treân ban an ninh coù nhieäm vuï ñi theo noù. Theo lôøi khuyeân cuûa ngöôøi ñaøn oâng, noù laáy tay vaùi vaùi moä ba moät laàn nöõa roài ñöùng daäy. Khi noù vöøa quay löng thì noù chôït nhaän ra naèm ngay beân caïnh ba noù laø moät ngoâi moä coøn raát môùi treân coù caém moät taám baûng goã ñeà maáy haøng chöõ: Nguyeãn Vaên Naêm sinh naêm 1931, chuû taøu MB-105 cheát naêm 1982. Nhìn maáy haøng chöõ noù nhaän ra ngay OÂng Naêm, ngöôøi ñaõ ñeán hoûi thaêm söùc khoûe noù vaø do moät tình côø laïi ñöôïc choân caát naèm ngay beân caïnh moä ba noù. Nhöng ñeå cho chaéc aên noù quay sang ngöôøi ñaøn oâng hoûi:

- Coù phaûi OÂng Naêm chuû taøu bò ngöôøi ta ñaâm cheát khoâng chuù?

Ngöôøi ñaøn oâng laëng leõ gaät ñaàu.

Chi Mai laúng laëng böôùc tôùi beân naám moà, baät que dieâm thaép vaøi caây nhang roài caém leân treân. Caém xong noù quyø xuoáng roài leân tieáng nhö theå coù OÂng Naêm ñang ngoài tröôùc maët:

- Thöa OÂng Naêm, OÂng Naêm ñöøng ñoøi nôï con. Con khoâng coù tieàn traû OÂng Naêm ñaâu. Khi naøo con lôùn leân coù tieàn con seõ quay veà ñaây xaây moä cho OÂng Naêm. Xin OÂng Naêm ñöøng theo ñoøi nôï con... bieån ñaõ laáy ñi cuûa con taát caû roài...

Ngay luùc aáy töø maùy phoùng thanh baûn nhaïc Bieån Nhôù boãng vang leân ñeå môû ñaàu moät cuoäc tieãn ñöa nhö traêm, ngaøn cuoäc tieãn ñöa khaùc. AÂm höôûng cuûa baûn nhaïc cuøng vôùi tieáng ñaøn organ reùo raét nhö thuùc duïc ngöôøi ra ñi vaø laøm naùt loøng ngöôøi ôû laïi. Döôøng nhö caû moät vuøng bieån bao la ñang cuøng taáu leân moät khuùc nhaïc theâ löông ñeå vaãy tay chaøo nhöõng ngöôøi ñaõ moät laàn cöôõi leân soùng nöôùc, ñuøa rôõn vôùi cuoäc töû sinh... vaø laùt nöõa ñaây seõ vónh vieãn rôøi xa hoøn ñaûo nhoû beù naøy ñeå khôûi ñaàu moät cuoäc haønh trình veà nôi voâ ñònh.

 

Chuù thích: (1) “Caây”: tieáng loùng ñeå aùm chæ moät löôïng vaøng.
Oh Sea, Give Everything Back To Me…

 

Written by Dao Van Binh

(Translated into English and published by Hanh Trinh Bien Dong 2005)

 

A morning on Zone C beach on Bidong Island would attract only a few people, who went there for a walking exercise. In the water not far from the beach a few heads would be seen bobbing up and down with the waves. They were early bathers, who believed in the myth that immersing themselves in the sea water in the morning would rejuvenate their muscles and skin and help cure diseases, including tuberculosis. But in the afternoon, many refugees, young and old, would converge on Zone C beach to take a dip, play soccer, breath in the fresh air, or look in the far distance in the hope of spotting a refugee boat that might be drifting to this shore.

            Usually, the water in a low ebb would recede, and the beach would stretch far into the sea, baring pell-mell to the sun sundry things, such as water plants, mosses, shells, torn pieces of fishing nets, and empty soft-drink cans and bottles. Each time a surging wave came rushing onto the beach, it would produce white foam and,  in its retreat, pull the trash a few meters to the sea, bury it for a while, and then bring it back to the shore again, as if the sea and the land were involved in an endless see-saw battle.

            On this island, the sky, the sea, the land and the vegetation seemed to be muffled in the sweltering tropical climate, so that everything exuded a sluggish and tiring mood - an atmosphere as melancholic and gloomy as in a Muslim temple full of kneeling, lamenting faithful.

            The Tu Bi pagoda, a shanty - like building with corrugated roofs perched on a mountain top, could be seen from the beach. It was recognizable as a pagoda because of the Buddhist emblem protruding  from the middle of its rooftop and sandwiched between two bent-up brown beams, lending a pagoda look to the structure. A bell toll would occasionally echo in the air, seemingly in a bid to be welded onto the sultry, torrid climate on this forlorn, tiny island. When the early morning Buddhist mass was over, the people slowly emerged from the pagoda on their way home to begin their Saturday morning, when they were not required to do manual chores in the camp, and when the ship Budat would bring in fresh food from Terengganu. But there was shadow of a person who, instead of going home, walked down the sloping, rocky trail leading to the beach – a small, frail-looking shadow, that of the girl named Chi Mai.

            Today, Chi Mai wore a colored, flowered, western gown donated by the office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees. The unaltered garment was too big for her. Its length and its loose collar made her look as thin as a lath. The sun and the ocean wind gave her a deep tan, so dark that, if seen wandering about at the Terrengganu market place, she would be mistaken for a homeless, deprived little Malaysian girl. Only observance eyes could identify her as a Vietnamese child, because of her uncurled hair, which dropped on her shoulders, her quite elegant Oriental face, and her two crescent-like, not-so-black eyebrows. Her dimpled cheeks and particularly her smile made her look quite charming. Her eyes, though beautiful, always cast a scary look, the aftermath of a series of horrible incidents which befell her during her terror-stricken sea journey. As was customary, instead of wandering along the beach, she headed for a row  of rocks near the water and sat down on a preferred flat rock. After settling herself comfortably, she looked out to the open sea, her eyes intensely focused on looking for  some beloved thing that had been lost forever in the sea. And as always, her horrible past experiences on the sea came back to her mind.

            She remembered the day  she and her parents left Saigon aboard a bus for Binh Dai, Kien Hoa province. Upon arriving in Binh Dai, they were hidden in a thatched hut by a guide. They stayed there for a few days  before they were taken by a “taxi” boat to the “big fish” – the ocean-bound boat – to begin a journey for Freedom. When the boat’s helmsman reported that the boat had reached international waters, her mother told her in a serious tone, “ Although you are just thirteen years old, there is no guarantee that Thai pirates will spare you. So be careful!” Then she smeared her daughter’s face with black soot and stained her pants with a red colored medicinal liquid from a small bottle kept in her coat pocket. From this moment on, Chi Mai became a dirty, blemished little girl nervously cowering in a corner in anticipation of possible horrors.

            Four days after they left Binh Dai estuary, everybody was nervous and ignorant of what would be in store for them. “Folks, we’re going to reach Malaysia pretty soon!” hollered the helmsman, spotting a black dot far in the western horizon. His announcement had the effect of a revitalizing pill, making the boat alive with excited, noisy comments. Clothes were collected and burned to make an SOS. signal to appeal the kindness of a coastal patrol people or fishermen who might happen to be working in the area. But the helmsman proved to be an ignoramus, whose maritime navigational knowledge was limited only to river traveling, and whose tools consisted only of an army compass and a student - teaching map bought from a cheap store. He lacked a device to measure the wind force and the speed of the boat’s drifting. What he thought to be Malaysia was actually the Gulf of Thailand, and the smoke from the boat turned into “We are here” bait for Thai fishing boats to attack.

            Moments later,  as the boat moving westward, two big fishing boats approached, loaded with blackish men jumping and dancing menacingly and brandishing machetes, bats and rifles. Barbarous piratical acts began. The boat was ransacked, and a number of young females were taken away. Chi Mai had been pulled out of her corner. One of the pirates who was about to shove her over to his boat, was told about the red stains on her paints. She was then shoved away and sent falling on her back.

            Those hiding in the boat hold were also picked out by the devils. When Chi Mai’s mother was pulled over to one of the Thai boats, her father lunged forward, grabbed her feet, and knelt down to plead for her release. The pirate, far from listening to the pleading, roared with laughter and swung his machete and struck down. Luckily, in that critical moment, her father succeeded in warding off the blow with his raised arm, and the machete cut a piece of skin off his head and hit one of his shoulders. He let out a loud scream and succumbed as the laughing pirates dragged his wife away. As if these violent criminal acts were not enough, the pirates ordered the rest of the boat people to squeeze themselves in the hold, and the boat was chained for towing.

            Nobody knew how long the boat was towed until they no longer heard the sound of the water flapping against the boat. All was quiet now, and the boat rocked gently. The people were absolutely silent, to the point of nearly suffocating inside the boat. Some people made a bold move to peep through the hold cover. Coughing was feigned and noises were made to invite a response from outside. Absent the response and regardless of dangers, people began climbing out of the hold only to discover that the Thai pirates had already abandoned the boat. Chi Mai crawled up toward where her father had been attacked. He was lying in a pond of blood, almost breathless. Some refugees immediately gave him first-aide care by feeding him some water and tearing his shirt off to bandage his wound. His profuse bleeding reduced his body to a physical wreck.

            Amid cries and laments, a check on the casualties revealed that five women and three teenage girls had been kidnapped, two young males had been kicked into the ocean, and one man, Chi Mai’s father, had been seriously wounded. There was no time for crying now; the only recourse was to keep the boat on its southbound course. Following the brutal piratical attack, the helmsman and the boat owner stopped acting arrogantly and authoritatively and became very obliging.

            Two days later, unable to survive his wound, Chi Mai’s father left her forever. Before breathing his last, he had strained himself to say his last words to his daughter, “ Sweetheart, if you make it to a refugee camp, please wait for your mother to join you go to the resettle in another country.” The passenger wrapped his body with all his clothes, burned some incense sticks to pray for his soul, and slid him down into the water. Chi Mai’s suffering was too much for her to endure. Before her eyes, the blended colors of the blue sea water and the dazzling red sun light formed a purple cloud that twisted  like a tornado. Dizzy and unstable, she passed out and dropped down on the deck.

            Three days later, the boat miraculously drifted toward Bidong’s shore. As usual, upon a boat’s arrival, camp residents turned out to the beach in droves. They alerted the newcomers the fact that, unless they destroyed their boat, they would face a tow back to the open sea by the Malaysian police. Ignoring the warning, the newcomers immediately abandoned the boat in a higgledy-piggledy manner. Persons still strong enough dragged themselves on the beach, while the serious sick were carried by young males to the camp’s “Sick Bay” clinic. Chi Mai was among those who were hospitalized. The Malaysian police and the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugee officials quickly turned up to do the necessary investigation and interviewing. After their records were filed, the newcomers began their new life as refugees.

            As fate would have it, the next day, Chi Mai’s father’s  body was found washed ashore. Whether it had been brought here by the water current, or was prompted by divine power to accompany the boat to this island, was beyond anybody’s knowledge. The body was identified as her father because some boat mates recognized the knife wound on the shoulder and the clothes. Out of compassion, the Catholic church, the Buddhist pagoda and the camp’s service group jointly provided a makeshift coffin and buried it on a hill, where there were score of graves with wooden crosses planted on them. Deceased refugees were buried there so that, as the camp residents believed, the souls of the deceased, while resting in peace on this hill, would have a chance to face their beloved Vietnamese Fatherland and to search for the images of their beloved ones who had also perished on the South China Sea.

            A simple funeral took place on the deserted hill during a morning bathed in bright sunlight. Chi Mai, wearing a white mourning band on her head, knelt down before her father’s grave. Nobody knew whether she was able to cry any more, but her shoulders were shaking. She knelt there until some of her boat companions came to walk her back to the camp. Thereafter, every Sunday afternoon, she would visit the grave and place on it a bunch of wild flowers, which she had picked up on the hill. And every morning after the Buddhist mass, she would come and sit on the same rock and stare at the open sea.

            She preferred morning time because the beach was packed with people in the afternoon. She needed the morning quiet to nurse her dream of seeing her mother join her there one day. Occasionally, she would be struck with fear  at the thought that her kidnapped mother would not be able to escape from her detention and that she might have been killed and thrown into the sea by the pirates. That thought prompted her to constantly check on the mosses and seaweeds washed against the rocks, hoping to find some of  her mother’s strand of long hair entangled in those things. She would sometimes fancifully wish that her mother was being held captive on a certain deserted island and that, in order to communicate with  the outside world, her mother would insert a letter into a bottle and let it drift away so it would reach someone. Therefore, whenever she happened to see a bottle bobbing in the water, she would retrieve it with high hopes. But she found nothing.

            As the sun was rising high, the intense heat broke the hanging fog, disclosing a faraway horizon line that cut across the sea. Chi Mai, heaving a long sigh, started back on the trail leading to the rows of houses in the Long House Zone. By this time, the island was pretty busy. The open air market place was thronged with people, who were engaging in trading fish, canned food, instant egg noodles, cigarettes, and vegetables. Blaring out of the loudspeakers was a female voice, calling out the names of refugees who were going to leave the island for resettlement in a foreign country. The announcement ended with a song entitled “I Miss the Sea”, a song which was usually played at send-off times. Its lyrics and melody were sad and melancholic, invoking the farewell sentiments shared by departers and those remaining behind.

            Snaking through the busy crowd, Chi Mai headed for the Long House Zone. When she got near her place, she heard a woman’s loud voice coming out of a nearby house. “Chi Mai, get home quickly! Today is your turn to get the distributed food for us. Go get it right away before it’s too late. Take a bucket with you for the stuff. Look, remember to request frozen chicken drumstick, instead of those bony pieces that are of no use.”

            Chi Mai said “yes” as she hurriedly entered her house. When she was about to turn back to the door, a man walked up the narrow trail. He made a few more steps forward and was recognized by the woman, who quickly addressed him. “ Hello, Mr. boat owner. What are you doing here?”

            The boat owner to whom the woman talked was a man in his fifties with a receding hairline and a seemingly alcohol - intoxicated face. A first glance at his obese structure made one believe that he was a kind-hearted man, but his thick lips and his eyes, which occasionally flashed a malicious look, turned him into a type of man to be avoided. He had barely been on this island for two weeks – a period when nobody could have had time to contact their relatives at home; yet he dressed himself in Malaysian brand T-shirt, Western-style pants, and shoes, unlike other male newcomers, who wore shorts and walked about with bare feet and without a shirt. This would suggest that he had carried lots of gold with him on board. His manners showed that he didn’t come from a working class, nor was his background easily known. He could be a work contractor, or a business broker, or a smuggling kingpin. Anyhow, it was certain that he was mart and that his many good tricks could have helped him survive in a cruel society back home, where he had succeeded in organizing a sea-going boat trip with the tacit agreement of the local security men.

            Instead of warmly responding to the woman’s greetings, he cautiously looked around and lowered his tone. “ Let Mrs. Bay call me old Mr. Nam. It’s no good to continue referring me as ‘boat owner’. People on this island are all strangers, and we don’t know who is who.” Not giving the old woman a chance to react, he continued, “Where are the helmsman and that little girl whose dead father was tossed into the sea?”

            “Tan, the helmsman is out for foodstuffs. The little girl, Chi Mai, will come out very shortly,” Mrs. Bay quickly replied. No sooner had the woman finished talking than Chi Mai came out of the house.

            “ Good morning old Mr. Nam, “ said Chi Mai respectfully, her hands clasped in front of her.

            Instead of returning Chi Mai’s greetings, the man turned to the woman. “Mrs. Bay, could you find someone to take this girl’s place at the food distribution line? Those aboard my boat are said to be listed for departure from the island, and I have something important to discuss with her.”

            The woman was hesitant for few seconds. Then, seemingly out of consideration for the old boat owner, she hollered to someone inside the house. “Where are you, Dung? Can you substitute for Chi Mai for today? Old Mr. Nam wants to say to her.”

            After the woman’s son left with a bucket, the boat owner told her, “ I need you to be my witness to this matter. I am a reasonable man. If everything goes well, I’ll never forget your favor.”

            Caught suddenly in a dilemma, the woman didn’t know what to do. If  she declined, would she offend him? How would the unfolding story affect her if she agreed? Then, feeling that she was indebted to a certain degree to the boat owner for her safety in the piratical attack (although it was a safety which could have been due to the fact that the pirates had spared her because of her age), the woman reluctantly sat down by Chi Mai’s side. The boat owner said to Chi Mai in a low, gentle voice, “ Girl, prior to boarding the boat, did your parents confide anything to you, or did they give you any instructions?”

            “ Yes, old Mr. Nam. My mother advised me, if caught by the security people, not to tell them the truth about my name, my address and my parents,” the stupefied little girl  replied timidly. Her reference to the trip must have revived the pain in her, as her eyes were now brimming with tears.

Old Mr. Nam, not much interested in her pain, anxiously fired another question. “I am not interested in that matter. I want to know if yours parents gave you keep something for them.” After a moment of hesitation, he went straight to the matter. “ For instance, what about gold?”

“No, not at all.”

Apparently angered by the reply, he rolled up his eyes. “ I don’t believe it.” He then talked to the woman in a very serious tone. “ Mrs. Bay, please search her body for me. All parents on a sea journey entrust their children with money and gold to hide.”

As soon as he finished talking, old Mr. Nam grabbed Chi Mai and shoved her on to the woman’s lap. The woman, becoming suddenly passive in such an tense situation, and at the same time intimidated by the authoritative attitude of the wealthy boat owner, awkwardly moved her arms and ran her hands along the girl’s body from top to bottom. She repeated the search several times as the boat owner watched with wide-open eyes. He clearly saw the woman’s hands run up and down without coming across any solid objects that could be suspected to be gold or jewelry. The woman now felt relieved.

“You see, old Mr. Nam, nothing has been found,” she said in a pleading tone.

Refusing to be a loser, the boat owner, after a few seconds in thought, told Chi Mai in a raised voice, “Bring all your belongings out here for a check.”

Now as docile as a lamb, Chi Mai threw a scared look at the woman and ran into the house. She came out with a bag, the last thing left by her mother. Without saying a word to her, he grabbed the bag. He took out lots of things, including a warm blouse, a comb, a mirror, a small ointment bottle and a few undergarments. His hands carefully squeezed the seam of each piece of clothing in search for gold. Angry at his failure to find anything valuable, he tossed her belongings away, walking back and forth with his clasped hands behind him. “Besides entrusting nothing to you, did your parents give you any instructions?” he finally repeated what he had said before, stressing each spoken word.

“Nothing,” Chi Mai replied.

“You should have known something. Do you know that your parents owed me some money?”

“No, I knew nothing.”

Her answer drove him into uncontrolled anger. Turning to the woman, he explained, “Prior to our departure, her parents pleaded with me for a favor. Instead of the regular fee of six ounces of gold for her family, I settled on five ounces. Three ounces had been paid, and the rest were to be paid after they reached a shore from where they would contact their family back home by mail so the payment could be made to my family there. You know the money which I spent for this trip was hard earned, not coming from my stealing from anyone else. Now that her parents have died, she ought to pay me the remainder of the free.”

            The whole thing was now as clear as the day. But seeking a solution to it would not be easy. Understanding this, the woman said noncommittally, “How can a little girl like this be able to solve this problem?”

            “Is she too young to do this? I’m going to give her some money so she can send a telegram home urging her family to pay me.”

“Do you have any relatives living in foreign country?” the woman said to Chi Mai in a compassion tone. “Any aunt or uncle, for instance?”

            “No, none of my relatives live abroad.”

            “How about anyone living in Saigon?”

            “My grandparents are all deceased. My maternal grandmother in the countryside is very poor.”

Chi Mai negative reply made the man understand that it was all but impossible for him to claim his money back. Pointing his finger at her face, he threatened, ”Write your grandmother to pay me what your parents owe me; otherwise, I will see to it that the Malaysian police keep you here - until you rot on this land.”

            Horrified by the boat owner’s threat, Chi Mai looked at him, twiddled with the flap of her blouse, and burst into tears. By now a handful of people in the Long House area had returned from their food-receiving chores. Among this crowd of men, women and children was a young man who, unaware of what had caused the old man’s rage, greeted him.” Uncle Nam, what are you doing here?”

            When he saw Tan, his former helmsman, the old man, probably realizing that the helmsman was as much a target as Chi Mai was, temporarily let her alone and turned to face him.” How am I not here without a cause? Hey, I want to have a little chat with you.”

            The helmsman, about thirty years old, wore a khaki trousers and a Malaysian-made T-shirt. His eyes and his bearing and figure proved him to be a very smart guy. But his horse-shaped face gave people the impression that he was a wicked person capable of bad things for personal gains. Though sensing the boat owner’s less-than-friendly tone, the helmsman produced a teeth-baring smile and teasingly answered, “I respect you as much as I do my parents. So you can see me any time you want.”

            “I declined to be treated as such. Look, I want to ask you something.”

            “Please go ahead,” the helmsman started raising his voice.

“I don’t think this is a good place to talk. Can I have a private meeting with you? Was there any change of heart once the journey was no longer dangerous? Look, Tan, we are not in America yet.”

Aware that something was not going right, Tan was trying to find a way to cope the situation. “At least allow me to carry these things inside,” he said. Having said that, he took his food bucket inside the house. When he stepped back outside, he was stared at by the old man, and the two pairs of eyes stared at each other intensely. The boat owner quickly headed to the back of the house, followed by the helmsman. When the two men were five or xix meters away form the house, the boat owner stopped at a cluster of big rocks that could be used as seats, He sat down  on one of them and waited until the helmsman came and sat facing him before he raised his voice. At first, nobody heard what they were saying to each other, but their discussion became increasingly heated, and their voices became even louder.

            “Who the hell was it that could steal your money?” the helmsman asked.

“Don’t you try to play a trick on me. When the Thai boat attacked us, I tossed a bag containing twenty ounces of gold into the oil drum. You and I were the only ones authorized in the engine compartment. So did the gold have wings that flews away?”

“Wait a minute. Aren’t you afraid of being strangled to death by the ‘Deity at Ba Chieu mausoleum’? Why do you take me for a suspect when anyone from among the sixty people on board could be a thief? In addition, didn’t you see that the pirates ransacked every corner of the boat, including even the engine room?”

“Agreed, they went there, but they didn’t pry the lid of the fuel drum. Do you think that I’m a blind man? You took advantage of the time of the pirates’departure and of the chaos aboard to steal that gold. Was I so dumb as to know nothing about you?  I’ve been watching your every move since we came on this island. Where was the money that you have for such things as the gold pendent and the ring you’re wearing?

“Look, don’t be so absurd. I never took anything from you, alright! Are you ready for my death-inflicting curse? Hey, my curse is that anyone who took your gold ought to be torn to pieces by a bullet without his family knowing about it !”

They helmsman’s curse had the damaging effect of adding oil to a fire, especially when it came from that not-so-trustworthy face.

“God damn it! Are you ready to give the gold back to me? “the old man shouted, his anger reaching the breaking point. “ I don’t want to listen to you any more.” Before he finished his last words, he dealt a fist blow at the helmsman’s face. The helmsman raised his hand to ward it off. Feeling like a wounded tiger, the old man grabbed a piece of firewood nearby, grit his teeth in anger, and struck hard.
Caught in panic, the helmsman stepped back and ran toward the Long House area. When he came back, he had a kitchen knife in hand. For his part, the no-less-threatening old man, with the firewood in hand, ran up to his opponent.

By now, the loud voices, the cursing abuses and the thumping of running feet alerted the people in the Long House area that something unusual was going on. They came out of their dwelling places for a closer look. Their presence seemed to have helped further increase the adrenalin of the disputing parties to the effect that their faces got even redder and then turned green.  The old man turned to the crowd and pointed a finger at the helmsman. “ Let all you here know that I gave this man a free boat ride. Now he returned my favor by daring to steal my money. You are a son of a bitch!”

Not to be outdone, the helmsman pointed his knife at the old man. “You, and nobody else, is son of a bitch. Do you think any man with some money like you can get the right to heap abuses on other people? Got the guts to step up here?”

Having heard that, the old man roared up in anger and jumped forward to meet the helmsman, the firewood stick swung high. Probably in haste, he didn’t see the few elevated steps between him and the helmsman, and he missed his foot and lost his balance, with his stick still up in the air. The helmsman, sure that the stick was about to hit him, thrust out his knife to ward off the blow. As fate would have it, the knife struck the old man in the neck, and a jet of blood spurted out profusely. As the helmsman stepped back, the old man let go of the stick and grabbed his neck. The wound must have been at a vulnerable spot because the blood flow couldn’t be stopped, sending him to the ground in a matter of a few seconds. The incident happened so quickly that the crowd only stood there, dumbfounded. Seconds later, no more blood came out of the wound and his neck, now stained with red froth, was throbbing. With his eyes rolled up and his head flipped to one side, he became immobile.

At this point, the crowd exploded into noisy chaos. They rushed toward the dead man, pointing at him, talking to each other and screaming hysterically. Moment later, along with the arrival of young men and women from the other sectors, the camp security men and the Malaysian police appeared with rifles and wooden sticks. Through an interpreter, the police made an initial investigation, then took the body to the Sick Bay Clinic and ordered the green-faced, trembling helmsman tied up and taken to the barbed-wire police compound. They were escorted by the crowd, which was now as jumbled up as the festive parade in an African country. Other people, talking and speculating endlessly, still hung round where the old man’s blood still wet the ground.

One week after the incident, the passengers who had been on Chi Mai’s boat were informed over the public – address system that they were going to have interviews with a foreign delegation. Being called up for an interview was the most important moment in a refugee’s life. Whether a refugee’s resettlement in a foreign country was approved or rejected (to be left to rot in a refugee camp) depend on such an interview. Therefore, the refugees would dress themselves properly and report anxiously to the interview office ahead of the schedule time. Chi Mai was on the list of interviewees. She wore her large-sized western dress to report to the interview. When her name was called by a Vietnamese office worker, she shyly stepped into the house to meet a foreign delegation.

Her interview took place in 1982, the time when Indochinese refugees still enjoyed decent treatment in term of their resettlement in third countries. According to a U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees agreement, children under eighteen years of age and unaccompanied by parents were categorized as orphans, and their files were to be reviewed in priority by the U.S. delegation. Seated next to a Vietnamese interpreter, she looked across the desk and saw an American lady shuffled a stack of files. After a moment of reviewing the files, the lady raised her head, heaved a sigh and said to the interpreter in an emotional tone, “ Please tell the girl that the U.S. delegation has approved her resettlement in the