CHAPTER TWENTY SIX
The alarm clock sounded five-thirty but Mitch had been up for hours. He was too nervous to sleep and pondered how Albert must’ve been feeling. Last night they agreed Mitch should pick up the ladies allowing Albert a little longer to sleep: no point both getting up early. They would meet back at his house then all walk to the plate together.
Kym Ho paced nervously across the hotel foyer but looked splendid in her traditional ảo dải. A beautiful turquoise coloured silk tunic, the bottom half of which had an elaborate lotus flower print running down one side, worn over loose fitting white pants. Mitch guessed Kym wanted Albert seeing her as he remembered. Her jet-black hair was pulled into a small ponytail with lightly applied makeup leaving her looking even younger than she already did. She was beautiful and Mitch was certain Albert would be very pleased.
Thi on the other hand looked as she did the day before. A young modern woman dressed in young modern clothing.
“Good morning,” Mitchell greeted as they came to his car. Their replies weren’t as hearty and he sensed the anxiety immediately. He recalled his first trip and how daunting it was and understood their apprehension.
“We’re meeting Albert at his house before going to the plate. How’d you guys sleep?” That broke the tension a little and the conversation soon warmed up.
“Kym, for this to work properly, you and Albert need to be thinking of the same moment together. On the way, do you think you could try and remember a time you both had in Vietnam? Something Albert will remember too?”
“I can do that Mitchell. Do I need to tell you?”
“No, no not at all. Just tell Albert when the time is right.”
Mitchell parked in Albert’s driveway and led Kym toward the front porch where Albert already stood statuesquely. Mitch laughed to himself because he was wearing freshly pressed dark blue trousers and his favourite Fedora hat. The same outfit he wore when they met.
“Hello princess. I’m so glad you decided to come.” Kym kissed Albert on the lips and whispered something neither Mitch nor Thi could hear.
“Would you like to come in for a cup of tea?” Albert asked everyone.
Mitchell and Thi looked at each other blankly, but it was Kym who spoke first.
“Quãn nhãn, you have waited long enough. I am ready if you are.”
Although the plate wasn’t far away they walked slowly to calm themselves and Mitchell politely pointed out various ‘Australianisms’ along the way. A mute gesture that Thi Mai only responded to out of courtesy. When they reached the plate though, courtesy was lost and a wave of seriousness swept over the group. Albert suggested they take a seat on the park bench so he could again detail what would be happening.
“Kym Ho. Months ago I coached Mitchell through this very same process. There is nothing to be frightened of, however to be safe, I think it best you take your first trip alone.” Thi showed more apprehension than Kym so Mitchell injected agreeing it was the safest way to start.
“Mitchell, would you please show Kym how to step onto the plate and have her stand there for a minute or two to ‘get the feeling’.”
Mitch took her hand and they walked back to the plate. He told Kym to think of something in her past, preferably a long time ago. Although she wouldn’t know the area, hopefully there would be enough change in the weather and the buildings for Kym to understand she had travelled back in time. Mitchell stood next to her on the edge of the concret and instructed Kym to take one step onto the metal and remain there for a few minutes.
“You will see changes that at first aren’t that obvious, but look for them. The further back you remember the greater the changes will be. When you are ready to leave, just walk forward until you are completely off the plate. I will be there waiting for you.” Kym didn’t hesitate; she turned from Mitchell and walked off immediately.
From the bench Thi Mai watched her aunty step onto the metal plate then stand perfectly still.
“She hasn’t disappeared Albert, you said she would disappear. It didn’t work,” she said anxiously.
“Trust me child, it has worked. She has gone back to the past I assure you. But for the moment she’s in a type of limbo between times.” Thi didn’t understand at all.
After Kym stepped onto the plate Mitch quickly ran around to stand on the other side. He wanted to be facing her when she returned. One of the strangest feelings when first using the plate was how things quickly appeared then disappeared before your eyes. To have Mitchell waiting on the other side would hopefully make the transition easier giving Kym more confidence in making the next trip with Albert. But the longer he waited the more Mitch realised Kym was maybe stronger and more determined than any of them. Growing up through what could only have been a horrid time in Vietnam, Kym faced more hardships than most. Her determination kept her going and she’d developed great resilience. The plate was nothing for Kym Ho and the oddities it offered didn’t seem to faze her. She stood alone on the path for over five minutes, turning only her head and not her body as instructed. Her smile and wide eyes told Mitchell things had worked. She then expectedly walked off the plate and almost fell into Mitchell arms.
“Are you alright Kym Ho?” he asked.
“Yes thankyou Mitchell, I am fine. That was very interesting. I understand why Albert and you have spent hours doing what I just did.”
“Wait until you step off backward!” Mitch almost giggled in reply.
Thi Mai ran over to her aunty making sure she wasn’t harmed. Kym assured her she was fine and everything was exactly as the men said it would be. She sat next to Albert who’d remained on the bench.
“Albert. I am ready now and want to do this for you. For us.”
≈
Albert removed his dark glasses letting his eyes adjust to the light. It was coming on dusk and the rich reddish tones of a May sunset licked the underside of the heavy clouds hanging in the distance. The colours were amazing and held his attention for a long time. He heard birds squawking in the distance, returning from their day of foraging, and was lost in the visual and audible beauty of the past.
“Albert?”
He had almost forgotten he wasn’t alone and turned to see Kym Ho standing by his side.
She was wearing a turquoise tunic which fluttered in the gentle afternoon breeze and looked magnificent in the twilight glow. Kym Ho was beautiful. Her eyes exactly as he remembered.
She was older of course but Albert saw through that. Age was no barrier, looks unimportant; it was the person she was and what she meant to him that mattered. That could never change, and although they were standing on a footpath in suburban Sydney, it was like they were back in Vietnam standing in the grounds of Tao Dan Park where he took her on their first date.
That afternoon started with a short rickshaw ride from The Rex hotel down Nguyen Hue Boulevard to the gardens of Tao Dan Park. Albert and Kym strolled through the frangipani filled grounds, meandering between peacocks and pheasants not frightened by the military patrols. They talked freely without superiors present, and by the end of the afternoon knew everything about one other.
Albert now looked at Kym Ho longingly, as if meeting her for the first time, and kissed her deeply as he’d done that afternoon in Saigon.
Kym Ho cried. Then did Albert.
≈
From the bench Mitchell and Thi saw everything - Albert hadn’t moved from the plate so could still be seen in the present.
Usually, such affection between older couples might be seen as a little off putting, but the tenderness shared between Albert and Kym put that notion to shame. It was beautiful.
Following their embrace Albert and Kym turned to step from the plate then disappeared from sight.
≈
Albert took Kym’s hand and placed his other behind her back. Guiding her around the plate, they stepped onto the pavement and away from the manhole cover.
The couple walked hand in hand down the newly laid concrete footpath oblivious to the tradesmen packing up their tools after a hard day labouring. They were too engrossed with each other.
Albert knew from experience there was no need to remain close by, they would return eventually. With the sun fading they kept walking, reminiscing; remembering.
≈
Mitchell and Thi enjoyed a polite conversation as the sun brightened the morning sky. They would be waiting for a while so Mitch took the opportunity getting to know Thi a little better.
Thi Mai was twenty-four years old and grew up in a Vietnam much different to her older siblings. As the last of twelve children, the most junior by eight years, the family’s struggles were largely fought by the time she came of age and was afforded a softer upbringing. Greatly influenced though by Kym Ho. Her brothers and sisters had all worked in the fields, then in the factories, slowing learning the business and understanding how every facet of the organisation worked. Each now played a specific role in the company doing exactly what their father told them.
But Thi Mai was different. She didn’t want to spend her youth in the rice fields or cannery room. Because of the age gap and her independent view on life, Thi was unfairly ostracised by the other children and removed from many things her father made them do for the business.
“That was both a good and bad thing,” Thi explained. “Being so young I wasn’t forced to do manual work and hardly ever bullied by my father, he actually ignored me more than anything,” she added with a hint of remorse.
Kym though saw her differently, for the child she was, and cared for Thi as if her own daughter. Whenever she could Kym gave Thi Mai extra attention teaching her the softer side of life.
“My aunty showed me the beauty of nature, the importance of making time for yourself, and of listening to the other side of every story; there is always another side she would say.”
Mitch was beginning to understand Kym’s nature and why Albert had fallen in love with her.
“She basically taught me everything I now about life.”
After Thi completed her schooling to a higher level than any of her siblings, she wanted to attend university. To study further and learn about a world greater than the post-war struggle Tham Trong reminded the family of everyday. This initially met the resistance of her father who adamantly refused the request, but Kym helped her brother understand what benefit a broader education would bring to his youngest child. After some argument, he reluctantly allowed Thi to attend university.
“But on one condition. I was to study business administration and continue working at the cannery when not studying. I’ve been there full time now for just over two years.”
Her father was also insistent Thi attend a university outside of Vietnam. The business needed diversification he would say, and the best way to get that was by learning foreign customs. The university of Hong Kong offered the blended eastern influences of the emerging giant China with the western traditions of colonel England.
“So tell me Thi, at what point were you convinced about Albert and Kym?” Mitchell asked eager to learn the other side of his many emails.
“I guess I always knew about Albert. Aunty often mentioned her Australian solider. She’d been coy with what he meant to her, but I suspected there was more to their relationship than she was letting on.” Thi paused and looked up at Mitchell.
“When you contacted me from nowhere, it seemed too coincidental…you know, like fate. Albert was Kym’s quãn nhãn I was certain, so I was pretty much convinced by your first email.” Mitchell was pleased the email he’s spent hours deliberating, the wording and the tone, did its job.
“What did you say to persuade her to come to Australia with you?” Mitchell asked.
“I told her, ‘cô, I have a feeling your cloud has returned’.”
Mitchell was about to ask Thi to clarify but she cut him off mid thought…
“Mitchell what about you and Albert. How did you two get so close?”
Mitch told her the story of meeting Albert at the plate. An entirely random occurrence, and how their friendship developed from there. He also spoke briefly of his own family and their influence on his being.
“My father died when I was seventeen, and I guess I’ve always been guided by him, but from beyond his grave. He worked hard his whole life and never got to enjoy the spoils of his achievement. That’s not only sad, but unfair. Ever since, I’ve tried to do everything he wanted me to, so his memory wouldn’t be in vain. I suppose we have both been pushed by our dads,” Mitchell said reflectively.
“Albert is like the dad I didn’t get as an adult. You know, the one who didn’t have to be so harsh when you were growing up. He’s shown me there are more important things in the world than money and position. Of how centric we’ve become and how readily we lose sight of what’s really important. He is a great man, and testament how to enjoy life, regardless of the obstacles.” Mitchell surprised himself with the words realising just what an influence Albert had been to him in a very short time.
“Albert and I just clicked. But there is something more between us, like a psychic bond…that sounds dumb I know...we are kindred spirits from different worlds…and we both enjoy a scotch or two,” he added trying to downplay Albert’s importance to him.
“Ah, Scotland’s legacy to the colonies. I love whiskey Mitchell. Promise me we’ll share one together before we leave for Ho Chi Min City.” Thi Mai was far more progressive than Mitchell gave her credit. Time was getting on and Mitch checked his watch: well over an hour and a half had passed, soon Albert and Kym would return.
“Keep your eyes on the plate and watch what happens,” he warned Thi Mai.
And soon enough the old couple appeared from nowhere back onto the plate. Mitch rose to greet them. Excited to see if they were all right. But before he could get even close to the plate Albert and Kym circled around the manhole cover and stepped back onto the surface. They promptly turned around, took one more step, and again disappeared from sight.
“Cheeky bastard,” Mitchell exclaimed.
“What’s happened Mitchell, why have they disappeared again?” Thi asked him worriedly.
“Because Albert wants another ninety-nine minutes alone with your aunty.”
≈
Albert and Kym walked for miles slowly through the park. Never letting go of each other’s hand and rarely taking eyes from each other. The time passed quickly and Albert knew would soon be over. But he could change that.
“Princess, soon you will see a bright, bluish light and we’ll be taken back to the plate. The landing is a little bumpy but hold my hand tightly and you will be safe.”
“Do we have to go back Quãn nhãn?”
“Just for a few moments, I promise.”
And suddenly, a vortex of purple and blue light swept over the couple engulfing them like a shroud. Albert was well practiced with the process of landing back on the plate and prepared his own footing while wrapping his arms around Kym. For him, the fluorescent colours faded quickly and the blackness of his world returned.
For Kym, the autumn night sky of 1968 was replaced with the summer morning sun of 2012.
Albert took Kym’s hand and led her off, then around the manhole cover. He whispered something into her ear and they stepped back onto the metal plate. After promptly turning around and stepping forward, they returned to their private world again.
This time they didn’t walk; well they did, but only to the park bench where they sat arm in arm watching the sunset. Still not noticing the builders across the road.
While Kym talked about her family in Vietnam and her life on the plantation, Albert quietly removed a tortoiseshell-handled pocketknife from his trousers and flicked open its blade.
He etched six initials into the wooden slats of the bench….
ARC / KHT
≈
The moment Albert and Kym disappeared Mitch knew he had another hour and a half with Thi before they returned. He’d only met the woman yesterday but their unconventional friendship somehow allowed more familiarity.
“Do you have a boyfriend Thi Mai?’ Mitchell asked presumptuously.
“No Mitchell I don’t. But there will be plenty of time for that.”
Thi devoted herself to the family business much the same as Kym before her. Maybe having her as a role model influenced Thi’s behaviour, or perhaps the trend of a younger generations need to succeed quickly was her diving force. Either way, Thi Mai was definitely a strong willed young woman Mitch knew would ultimately get whatever she wanted. She surprised him though with her next comment.
“And if I did, I would want him to look at me the way Albert looks at my cô.”
Mitch suspected their example of love made her realise there were more important things than making money and being successful. Mitch had the very same epiphany, but as her senior of fourteen years perhaps she was only now coming to the realisation. Some things in life just don’t matter, expect life itself.
“Do you have a girlfriend Mitchell?”
Mitch didn’t know how to answer that. He had a girlfriend of sorts in Sarah, and a love of Juliana that would never return. He certainly had complicated matters. He didn’t want to lie to Thi. She’d shown so much faith in bringing Kym to Australia he felt the need to show the same faith in her.
“I did, once, a few years ago. But things didn’t work out unfortunately,” Not a lie, but not entirely the truth either.
“Do you still love her?”
“Regrettably, yes.”
“Why regrettably. Isn’t it better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all?”
What a stupid saying Mitchell thought. What authority was Alfred Lord Tennyson on the matter of love? He doubted the notion of love during the Victorian era more complex than the modern day mess he endured….or was it?
“Yes Thi Mai, I suppose it is?” was all he could respond. Mitch sank his head in shame.
Looking down he noticed the slats of the bench had the initials ARC / KHT carved into them. Right beside the scratching’s he made months earlier. They looked older though. Worn through the years and coated numerous times with paint making them the colour as the bench. Where had they come from? Mitchell laughed quietly wondering when Albert saw them in order to copy them.
Was Albert sending him a message? Was he telling Mitchell never to give up hope? That anything was possible.
“So what have you done with this plate of yours Mitchell? What have you managed to change for yourself?” Thi asked.
“I’m afraid I haven’t been as successful as Kym and Albert.”
That was true. The reunification of the Bartholomew family was a resounding success, and hopefully the same fate would come for the Martenelli’s. But personally, Mitchell had failed. The one thing he wanted to change wouldn’t been achieved.
“What do you mean?”
“The girl I still love, she left me to travel the world. I’ve gone back to try and stop her, to change her mind, but she still left.”
“What did you do to stop her?”
“There was nothing I could do. She had made up her mind already,” Mitchell said sadly.
“And is there anything you can do to influence her decision; to change the situation?” Thi asked him prophetically.
Mitchell thought for a while, but before he could answer Thi Mai answered for him.
“There is nothing you can do Mitchell. This girl didn’t leave because of you, or anything you may have done. She left because of her. Nobody will change that. Ever. Her path was chosen for herself and her own reasons, and I suspect one she needed to follow to discover what she truly wants.”
Thi Mai sounded just like Elizabeth did on the telephone a few weeks before.
In engineering, principles are tested at least twice to be certain. When Liz told Mitchell why Juliana had gone, he believed her, but never fully subscribed to her theory. Now Thi was telling him the very same thing. Two women from opposite sides of the world, from different backgrounds and ages, telling him the exact same thing. Maybe they were right. Mitchell needed to listen.
“Mitchell, life’s big decisions don’t come from a singular moment in time, or an event altering the fabric of one’s existence. They are gradual. Accumulative. It’s the little things that happen day after day that make a person who they are. We learn from them, we try not to make the same mistake, and we use the lessons to determine what we really want. It is a chain built over years, and when a link is broken or damaged, we fix it and move forward. Sometimes we have to get rid of the link entirely, but we continue building the chain until it’s strong enough to support us.” They were empowering words from such a young woman.
“Usually it’s not a single word or act causing the link to break, but a combination of things. Do you understand that Mitch?”
Mitchell did understand. Thi was right, although she knew nothing of his situation with Juliana, she was right. Juliana had loved Mitchell; and probably still did. But as she told him over lunch that September afternoon, she needed more and had to fix a few broken links in her own chain to be strong again. There was nothing more in life Mitchell wanted than to be loved. He’d achieved everything else, reached other goals, he now wanted a family of his own who would love him in return.
Juliana though needed more for herself and didn’t want to be the weak link in anyone else’s chain. That’s why she left. To become a stronger, more complete person. Mitchell agreed there was nothing he could do about that. Just as Albert waited for Kym, trusting the universe, so now must he.
“Look at what’s happened with Albert and my cô Mitchell. Had the plate not brought them back together, I am convinced something else would have. Everything happens for a reason.”
≈
It was almost noon when Albert and Kym returned, and this time they didn’t walk back onto the plate. Kym Ho looked to the bench and seemed very happy as she walked over to greet Thi. Albert appeared even happier. Mitch had missed their return; still lost in the long and provocative conversation he’d had with Thi; but she did see her aunty appear and was excited to learn what happened.
She ran to greet Kym but found her surprisingly quiet. She didn’t say much; rather, she just smiled at Albert as if to say what transgressed over the past three hours was theirs and theirs alone. That was understandable but made for a slightly awkward reunion.
Mitchell suggested they get some lunch and Albert proposed How’s Your Day Bean? not too far away.
“No,” Mitch blurted too quickly, “after such an auspicious occasion, I think we can do better than that.” Mitch really didn’t want to bump into Sarah and have to explain his two Vietnamese companions to her. He wasn’t sure if she would be working today but didn’t want to risk it regardless.
“Let’s head back down to the hotel, there are some great restaurants nearby, and Kym you can freshen up if you need to.” The look on Thi Mai’s face said he wasn’t believed.
Over a rather long lunch Albert and Kym spoke in more detail about their journeys. They were light on particulars but it was plainly clear they enjoyed seeing each other and catching up on many things. The plate had served its purpose and Mitchell was delighted to know Albert had at last received something substantial from it. It had been a process getting the two together, but the effort justified judging from their faces.
Walking back to the hotel the beach was full of activity as expected for a hot summer afternoon. Children played in the shallow waters and surfers in the distance caught the endless sets of an easterly swell. Others just lay in the sunshine working on their tans. Kym and Thi drifted behind to speak more privately as they walked. Mitchell wondered what about but wouldn’t take long to know what they were discussing.
“Um, Mitchell,” Thi began, “Kym has decided she would like to spend the evening at Albert’s house.” A wry smile appeared on Alberts face.
“So, if that’s all right with you, I’m happy to stay in tonight - I have some work to catch up on anyway - and you can drive them back to his house.” Mitch was astonished they thought of him so prudish that such a proposal might upset him.
“Great idea,” he replied trying to catch Alberts reaction, “but Thi, you are not coming all the way to Australia to work. Surely that can wait. How about I make you a home cooked meal and fulfil our promise of sharing a scotch together. I refuse to take no for an answer.” This time Albert did react with a raised eyebrow reminiscent of Peanut.
Thi could only agree and secretly pleased Mitch thought so strongly about it. Mitch and Albert waited in the lobby while the girls went to their room to freshen up and change. Albert seemed like a teenager. He must have dreamt about this night for decades Mitchell thought.
“So, you have yourself a new drinking partner now Mitchell,” Albert said sarcastically.
“Give me a break. I’m not the one who suggested Kym stay over! When was that decided?” Mitchell asked.
“The moment I saw her,” Albert said brazenly.
Mitch couldn’t argue. Kym was not only a lovely person she looked so beautiful in her traditional dress. Albert waited a long time to see her and only natural to be with her longer. If it were Juliana, Mitchell knew he’d be doing the same thing.
“Just don’t do anything silly, OK. You’re not as young as you once were,” Mitch added with a laugh. Albert joined the laughter and thanked Mitchell again for all he’d done.
“Don’t mention it my friend. I know you would do the same for me.”
“And someday I will.”
≈
The woody smoke from Mitchell’s barbeque floated through his backyard harmoniously with the sounds of a summer evening. The cicadas were in full song and the cockatoos screeching in the distance. Mitch was pleased he could show Thi what Australian life was like. It was relaxed and carefree and Mitch insistent she try a beer to complete the experience. Thi seemed to enjoy that, but after dinner reminded Mitch of their promise of a shared whiskey.
≈
Thi stayed the night in Mitchell’s spare room. He couldn’t drive anyway and putting her in a taxi just didn’t seem gentlemanly. It was a good decision come morning, because they rose early determined to deliver on another promise Mitch had made.
Thi wanted to experience a journey herself so they took the short walk with Peanut in tow up the hill to the plate. Having watched the process the day before Thi was the least bit hesitant, and after some guidance from Mitchell disappeared into her past.
Peanut dozed in the sun while Mitch stared at the carvings he and Albert made on the bench - how did Albert know about that? - and soon heard soft voices coming up the path. The familiar click-click of a cane told him who they belonged to.
“Good morning Mitchell,” Kym greeted followed by a hug and a kiss on the cheek far removed from the colder meeting they shared two days earlier.
“Hey guys. How was your night?” Mitch asked sheepishly.
He didn’t get a reply; only a mutual smile telling they must of enjoyed the time together.
“Are you alone?” Albert inquired.
“No, I’m here with Thi.”
“Oh,” Kym said with a level of intrigue. “Where is she?”
“Um, I’m not really sure.” Mitchell told them Thi was on the plate taking a trip of her own. He didn’t know where of course and checked his watch to see it would be another hour before she returned.
Albert looked to Kym and asked if they should wait. Her reply in Vietnamese left Mitch briefly guessing.
“Mitchell, do you think the plate can cope with two journeys at the same time?” Albert said.
Unsure of the answer Mitch did what they always did when testing something new with the plate.
“Only one way to find out Albert.”
Albert and Kym walked to the plate and soon disappeared leaving Mitchell and Peanut to wait for Thi alone.
By the end of the day they’d taken six journeys and spent ten hours in the past together.