Bimat--A Vietnamese Adventure Read online

  “Do you love him?” asked Ca with a rasp in his voice and tears in his eyes.

  Hern frowned and looked angry. “No, and I never will. He is a horrible old Cambodian man, but rich and powerful. He and my parents are staying at our beach house today and discussing my large dowry and arranging the date. My parents like him and although father is rich, he thinks with this man I will be set for life as they are concerned because I should be married at my age. Father also knows this man would not find out anything about my past and love for you.”

  Hern looked forlorn. “Father has ordered this, and I cannot, or dare not, refuse. This man is powerful and dangerous in Cambodia and can harm Uncle Lee, so I am also afraid for him and his family.”

  She then smiled and said. “We are only here for one day and leave in the morning. I am supposed to be shopping, but I wanted to see you. I still, and always will, only love you.”

  Ca, still feeling tipsy and now morose, put his head in his hands and wept.

  Hern stoked his head, stood up, and whispered. “I have something important to give you, something only you could take.”

  Ca, feeling confused, looked at her as she smiled at him and then took off her clothes.

  ****

  It had been almost a year since Ca was intimate with Hern and his life had changed. For the first few weeks after Hern left, Ca moped around in and out of bars, getting into fights, and ending up in drunken stupors. After a month, with support from his mother and brother Phaol, he accepted the loss of Hern and married a young girl from the village.

  Ca pulled himself together and realising he and Hern would never be together, concentrated on his business.

  With the vast sums of money that the Vietnamese Nouveau Riche brought to the coastal towns and villages to build and develop beach resorts, Ca’s business became extremely lucrative with the influx of tourists that followed. The once quiet bay where he lived now bustled with tourists, and jet skis whizzed around the bay churning up the still emerald waters.

  Ca now owned six large wooden boats and ran a busy tour and fishing business with his old friend and now his brother-in-law, Tuong, who was also a *Vovinam master/instructor. Ca, although content, always felt an emptiness.

  His mother came home one day from the now large village centre and showed him a copy of the Thanh Nien International Newspaper. Although his mother couldn’t read or write, she’d recognised some faces on a photograph on the front page.

  Ca read the headline about the marriage of the daughter of a high ranking Vietnamese government official. He looked at the photograph of the wedding in Cambodia with the Cambodian and Thai Royals and the smiling bride and groom, Pon and Kim. He glared at the man standing alongside them smiling. This man, Hern’s father, Thran Tangh, Ca still hated with a vengeance and blamed him for wrecking his happiness.

  He then stared at Pon in the photo. ‘Huh, Hern lied when she said he was an old man,’ thought Ca, who threw the newspaper in the bin.

  That had happened several years earlier.

  Ca, now into his late thirties had two young daughters and several lucrative businesses, including properties in and around the now expanded and modernised Phan Yar village, but life for Ca became mundane.

  That was until a few months ago, when the strangers arrived.

  — Chapter Three —

  Stu pulled into the car park of Suvarnabhumi airport in Bangkok. He and Spock stepped out of the Hilux, much to his relief. He had endured two hours of Spock’s wittering about the bloody sprat he had caught earlier, along with recipes he could have used to cook it. However, to top off the already shitty day Stu was having, when they arrived at the airport, Spock put on his daft hat, given to him after their Cambodian Adventure. “Lucky Adventure hat, matey. You shouldn’t leave home without one,” he said and sniggered as they walked along the walkway and into the arrivals section of the airport.

  ‘All we need now is the mad monk to be wearing his stupid mullet and that would round the day off,’ thought Stu as the automatic doors slid open. He groaned when he saw Pon standing at the entrance wearing his mullet.

  “Thank you for coming,” said Pon sounding anxious.

  Spock and Stu saw the worry on Pon’s face as Spock asked. “Have you heard any news from Kim?”

  Pon sighed, shook his head, and looked concerned. “No, I have heard nothing and neither had her Father the last time we spoke. He told me had ordered road blocks put in place in case Kim had left the airport.”

  Spock and Stu looked dumfounded as Pon told them. “Taksin came to help and set up a team to liaise with Vietnam and investigate. He is now coordinating search efforts with Kim’s father.”

  Pon took them through the airport into the cordoned off V.I.P lounge, where a control centre had been set up. A myriad of laptop computers and uniformed officials chatted away on mobile phones, both in Thai and Vietnamese. Pon went over to Taksin.

  Taksin wai-ed Spock and Stu..

  “Have you heard anything yet Khun Taksin?” asked Pon sounding hopeful.

  Taksin nodded and said. “We may have something Pon. Kim’s Father called me not long ago. He told me that a staff member at the Hanoi airport came forward and told him they had remembered seeing a woman fitting Kim’s description leaving the departure lounge and meeting someone outside that morning.

  Pon furrowed his brow and looked surprised. “That must have been after she called me, but why would she leave the airport, and who did she meet?”

  Taksin shook his head and said. “That’s what Thran is now trying to find out.” He sighed, “but with them having no CCTV at Hanoi Airport, that may prove difficult. The staff member didn’t get a good look at the man, so only gave a vague description. Although it had been a long time before the staff member came forward, Thran still felt confident of finding her. He realised she must have left the airport after doing a thorough search outside with no trace. ”

  Pon puckered his brow. “I don’t understand. Who would Kim know that was important enough for her to leave the airport and miss her flight?

  Taksin sighed, shrugged, and looked at his long-time friend. “I haven’t a clue Pon; hopefully Thran will find the answer to that question.”

  Pon looked wistful as he racked his brains.

  Taksin interrupted his thoughts. “There isn’t much you can do here Pon except worry, so why don’t you take care of Stu and Spock. If there are any developments, I will call you at the Palace.”

  Pon sighed and nodded. “You’re right Khun Taksin; I will be more use at the Imperial Palace. I will see if I can find anything at home that could give us some clue about Kim’s disappearance and let you know. Please call me if you receive any more news.”

  Stu drove them to the Imperial Palace and as they left the airport Pon said, “Thank you for coming to help me my brothers. Kim was insistent that she spoke to you both the last time we talked, so maybe together we can shed light on this mystery.”

  “I hope so matey, this all sounds strange,” said Spock rubbing his chin and looking at Pon’s worried expression.

  A few hours later, after Spock and Stu settled into their rooms in Pon’s living quarters and Pon had searched through Kim’s belongings, the three sat in Pon’s living room discussing events. Pon told them that he had found nothing to give him any clues why she had disappeared and, as they sat and pondered, the phone rang.

  Pon looked at the number and sounding frantic answered. “Hello Thran, has there been any news?”

  A conversation then took place in English with Pon unable to speak Vietnamese, and Kim’s father spoke no Thai.

  Pon gasped, his jaw dropped, and he looked horrified as Thran said something. He looked stunned and with a quake in his voice said. “Kim has been kidnapped.”

  Spock and Stu jolted back. “What?” asked Stu wide-eyed.

  Pon’s head pounded and he couldn’t think straight as Thran then said something that puzzled him. He raised his eyebrows and said. “Wait a moment please Thran,”
He pressed the speakerphone button so Spock and Stu could hear the conversation. “Could you repeat the last part so my English friends can listen?”

  “Certainly,” said Thran, his voice trembling. “I received a phone call from a man saying that Kim had been abducted and although safe for now, the man insisted that I call off any search in Vietnam or she would be harmed.”

  Thran then repeated the part of the conversation that Pon wanted Stu and Spock to hear and said. “Although the voice was synthesized, it sounded like an Englishman.” Thran paused before telling them. “It’s suspicious because I recently had dealings with an Englishman who came to my house before my wife Nga got sick.”

  Pon furrowed his brow and stammered. “What does he want?”

  “He didn’t say, only that he would contact me again tomorrow unless he saw any police searching or suspected that they were investigating. In that case, I would have to accept the consequences.” Thran then sounded frustrated as he said. “I called off the search because I didn’t know where he was and couldn’t risk him seeing my forces.”

  “That was a wise decision Thran,” said Pon. “Did you manage to trace the call?”

  “No, it was made from a state of the art scrambled satellite phone, which we have never come across before. My security team are checking with the US military to see if it is something that they developed. I will also have the Vietnamese government undercover security forces investigate.”

  “Is that wise?” asked Pon, sounding concerned.

  “Don’t worry Pon; they are the best and very discreet. They will inform me of every step before they take it.” Thran then sounded enraged. “She is my only daughter. They will pay for this with their lives.”

  Pon looked concerned and reminded him. “She is also my wife and Samnan’s mother.”

  There was a pause before Thran said softly, “I know Pon, sorry Son. I am a little edgy and angry. Good night, I will call you when they contact me again. Please give my grandson a hug.”

  Thran hung up and looked at his phone. He understood Pons concerns but there were two men he trusted implicitly; one was his brother Lee and the other was his and Lees old army colleague, Brigadier Nhat, and the three had saved each other’s life many times. Thran knew his friend was a skilled tactician, an excellent Battalion Commander, and discreet. He knew this would probably be his last chance to ask for help so he made the phone calls.

  Pon, Spock, and Stu sat looking at one another. “I wonder who this Englishman is?” said Pon and shrugged. He looked at the bemused faces of Spock and Stu. “You two are the only English people we know, my brothers.”

  Stu rubbed the side of his face. “Perhaps that’s why Kim needed to speak with us.”

  Pon and Spock nodded and Pon sighed. With many thoughts and emotions running through his head he felt a menace in the air, which he couldn’t understand. But for now, all they could do was wait. The situation felt grim, leaving Pon feeling helpless.

  Spock, seeing the anguish on Pon’s face, leaned over to him, put his large arm around his shoulder, and said, “I caught a whopper of a fish today, matey.”

  ****

  Dao and Moo chatted after the lads departed, wondering what could have happened to Kim. She was like a sister to them, so they felt concerned.

  Stu had called Dao earlier and told her that they had arrived at the airport and that he would call them later when he had more news.

  The girls had heard nothing for a few hours and watched TV.

  Moo and her smelly feet stayed in Dao’s spare room in case they received any news.

  As they watched the end of a Thai soap opera, Dao’s mobile phone rang. She looked at the caller’s number and then looked nervously at Moo, who glared back at her before she answered the call.

  “Oh, err, Hello, John.”

  Dao looked guilty, as she covered the phone with her hand and mumbled, hoping Moo couldn’t hear her conversation.

  Moo couldn’t, except for the end part when she heard her say. “No problem. I will see you tomorrow. Call me when you get here.”

  Dao hung up and looked sheepish as Moo glared at her.

  “Come on,” said Dao, trying to justify her action. “We are Thai girls, and we did it when we were working girls. I love Stu, so I will finish with John this time, I promise.”

  Moo scowled at Dao and firmly reminded her. “We are now wives, and if Stu ever found out that you’d betrayed him, you would suffer. You have been lucky so far, but if you spoil things for Spock and me, our friendship will be over. Do you understand, Dao?”

  Dao nodded and although feeling chastised, she spent the next few minutes persuading Moo that it was over and she would tell John when she saw him the following day. Moo knew she was lying.

  ****

  After Spock and Stu’s first visit to Thailand many years earlier, Dao and Moo returned to Pattaya after seeing the lads off at Bangkok International Airport, and went back to work in the Happy World Bar.

  Over the next few weeks, Moo went with a few foreign men for short time sex to support her family. Dao stayed in the bar with the other girls learning English and waiting for Stu. However, the Mamasan, the bar owner Charlie’s wife, told Dao that Stu would not come back. She said they rarely did, and insisted that Dao went with other foreigner men to make money to support the bar and her family.

  “Besides,” she told her, “Stu wasn’t sending you any money, so he couldn’t have cared that much.”

  Although Mamasan tried to convince her otherwise, Dao felt certain that Stu would return. However, to keep Mamasan and Charlie happy, she acted more outgoing and stayed close to Moo to learn the tricks.

  She’d had men spend the evening chatting to her and buying her drinks, but when they offered to pay her bar fine, she always said that she had, ‘Men,’ a period. Mamasan and Charlie didn’t mind as the men bought her lots of drinks and came back over the next few nights to see her and buy more drinks. However, they soon got fed up waiting for her and found new ladies, so there was never any problem.

  Stu had called her several times from England and said that he would get back there as soon as possible. Dao felt happy when he called, as she could hear from the tone of his voice how much he missed her, and although at times she felt lonely, she couldn’t wait to be with him again.

  Several weeks later, two foreign men came into the bar. One was a quiet unassuming, middle-aged man, the other, a brash gobshite, who went straight over to Dao and Moo who were sitting behind the bar.

  Moo shrilled. “Hello, sexy men. What would you like to drink?”

  The brash man smiled and looking smug said. “You’re nice. If I buy you a Bacardi Breezer, will you ride me like Sea Biscuit?”

  He then burst out roaring with laughter at his own wit, knowing that the Thai girls would not understand.

  Dao went to the fridge, took out two Pai Yen cold towels, and went to the other side of the bar. Moo took the men two beers and two Bacardi Breezers for her and Dao.

  Moo wiped a cold towel over the brash gits face and neck and he introduced himself as Taff from Wales, and he said his shy friend was called John, also from Wales. Taff said that he had been to Pattaya many times, but it was John’s first time and told the girls they were staying for a week.

  John looked shy and blushed when Dao wiped the cold towel over his sunburnt shoulders. “Ahh, that feels good,” said John who smiled at her. “You are very pretty, what’s your name?”

  Taff and John stayed in the bar for a few hours talking to the girls and then Taff went to speak to Charlie and handed him 400 Thai Baht. Dao and Moo looked puzzled when they saw Charlie smiling as he handed the money to his wife.

  “Right,” said Taff coming back over to the three. “Get your bags girls, I’ve paid your bar fines.” Moo chuckled and went to get her hooker bag, with essentials; a change of clothes, condoms, toothpaste etc.

  Taff looked at Dao and said. “And don’t give me any bullshit about having ‘Men.’ I know that old sc
am.”

  Dao felt uneasy and looked at Mamasan who scowled at her and nodded. She sighed and wondered what to do. John looked at her and smiled. Seeing Dao trembling and looking nervous, he leant forward and whispered in her ear. “It’s okay, we don’t have to do anything if you don’t want to.”

  Dao felt tense around John at first as she did not want to be with him. It was only because of the pressure exerted by Moo and Mamasan reminding her that this was her job, and for the first two nights, they only slept together.

  She relaxed after a few days of fun with the Welsh men. She now enjoyed being with John, who was a patient man and helped her with her English language. The men paid a thousand Baht a day to the girls, plus the 200 Baht bar fine. They drank in the Happy World Bar every night, so everyone was pleased. Dao never felt the same excitement or affection for John as she did with Stu, but she needed the money.

  Taff and John went home a week later. Dao and Moo returned to the bar to work. John told Dao that he would stay in contact. Taff told Moo that he wouldn’t be seeing her again because she was too wild, which suited Moo as she liked the non-committal short timers and liked Spock.

  However, the thunderbolt had struck John who was besotted with Dao.

  Stu and Spock returned to Pattaya several weeks after the Welsh lads had gone home and rekindled their romances with the girls over the next fortnight.

  Over the next few years, Stu and Spock made frequent visits to Pattaya, as did John, although usually at different times.

  If Stu and John came out at the same time, Dao would stay with Stu, but sneak out to see John, lying to him about her baby being sick and having to go home to her village.

  She occasionally told the same story to Stu if John booked an excursion away from Pattaya.

  John kept to his word and called Dao frequently. He sent her 20,000 Baht a month along with gifts from England and told her several times he wanted to marry her, but she always made excuses why she could not marry him yet.

  This arrangement suited Dao for a while until things got serious with Stu and she stopped all contact with John.