The three women had told me that my daughter’s blue rain jacket was lost. I was sure it would be found. It was the second time I had run into them that afternoon and they still hadn’t gotten the Saigon play date father to a doctor. He wasn’t fairing well.
In the world I was supposed to be Buddhist or Christian or Atheist, but I sometimes went to the I Ching. I still do.
I was praying a lot. I have no problem praying. I keep most of them to myself, but have no particular problem sharing them.
Joan said “We are on our way to the doctor now. He wants one In particular.’
The man blanched and threw up in the street but still the cab driver pushed them all out of the cab and drove off.
I gave the man my hankercheif and bought him a Coka from the street vender.
The three women were after another cab, while the Saigon Frenchman let me hold him up some by his arm. Four people was too many, especially when it was three women.
“Listen Joan take him to the doctor.”
“Sandy and Millie take another cab home and wait for me there.” I said.
I waited there on the street with them till both sets of people were gone from my world and then walked to my office and called The General.
All he said was, “Leave. It’s so fucking sad. The Chinese wanted us to be friends when the war was ending for us. We were so stupid about Communism. The rich in the world don’t want everybody poor, but don’t want but their kind rich. It’s so stupid.”
There wasn’t much detail to what he was telling me, so I made up another battle story from what little I knew of the vanishing border and went home to get everybody headed home.