“Stupid’s a great word for this,” Tom growled. “You’ve heard of the proverbial gift horse, Sassy? Well, here I am. Give the cheque to the Red Cross or tear it up. I don’t care. I’m leaving.”
He turned and wound swiftly between the revellers, striding toward the entrance without a backward glance.
“I’m such an idiot,” she muttered, her eyes on his receding back. What a fool she was.
“Uh, Sass, I kind of agree.”
She scowled. “Shut up, Davey. I thought he and I were clicking, you know? Obviously, I was wrong. I should have known.”
Davey sighed. “What you should have done is taken his donation and thanked him for it. For Marion. At least it would be something after this disaster.” He unfolded the cheque, and she watched his eyes widen.
“What?” she asked grudgingly.
He flipped it over, toward her. “Eight hundred and fifty dollars, Sass. Made out to the Canadian Red Cross. Sorry, but your answer should have been ‘Thanks.’ Looks to me like this came straight from his heart.”
thirty-fiveMARION
The plane’s door opened, and a rush of steamy air flooded in, a hot, physical pressure against Marion’s body. She was immediately bathed in perspiration and apprehensive about moving. Not Daniel. He was eager to get going. He grabbed her pack along with his own and held out his hand.
“Welcome to Vietnam, Marion. Next stop, Saigon.”
They stepped onto the disembarking ramps then the tarmac. The pavement under her boots was so hot it was sticky, and it threatened to seep through the leather soles.
Daniel spread his arms wide and inhaled. “Ah, the sweet stink of jet fuel and burning jungle.”
They made it through customs, despite unenthusiastic officials questioning every little thing. They stood by as the officers dug through their luggage, and Marion blushed as they sorted through her underthings.
“What are they looking for?” she whispered.
“Explosive devices.”
At last, the bags were closed up again. She was about to ask what was next when another man appeared.
“Please come this way.” He led them outside to a white van, clearly marked with the Red Cross symbol on the side. “Fast, please.”
In the distance, Marion heard the hammering of a machine gun. She knew the sound from television, but now it was alarmingly real. She didn’t need to be told twice. She practically leapt into the back seat of the van.
“Air-conditioning!” she exclaimed, momentarily forgetting the dangers outside.
“Hang on tight,” Daniel warned as the driver gunned the engine and tore out of the lot.
The van ploughed through deep holes in the road, eventually passing through a decimated village.
“They saw some heavy fighting here,” Daniel noted.
She scanned the devastated area, shocked by the sight. Broken buildings surrounded them, riddled by bullet holes. A child huddled in the doorway of a ruined building, his eyes huge in a skeletal face. Reflexively, she drew away from the window as a man stalked by, cradling a machine gun.
Downtown Saigon, when they finally reached it, was chaotic. It was also completely different from what had come before. The buildings were clean and modern, and the people walked unafraid, breathing air thick with diesel. Boulevards were bordered by well-tended flower beds, and throngs of people moved along wide sidewalks, selling wares, carrying packages, or cooking food. She spotted a line of children trailing behind a pair of nuns, twisting around garbage, beggars, and food stalls, laughing like any other children on a sunny afternoon. As if there was no war at all.
“This is unexpected,” she said.
Daniel was observing over her shoulder. “They call this the Paris of the East. Wherever they put us up, it’ll be nice.”
“Here is hotel,” the driver said at last, pulling up in front of a large, white, European-style building. “Is very good.”
He helped them unload, then she followed Daniel into the hotel. It was a shock to Marion’s system, walking into elegant, vintage French decor, which had carried over from the earlier French occupation. At the reception desk, the clerk handed Daniel two keys.
“We invite you to enjoy the dining room on our roof tonight,” the clerk at the desk said. “You cannot get a more exquisite meal anywhere in the country. Tonight’s dinner is a gift from the hotel, to thank you for coming to Vietnam.”
