The Letter
Grandmother and I were in the kitchen doing the dishes.
Oom went out for walk.
May was upstairs showering.
“This is the last of it,” Grandmother handed me a stack of plates.
I arranged them in the dish rack then dried my hands with the towel.
“Ai-oon, why are you really here with May?”
“I told you. She’s here for a vacation.”
She let out a sharp exhale then walked over to the fridge.
Grandmother reached under the gray dust cover and pulled out an envelope.
“Here,” She pushed the letter towards me.
It was unopened.
My body went cold when I saw the emblem of the military academy.
“When did you get this?”
“A few days ago. Ai,” She pulled a chair and sat down.
“Why didn’t you tell me about this?”
“Grandma, I can explain.”
“But you said you were leaving Nam Jai to go to school.”
“I did.”
“As an accountant,” The words were heavy, like chalk grating on the board, each letter weighing down at my heart like boulders.
“I should have known that it was too good to be true. You were never interested with school. You were caught sleeping or cutting classes when you get the chance. But I was just glad when you finally decided to do something about your education. I just don’t understand why you chose the military.”
“It wasn’t bad, Grandma. I actually excelled.”
“But?”
I thought of how to reframe my answer.
If I told her about the ambush, she would freak out.
This was not the right time to tell her about my ordeal.
Besides, she was already mad about the letter.
“I decided to quit.”
“Why? Did something happened to you while you were there?”
“No. Nothing like that.”
“Ai, what do you think is harder than taking care of two young twins?”
“I don’t understand.”
“When your parents perished from the car accident, I grappled with what to do. I was at the point in my life when I thought raising children was no longer in the cards. But the accident happened and I had to take care of you and Oom. I did the best I could to make sure you both have a comfortable life. I knew it wasn’t easy. We didn’t have enough money but we make do. You and Oom are twins but you couldn’t be more different. Thankfully, you both grew up to be good kids and I couldn’t be more happier. But there is one thing that drove me crazy even to this day.”
“What is it?”
Grandmother looked me straight in the eyes.
“The lying. You girls fought like any other siblings but your close bond also make you protect each other. Oom covers for you and you do the same thing.”
“I’m just trying to protect you.”
“By keeping things from me?”
I nodded.
“Ai-oon, Nam Jai may seem cut off from the rest of the world but we still get the news. I know who May is.”
“She needed protection.”
As soon as I said it, Oom walked in the door.
“Is that why you brought her here?” She looked enraged.
“Oom,” I stood up ready to defend my decision.
“Do you understand what you did?”
I opened my mouth to explain but Oom raised her hand to cut me off.
“P’Ai, this is our home. What if the people searching for her finds her here? Did you ever think about what could happen to grandmother?”
“No one will find her here.”
“How can you be sure of that? May is well known. Those who want her dead will search everywhere, every nook and cranny if they have to just to find her. Do you even have an idea of who the people who wanted her dead are?”
“Oom, I can take care of her.”
“How?”
“It’s my job.”
“What are you talking about?”
“It’s what I do. I protect people.”
“Ai-oon, what do you mean?” Grandmother asked.
“I’m a bodyguard.”
“What kind of bodyguard?” Oom’s piercing look bore through my heart.
Before this assignment, when I thought the job in Hong Kong would be the last one, I was intent on keeping what I do a secret.
I figured as long as I’m done, I could start over here in Nam Jai in peace.
No one had to know about my past.
How wrong I was.
I stood between my grandmother and my sister, both waiting for my explanation.
The desire to keep the details at a minimum was strong.
It was the only way for me to shield them from the harrowing details of my job.
But the earnest look in my grandmother’s eyes compared to Oom’s strong curiosity made it harder to gloss over the incriminating details.
They wouldn’t understand why I do what I do.
I would rather protect them than give them both a reason to fear for my life or their own.
“It’s not important.”
“Do you really care for us? Or is your job more important to you?”
“How could you ask me that, Oom? After all I’ve done for you to make sure you have a good future?”
“You’re blaming me for the decisions you made on your own?”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Then why are you bringing it up now? You did what you had to do because you said you wanted to help grandmother with my school and this bed and breakfast. Besides, you hated school. You’d rather be with your friends than be in class. You don’t get to blame me for what you did.”
“I’m not blaming you.”
“Then find a way to get May out of here. Protect her somewhere else.”
“This is the safest place I could think of.”
“What about us? Will you be able to protect us if the people who are after her finds out where she’s staying?”
“What are you talking about Oom?” Grandmother asked, confused.
“May is a hotshot lawyer. Now her life is in danger when she let that Batman guy walked away with murder.”
“Oh no,” Grandmother covered her mouth.
“She was attacked one night. I saw in the news that there was another attempt at her life. Were you with her the night she was followed by a gang in motorcycles?”
“Yes.”
“P’Ai, if you have half a mind, you would take her away from her. No place is safe as long as May is involved.”
I was about to say something when we heard the slamming of the door.
I looked at my twin.
“May,” I ran out the door before they could stop me.