Chapter 1
Once we got into Vietnam there were blocked off areas and we didn’t know what to think about it. My dad was speechless and there was nothing we could do now. We went into the closest store we could find and got water, sushi and a newspaper. There were many headlines on the paper such as “could there be a war?” and “how much time is left?” I was very scared I wasn’t going to show it. We couldn’t do anything but sit back and wait. If I told my dad I was terrified he would’ve been even more scared, I decided to stay calm. I was 11 at the time. Meanwhile there were babies being killed and tortured, while mothers begging, fathers protecting, and children crying. We could feel the pain. My dad ended up going to a meeting for work at one of the schools and he left my brother and I in the motel. Inside we could hear all the running and crying. We were also terrified. We also thought about leaving the home for food but we felt that it would’ve been to dangerous.
Once my father got home he raced to the door. He told us some news. Today he learned that there is going to be a war and we can’t travel out of the country. My brother asked
“Wait why”
“There is so much communism in this country, comflicts with America and Vietnam had taken place and here we are” said my dad
We knew right then and there that there was no possible way out of here...While my dad was at another meeting he heard there were going to be ships bringing people to safety. We didn’t know how many ships, how many people, or trips there would be. But all we knew is that we wanted to be out of here. There were tanks and guns and bullets everywhere. My dad wouldn’t let us leave the house. He said he didn’t want what happened to mother to happen to us. In my free time I learned how to speak Vietnamese, it was really hard to get used to.
We adventually moved out of the motel and into a house because we realized we weren’t going home anytime soon. We bought a house that was 2 floors, 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. We paid them in American cash. My dad sooner than later got a job to help support the family with rent, bills, the car, and our food. We noticed that it was only necessary to buy things we needed so we didn’t waste any money, just in case if anything were to happen.
My brother went to the store and he bought bread, milk, and meats for the family. We all knew it wasn’t much but it was better than nothing.
My family in America had been worrying about us a lot there was no way we could contact them without getting hurt. We didn’t have a phone, a house phone, or landline. The only way we could contact someone is going to the payphone outside but that was too dangerous. My dad seemed to hold in a lot of things but sometimes I wish he would just talk. He had everything he needed except for mother. My mother Caroline was shot when she tried to visit her family in Mexico. That was before I was even born.
My brother had asked when the ships were going to pick us up. He said in 6 days. Which means we had to pack everything we settled into. We decided to sell the house and leave everything we brought there. It was very devastating. We didn't know how many people were going to be there.
Another day passed and there weren't many people outside but there were a lot of articles saying that there were many casualties along with wounds. It has been very hard to sleep lately, and my father had been gone longer in the days. He comes home at 9 pm and I get very worried. There are many worries but we don't speak of them. There is way to much to be worried about. Many more and more people are hearing about the ships and I'm very happy for them to be leaving but I need to worry about myself in order to be alive. We were sleeping in the house one night and we hear a knock on the door. My dad goes to answer it and a swat team runs in going through our stuff like it is their own. We ask them what they are doing but they just stayed silent. If I only know one thing and that is hating when people stay silent. They continue to look through everything like they are looking for something very specific. They asked my dad to talk to them alone. The only thing I heard was ”are you a spy” and ”if so we need to get you on our side” my dad was very hesitent. But he had told him he wasn't a spy not wanting to be one.
