At midday, Mr. Tài, wearing shorts and a t-shirt, was washing the car parked in the yard. He was quite meticulous; he’d wash it every two or three days. And rightly so, this car transported Trường An and Mr. Nhật, whether to parties or press conferences; even a small stain would attract unwanted attention.
I stepped out of the house, pretending not to know what had happened that morning, and asked him, “Mr. Tài, where’s our old goods warehouse? An asked me to get the music box for the dog.”
Mr. Tài, who was wiping soap off the car window, stopped, put the towel in the bucket, and replied, “It’s in the warehouse in the backyard. Let me go help you find it. For decades, the boss and the guys have just stuffed everything they didn’t use in there. Now, if you try to find it, you’ll wear out your hands.”
We walked away, the jingling of the bunch of keys on his pants echoing in the air. I clicked my tongue and said, “Do you know which music box it is? I’ve never seen it before, so I don’t know.”
Tai replied, “Then let me go look for it for you. That music box was the last birthday gift the owner gave An.”
Tai recounted that around An’s fourth birthday, his mother took him to a French jewelry store. The music box was being used as a decoration, but An loved it and insisted on having it. Mrs. Nhat, feeling sorry for her son, asked the store manager if she could buy it back. The manager, finding An adorable, teased him, “If you take this music box, and your mother doesn’t have any money now, then I’ll keep your mother here.” An immediately nodded, making everyone laugh at his innocence.
But no one knew that after his mother passed away, An never touched that music box again. His naive mind led him to believe that the music box he had demanded had caused his mother to be kidnapped. After a while, when his mother was nowhere to be seen, Truong An took the music box to Mr. Nhat, demanding that he return it to the old shop so he could bring her back. But Mr. Nhat was busy at the time, and he found the boy’s words utterly nonsensical. The dead were dead; how could a music box bring them back?
Truong An, in despair, smashed the music box. Afterward, Tai glued it back together and hid it in a place out of Truong An’s sight.
I said sadly, “If you’re so upset, why did you ask me to bring it out?”
Tai laughed and replied, “It was different when I was little. Now it’s a rare memento the owner left for me. I’ve been planning to fix it for a long time, but I kept forgetting because I was busy with work.”
Opening the warehouse door, I was surprised to find it wasn’t as dusty as I had imagined. In contrast, everything was incredibly neat and tidy, everything was arranged in its proper place. Moreover, the music box was placed in a prominent spot. The top of the music box was a tower shaped like the letter A; Tài said it was some kind of Eiffel Tower. A sparkling diamond adorned the top, the tower itself was gilded and topped with chandeliers. Below was a rotating base; Tài said it played music when it rotated. After looking at it for a while, I understood why Trường An had been so eager to have this.
While I was admiring it, I heard a clicking sound behind me. Looking back, I saw Tài locking the door. My mind immediately raced with the thought: “Could he have known I was spying on him and Ly this morning?”
I tried to stay calm and said, “I found it, let’s bring it inside now.”
Tài then said, “I have something I want to ask you.”
Fearing Tài would kill me here, I stepped back and placed my hands in front of me: “Let’s talk about this calmly.”
Tài didn’t beat around the bush, saying directly: “Were you lurking outside this warehouse this morning?”
It seemed Tài already knew. Clearly, the warehouse didn’t have much stuff, but he still used the excuse of “helping to find things” to accompany me out here.
I took a deep breath, preparing to resist to the death if he dared lay a hand on me: “I wasn’t lurking. This morning I went out to look for something and accidentally overheard…”
Tài moved closer to me, then suddenly he grabbed the edges of my pants and pulled them down…
Tài said: “You can do whatever you want to me, I’ll serve you whenever you need me. In return, can you keep this a secret for me…?”
I was stunned for a moment; it turned out Tài only wanted to use my body to exchange for my silence. Taking advantage of the opportunity, I teased him a little. I reached out and grabbed his penis, but I didn’t know when it had become erect. Tài’s penis was veiny, slightly curved, but overall quite attractive. No wonder Ly couldn’t resist and was flirting behind her husband’s back.
I stroked it a few times, and Tài just closed his eyes and grimaced. I even saw his body tremble slightly; perhaps he had never let a man touch his penis before. And most importantly, he had no feelings for men; even with my caresses, he couldn’t get an erection.
I repeated his words: “I can do whatever I want, right?”
Tài nodded slightly.
I asked again: “I can do it whenever I want, right?”
Tài mumbled “Um.”
I burst out laughing: “Just put it away, man. Your business has nothing to do with me. Just pretend I was blind and deaf this morning.”
Perhaps surprised by my words, Tài stammered: “Really… really?” I nodded: “Yes, it’s true. But why… are you so stiff?” “So?”
Tai pulled me to sit beside the gleaming horse, and slowly said, “I suddenly remembered yesterday… When you called me, you were moaning while you spoke… Every time I think about it, I get stiff… And now we’re alone here together…”
It turned out Tai was just like Sang, he could sleep with anyone. I looked at him anxiously: “Hey, don’t tell me you want to sleep with me here?”
Tai shook his head: “I wouldn’t dare even if you paid me. If An finds out, I’ll pack my bags and go back to my hometown.”
I lay on my back on the horse, sighed, and said with a disappointed tone, “There’s nothing between me and An, so why are you afraid?”
Tai laughed: “You don’t know An as well as I do. He’s really kind, but if he likes something, don’t let anyone dare touch it. For example, your hole.”
I burst out laughing, and sat up, telling Tai, “Let’s bring the stuff inside, okay?” “It still needs fixing.”
Tai looked at me and asked, “Are you really that heartless?” Then he looked down at his erect penis. He meant he wanted me to help him get it down.
Clearly, he had said he didn’t dare touch me earlier, and now he wanted me to help him in what way? Tai probably understood my meaning and added, “Just moan for me.”
I shook my head, “How can I suddenly moan, sir…?”
Then Tai pulled down my pants, pulled out my already dripping penis, and put his mouth to it, sucking it vigorously. His tongue was incredibly smooth, and the fact that no one had sucked my penis in a long time made me incredibly happy. I lay on my back on the horse, bringing my penis close to the edge. Tai knelt on the floor, put his head between my legs, and sucked on the other “leg.” With one hand he helped me caress my nipples, and with the other he stroked his penis.
I grasped one side of the horse’s edge and gripped it tightly whenever my penis was squeezed in Tai’s mouth. With my other hand I stroked… The other nipple was there, letting the pleasure build to its peak. Tài became increasingly aggressive, and I trembled unconsciously, stammering, “Gently… gently, please… It feels so good… I’m so happy… I’m coming… I’m coming now…” Tài didn’t get any gentler; instead, he became even more enthusiastic. I sobbed, letting out moans as I felt I couldn’t hold on much longer. Then suddenly, Tài released my penis, breathing heavily: “Mmm… I’m coming… I’m coming first, Phúc… Hmmm… Hmmm…”. After that, Tài took my penis back into his mouth and sucked intensely.
Tài groaned in his throat, his whole body convulsing with each ejaculation. Seeing this, I couldn’t hold back any longer and immediately released my body from the intense arousal.
Tài waited until I had completely ejaculated before pulling his mouth away, then he went somewhere to spit out the thick semen in his mouth. Afterward, he said, “Just hearing you moan makes my dick and balls want to overflow with semen.” “Okay. Unlike that girl over there, she moans like someone’s slitting her throat, I keep fucking her but I can’t come.”
The truth is, Tài only sleeps with Ly for the money. She’s very horny, Tài said her vagina is always dripping wet, but because she’s practically unmarried, and lately she’s pregnant and can’t go out to find men, there’s no one to help her relieve her lust. Every time they finish, Ly gives Tài a few hundred thousand dong. Tài is poor, with a younger sibling in university and elderly parents struggling in the countryside. He just has to close his eyes and go along with it, because no matter how hard he runs, he can’t escape the clutches of fate.
I asked, “Why didn’t you say anything to An?”
Tài sighed, “An and the boss have treated me very well already, I don’t want to ask for anything more.” “Besides, helping once or twice is understandable, but that’s how things are in our house, so we just have to put up with it, what else can we do?”
After cleaning up the mess, Tài and I hurried back inside. He also warned me: “Remember to be careful with Ly, she may seem nice, but she doesn’t like you at all.” “Besides, this morning I accidentally… told him when I saw your back as you ran into the house.”
I sighed, “Oh well, never mind, if it’s already happened, just tell him I don’t care about your relationship.”
Having some free time, I took a stroll around the old house. Even before the villa, this house was much more luxurious than many others of the same era. Suddenly, I saw a rubber tarp covering something. A green light flashed from where the tarp was exposed.
Too curious, I went closer to take a look, since Tài wouldn’t tell anyone anyway. As soon as I pulled back the tarp, I was stunned. The green Honda motorbike I had lost to a customer that time was unexpectedly here.
So it was clear, that customer who was making a fuss was also Thiên’s doing. If I hadn’t had the necklace Sang gave me back then, my life would have been indescribably miserable.
I quickly grabbed the music box and ran out, ignoring Tài’s calls from behind. “Oh dear.” Seeing Mr. Nhat sitting under the crape myrtle tree, my anger flared up, and I told him everything.
Mr. Nhat, seeing my resentment, stared at me for a long time. Seeing his silence, I realized I had gone a little too far and couldn’t help but lower my head.
Only then did Mr. Nhat speak. He was a reasonable man; in the face of my anger, he gently said, “What Thien did was wrong to you. I apologize on his behalf. When he comes back, I’ll tell him to come and apologize to you.”
Mr. Tai, seeing me earlier, panicked and ran after me. Seeing Mr. Nhat, I said, “Tai, go to the bank and withdraw twenty-five million dong to give back to Phuc.”
Tai replied, “Yes!” and hurriedly went to finish washing the car so he could rush to the bank.
I stood there muttering to myself, then said, “That time, Mr. Nam only compensated the customer twenty million dong. The boss just needs to send me that exact amount so I can return it to Mr. Nam.”
He folded the newspaper and placed it on the table, looked at me, and said, “Twenty million dong is for Nam. The other five million dong is compensation for the injustice and loss you suffered.”
I shook my head, “You’ve already apologized to me on behalf of Thien. If Thien apologizes to me, I’ll let everything go. I don’t need this money.”
In reality, five million dong was a lot for me. But I couldn’t swallow this anger. I didn’t want Thien to use the excuse that I received compensation and not even bother to apologize to me.
Mr. Nhat smiled and replied, “It’s alright. I heard you’ve been helping An a lot lately; he seems happier than before. Just take this money; it’s not compensation, consider it a reward. As for Thien, I’ll definitely make him apologize to you.”
After talking to Mr. Nhat, I happily carried the music box into Truong An’s room and saw him intently reading a magazine. I said, “Here’s your music box.”
Truong An remained focused on the magazines, not looking at me, and replied, “Yeah, later you can take it to The Music shop and have them fix it.”
I put the music box aside and approached Truong An to see what was so interesting about it that he was so engrossed in it. At first glance, I was speechless for a few seconds; the person in the photo looked so familiar…
Seeing me staring, Truong An said, “This guy was recently promoted by Mr. To. He has a bright face, a great physique, and a slightly less genuine country boy look than you, probably because he’s lived in the city for so long, but overall he’d still score a nine out of ten. Looks like you have a formidable rival now.”
Even Truong An said so, so it was true that Binh choosing to follow Mr. To was probably not a mistake. He looked completely different in the photo; the genuine look he once had was long gone. He posed incredibly professionally, not at all shy like I was in front of the camera. His name, Binh, had even been changed to Peter Nguyen, clearly ready to become a dazzling young star in the magazine industry.
I, on the other hand, didn’t want to get involved in the controversy, so I nonchalantly said, “What do you mean ‘formidable’? I was only reluctantly posing for you that day; I wasn’t planning on becoming a professional model.”
After finishing the magazine, Trường An closed it and put it aside, saying, “You have to do it! I introduced you as a model I trained, so now you have to do something to save face for me. Come to the studio with me tomorrow morning, we’ll do a lot of shooting to get used to it.”
I shook my head, playing hard to get: “I’m just a maid, I don’t know anything. If I go to the photoshoot, who will do the housework?”
Trường An took a deep breath and exhaled, looking at me intently and saying, “Okay! From now on, besides bathing, washing, and cooking for me, you don’t have to do anything else in the house. I’ll pay you your assistant salary separately, and your model salary separately. Got it?”
I got what I wanted, and happily skipped out with my music box. Actually, after that, I felt that being a model, as Trường An said, wasn’t so bad. If you don’t try, how will you know if you can do it or not?
As I carried the music box back outside, by some twist of fate, I ran into Thiên who had just arrived. At that moment, Nha ran down from upstairs, glanced at me, and whispered to Thien, “Uncle Ba, the old man wants you to come to the garden when you get back so he can talk to you. This morning I saw that devil yelling something, be careful…”
He covered his mouth while pointing at me, but spoke loudly enough for me to hear. Thien, though arrogant, didn’t dare argue, only glanced at me before hurrying downstairs with Nha. It wasn’t surprising; if he dared argue, and Mr. Nhat cut off all his money, he’d be left with nothing but mud.
A little while later, Thien came back in, sulking. His eyes glared at me coldly, as if wanting to cut me in two. I was sure he’d just been scolded by Mr. Nhat. I smirked at him to provoke him. Only Nha, Trang’s son, was afraid of Thien; I was never one of the people in this house.
Seeing Thien’s face contorted like a dog with diarrhea, I had to suppress my laughter. With Thien’s personality, there’s no way he’d ever humble himself before anyone. The thought of him having to swallow his pride made me so happy.
Today was full of good news. I got money from the boss, and the young master excused me from doing trivial things. I skipped along with my music box, hitching a ride with Tai to the bank and stopping by The Music shop that Truong An had told me to.
While in the car, Tai said, “Earlier, when I drove past, I heard the boss yelling at Thien. He said if Thien didn’t apologize, he’d cut off all his money. Looks like the sky’s falling this time.”
I replied, “I feel so sorry for the boss. He handles things properly, he doesn’t cover up for his son like those rich families back in my hometown.”
After a while, the car arrived in front of the music shop, the huge sign for The Music flashing its lights. It was just getting dark. Mr. Tài gestured for me to get out, saying, “Go inside and drop off your music box for repair. If it’s quick, you can wait; if it takes longer, leave it here and pick it up tomorrow. I’ll stop by the jewelry store and come back to pick you up.”
I carried the music box inside, this time more presentably dressed to avoid any disapproving remarks. The interior was brightly lit, spacious, and luxurious, no different from the Western-style shop Trường An and I visited the day before.
Suddenly, a receptionist approached from a distance. She walked slowly, but her movements were unusually hurried. I thought to myself, “I don’t look that bad today, do I? Could I be fired again…?”
Running up to me, she stopped, beaming with a smile like she was at a festival: “Hello! Are you the model Phúc Lê?”
Seeing me nod, she jumped up excitedly: “Is it really you? Sir, can I have your autograph?
I was bewildered, not knowing what to do, because I didn’t have an “signature.” I shook my head: “What’s a signature? I don’t have one.”
She calmly took out a notebook and flipped through the pages, her eyes sparkling with pride: “Look, like this, sir. This is the signature of famous people from all over Saigon who have visited The Music.”
I looked at one page after another, including the signature of the famous singer Mong Tra. Her handwriting flowed gracefully like her voice, as elegant and refined as her appearance.
I asked: “Does this have David Truong An’s signature?”
She closed the notebook, pouting, and replied: “Someone like me wouldn’t easily get his autograph! I’m afraid not many people in all of Saigon have one.”
While chatting, I followed her inside, promising to give her an autograph when I managed to “draw” something interesting.
Meeting the shop owner, a middle-aged man around the same age as Mr. Nhật, I greeted him and immediately said, “Sir, Trường An sent me to repair this music box. Could you take a look and see if it’s fixable so I can report back to him?”
Hearing Trường An’s name, the shop owner, who was working on something, immediately put down his tools. He cheerfully replied, “Wait a moment while I check it.”
After carefully examining it for a while, the owner said, “It’s a good piece. Looking at it from the outside, it seems to be about twenty years old, but the internal mechanisms are still intact and rust-free. Just wait a moment, it should be finished in about an hour.”
After inspecting it, the shop owner immediately began repairing it, even though the item was still waiting to be assembled. I was surprised to see Trường An, in everyone’s eyes, was such a highly respected and virtuous person. Even before seeing him, just hearing his name made people bow and show deference.
Yet, in front of me, he was nothing more than a child, and a child with multiple personalities at that.
While waiting for the owner to finish the repairs, I took the opportunity to stroll around the music shop. Seeing a familiar car parked right in front, I excitedly ran out to tell Mr. Tài: “The owner said it’ll be ready in about half an hour…”
Mr. Tài hurriedly replied: “Okay, you stay here. I’ll go home, take the owner to a party, and then come pick you up. Oh, and here’s your money.”
I took the money, my heart overflowing with joy. I’d never imagined I could hold such a large sum in my hands. Mr. Tài cautioned me: “With so much money, remember to look around carefully. Don’t be careless and get robbed.”
I happily replied: “I’m just standing inside the shop, not going anywhere, so don’t worry!”
Then Tài drove away, and I happily went back inside with fifty thick 500,000 dong bills in my pocket. I strolled around three more times, and by then the owner had finished the repairs. He didn’t forget to clean it with a special cleaning solution, making the music box even more appealing.
He placed the music box on the display table in the middle of the shop and hesitantly asked me, “Um, may I take a few pictures, sir?”
I wasn’t really ready for this, but to be polite, I replied, “If you don’t mind…”
The owner interrupted, “Oh my goodness, how could I possibly mind? It’s been decades since I’ve seen such an expensive music box. If you’ve allowed it, that’s wonderful. I only need to borrow this music box for a few minutes. Consider the repair costs a gift to you, An.”
Ah, so he wanted to photograph the music box…
I awkwardly stepped aside, letting him take pictures and exclaim in admiration. I went outside and glanced back at the end of the street, waiting for Mr. Tai’s car to come out so I could take the music box and go home.
Suddenly, a child ran up to me. His face was smudged, he wore a faded, worn-out conical hat, his feet were bare, and he carried a small bag for lottery tickets. He gently tugged at my pants, sobbing, “Uncle, my little brother is lost, please help me find him, otherwise my mother will beat me to death, Uncle…”
Occasionally, I heard Truong An tell stories about children who had to support adults like this. Some sold lottery tickets, others begged on the sidewalk. It was heartbreaking, and I couldn’t bear to leave the boy in his panic.
I left the main road and followed him into an alley, asking, “Did you see your brother run in here?”
He cried as he recounted, “He went in here a moment ago, and now I can’t find him… Hu hu…”
I went deeper and deeper into the alley, my eyes searching every nook and cranny. Suddenly, a hand reached out from behind and covered my mouth with a handkerchief. n. Very quickly after that, I lost consciousness…
A rustling sound… I felt a tingling and icy cold sensation in my head. Trying to wake up from my dizziness, I found myself lying on the floor, my hands and feet bound. There were three people in front of me; I didn’t recognize the two on either side, but the one in the middle was all too familiar.
Thien.