After more than seven hours of traveling by bus and then by smaller vehicle, Binh and I finally arrived at the boarding house. Seeing that we were new to Saigon, Ms. An went to great lengths to greet us, despite her countless hours of work at the shop.
We lived in Binh Tan, right in the bustling and crowded worker’s area. The boarding house Ms. An rented was in a government-subsidized housing area, relatively safe and with cheap rent.
Opening the door, Binh and I were immediately stunned. I always thought my house back in the countryside was small, but I never imagined this boarding house would be even smaller. Yet, each room had at least two or three people crammed inside; Saigon’s crowded conditions were indeed true.
Binh and I put our belongings in a corner. Since we didn’t have much, we were lucky to have extra space to lie down and cook. The private bathroom was something I’d never seen before, complete with a sink and a modern toilet like the one I’d seen at Mrs. Be Nam’s house.
Ms. An said, “You two rest up. Tomorrow I’ll take you to the shop and show you the work.”
I replied, “We’re not doing anything right now anyway. Why don’t you just take us there?”
Binh glanced at me, “Did you just drink some energy drink? You’re so energetic!”
I replied, “Going to see what the shop and the work are like, even just trying it out will take half a day to get used to it. They’re starting to collect rent today, so if we don’t go to work, we’ll lose our capital, you know.”
Hearing me “lecturing” Binh like a little old man, Ms. An laughed, “Phuc is the same age as you, Binh, but he’s so thoughtful, isn’t he? Anyway, you should rest for a day to get better. I’ve already paid your rent and deposit for this month. You can pay me back when you get your salary.”
Binh put on his mischievous face and said, “Can’t I pay him back?”
Ms. An playfully tapped him on the head, “Okay, I’ll deduct it from your salary.” Looking at the empty kitchen, I felt a little homesick, and suddenly remembered there were no pots or pans. I asked, “Sister An, where can I buy pots and a stove here?”
Sister An replied, “Don’t bother buying them. We can just pick up food from the restaurant later. Why bother cooking? I’ll give you a gas stove, a small kettle, and a few bowls. That way, if we get hungry tonight, we can cook some noodles.”
As expected of someone with a family, Sister An, who wasn’t much older than us, was incredibly thoughtful and meticulous. She seemed very happy, probably because Binh had finally agreed to come live with her. Although her parents sent money to Binh every month, she felt both sorry and worried about him being alone in the countryside.
Sister An’s husband’s restaurant wasn’t far from our lodging, about a ten-minute walk for Binh and me. That lunchtime, having nothing to do, Binh and I went to the restaurant to pick up our lunch and also took the necessary items.
An’s husband’s family knew beforehand, so they welcomed me and Binh very warmly. While we were waiting for our food, An’s husband, Tuan, called out loudly, “The plate of shumai for table number 5, hurry up, the customers are waiting, Tu!”
Tu, a staff member of the restaurant, heard the call and replied, “Wait a moment, I’m taking orders outside.”
Seeing this, I immediately took the plate of rice and carried it to the table for the customers. The tables in the restaurant were all numbered; as long as the dishes were at the right table, the job was incredibly simple.
Tuan then called out, “The grilled pork for table 12, the braised ribs for table 20, and the braised shrimp for table 9, guys!”
Binh, not to be outdone, carried three plates at once and placed them at the correct table numbers, much to his brother-in-law’s satisfaction. The restaurant was already packed, with two customers who had parked outside but, seeing how crowded it was, thought there were no tables available and hesitated to come in.
Ms. An patted my shoulder and said, “When you see customers standing there, they’re probably wondering if there’s a table available. Table number 10 in the corner hasn’t been cleared yet. Go greet them and clear that table for me.”
As the two customers were about to start their engines and leave, I quickly called out, “There’s a table in here, sir and madam! Please park your car and I’ll clear the table for you.”
Seeing this, the two customers turned off their engines and went inside. I led them to their table, gathering the plates and bowls while saying, “What would you like to order?”
“I’ll have a fried sausage.”
“I’ll have a portion of pork belly, with less fat, please.”
I shouted, “One fried sausage, one portion of pork belly with less fat, table number 10, sir!”
I gathered the plates and bowls and went inside. Ms. An laughed and said, “You’re so quick to get things done, young man. So quick-witted and nimble.”
Binh clicked his tongue: “He’s been working at Uncle Hai’s coffee shop for a few months now, sister.”
I ran back and forth, and Sister An called out again: “Binh, go wash the dishes. The shop is too busy, I can’t keep up.”
The shop had five people, and they were working non-stop all afternoon. I was clearing the tables when I heard Tuan loudly call out: “Mom, is the rice cooked yet?”
From inside the kitchen, a voice replied: “Yes, yes, it’s cooked now, wait a moment, your father will bring it out.”
From outside, a voice called out: “One box of pork rib rice, extra rice, and extra fish sauce too, owner!”
Tuan cheerfully replied: “Coming right up, coming right up, sir!”
Despite his hands scooping rice and meat non-stop without a moment’s rest, he always answered with “Coming right up!” to every customer who ordered rice. Most people here are factory workers; they go for lunch and then rush back to rest before working the afternoon, so they really like shops that are quick and efficient.
After working tirelessly for an hour, the restaurant gradually started to empty out around 12:45 PM. I sat down. While I was resting and catching my breath, Mr. Tuan brought me a huge plate of rice and meat, plus a glass of ice-cold tea that was almost overflowing.
He patted my shoulder: “Take a break and have lunch, man. You look so simple and honest, but you’re quick-witted. You’ll be so fair-skinned in a few months here, and if anyone ever says you’re from the countryside again, I’ll die.”
I gave a perfunctory smile and quickly shoveled rice into my rumbling stomach. As I was chewing on a crunchy cucumber, Mr. Tuan’s voice echoed in my ears: “Oh, you’re late today, pretty girl? Same as usual today, right?”
I looked up and saw a young man about my age walking in. From his appearance, I knew he wasn’t a worker. He was slender, fair-skinned, with rosy lips, and his curly hair added to his charm.
He replied to Mr. Tuan, “Yes, the usual, but please give me less rice, I can’t finish it all. I knew the customers would be leaving now, so I came late.”
While scooping rice, I couldn’t take my eyes off the young man. Before, I thought the sons of Mrs. Be Nam’s family were the fairest and most handsome, but now seeing this one, I realized how limited my perspective was.
Binh came out from behind me and said, “What do you want to eat? I’m starving.”
Mr. Tuan said, “Binh, eat something and then come eat. My sister and brother’s house is like your house, don’t be shy.”
The young man looked at Binh. His head was covered in sweat, his shirt was soaked in a large dark patch, and his sleeves were rolled up to his armpits to keep cool, but unintentionally revealing his muscular arms—a typical country boy.
He asked, “Is this your brother? Why haven’t I seen him before?”
Mr. Tuan handed the lunchbox to the young man, saying, “This kid is my brother-in-law, he just came up from the countryside. Handsome and tall, huh? You like him, don’t you?”
The young man shyly replied, “You devil! You keep teasing me. I’m going home now.”
Mr. Tuan replied, “Yeah, come again tomorrow.”
Hearing how Ms. An’s husband chatted with the young man, I understood he was a regular customer of the restaurant, and moreover, a flamboyant gay man, no different from me and Binh.
Binh brought his plate of rice and sat down to eat with me. I teased him, “Look at that guy earlier, he was handsome, wasn’t he? But I think he likes you!”
Binh coldly replied, “As obvious as those effeminate gay guys from the countryside, what’s so handsome about him?”
I cursed, “You’re so rude, you criticize someone so handsome. Those lips would be perfect for sucking dick.”
Binh succinctly replied, “I like your lips more.”
Sister An stepped out from behind, startling us into silence. She said, “You two finish eating and go home to rest. Come back around three o’clock to sell in the afternoon. It’s very quiet now, there’s nothing to do here.”
Actually, the work here was quite easy. Binh and I only needed to come early in the morning, around eleven o’clock at noon, and around three o’clock in the afternoon. Sister An said that was typical of a rice shop, and even if we worked from morning till evening, it wouldn’t make any difference, so she let us go home to rest and recover.
Binh and I only took two days to get used to the job. Sister An’s husband even chased away Tu because he kept acting disrespectfully towards him every day. On days when we sold so much that we scraped up all the rice and meat, he would excitedly say, “Keep going, someday when we have money, I’ll build a bigger house, add more rooms for you two to live in so you don’t have to keep coming back and forth.”
Hearing this, Binh shook his head like a top. If we lived alone, he could have sex with me every night, moaning and groaning, but living together like this, he wouldn’t dare moan even if you paid him.
I was the one suffering the most. Binh had sex with me so much that my hole had visibly widened. He’d already thrust in before going to work, and by lunchtime, his dick was already hard in his pants. And at night, needless to say, he’d lose sleep if he didn’t have sex every night.
One night, he went out for a while and came back with a cake in his hand. I took a bite and my eyes widened; it tasted better than any cake I’d ever eaten.
After sex, Binh would hug me and whisper, “When we have a little more money, I’ll ask my older sister for some more to buy a car, and every night I’ll take you for a drive around the city.”
Although we lived in the city, our place was just a “suburb.” The majority of the people here are factory workers; by around eight o’clock at night, the streets are deserted, and by nine or ten o’clock, they’re all asleep. Therefore, there’s nothing much to do here except for a few restaurants, bars, or, more often, incredibly expensive karaoke places.
In the following days, I saw the same young man from the previous day visiting the shop during peak hours. Mr. Tuan asked, “Oh, pretty boy, you came early today, huh?”
He laughed, “I’ll be coming at this time all the time from now on, remember to save a table for me!”
Mr. Tuan replied, “Alright, alright, a table will be ready as soon as you arrive, otherwise I’ll just sit behind the counter.”
The young man pouted, “No way!”
Mr. Tuan teased, “Okay, if there’s no more room, I’ll let you sit on Binh’s lap.”
He looked delighted, blushing, “If you can do that, then tell me.”
Mr. Tuan knew his character all too well. Normally, he wouldn’t socialize with anyone, but ever since he saw Binh that day, he’s been trying to squeeze his way through the crowded lunchtime hours every day.
People come for lunch, but he comes because of Binh. Because Binh and I only work lunchtime; after lunch, we go home, so he can’t even see him if he wants to. Okay.
Although he knew it was just a casual joke, Binh felt annoyed but didn’t say anything. I paid more attention to the dishes he usually ate. Every time he came, he would order three or four dishes at once, with vegetables, meat, soup, and fish. That’s why Tuan often called him a “big customer,” he alone ate as much as three or four people.
An’s family had a dog named Phen, a mixed-breed dog, but it was very chubby. An’s mother-in-law doted on it a lot, because except for lunchtime, it was always clinging to her.
Seeing “the pretty boy” arrive at the restaurant, the dog sniffed it out from inside the restaurant. He ordered so much food, but only ate a little of each dish. The rest he gave to Phen to enjoy. Phen’s plumpness was also thanks to “the pretty boy” raising it.
When An finished washing the dishes, she went to the front to sit and sip her iced tea. Seeing her, Binh whined, “Sister, give me some money to buy a motorbike. I’ve been in the city for a whole month, and I still don’t know what it’s like.”
Before An could answer, Tuan said, “Why didn’t you say anything? Come and borrow my motorbike to go out and have fun. Do you have your driver’s license yet?”
Seeing Binh’s expression freeze like a statue, Tuan knew without him needing an answer. An said, “Go take your driving test first. Once you have your license, come borrow Tuan’s motorbike to go out and have fun. Hold on a few more months, otherwise, by Tet, I’ll save up money and buy you a motorbike.”
The “pretty girl” sitting next to her suddenly spoke up, “Taking your driving test? I just took it, I still have the 200-question study booklet. Do you want it? I’ll bring it over tomorrow.”
An laughed and replied, “Yeah, please give it to me. Tuan also has a copy, but he misplaced it somewhere.”
Binh frowned: “Two hundred questions? How can I remember them all?”
“Beautiful Girl” waved her hand: “It’s easy, brother. I’ll teach you some tricks. The old man near my house couldn’t read, but I taught him and he passed the exam!”
Mr. Tuan laughed heartily and asked: “Which old man is that, beautiful girl?”
“Beautiful Girl” replied: “Mr. Tu the Bearded, of course. I taught him how to write his name correctly and fill in the information on the exam registration form. During the exam, he just looked at the pictures, checked the length, and circled 22 correct answers.”
Mr. Tuan joked: “Then I’ll leave Binh to you.”
“Beautiful Girl” chuckled gleefully, while Binh remained cold and unresponsive. “Beautiful Girl” asked: “Are you free this afternoon, Binh? Come to the training ground outside the residential area, I’ll teach you how to run figure-eights.”
Sister An replied, “He just goes to work at the shop and then comes home, that’s all. He doesn’t have anything else to do, so he’s not busy. Binh, go practice riding with Ut Hoai this afternoon.”
Seeing that he didn’t say anything, the pretty little Ut Hoai asked for a piece of paper, wrote something down, and left it on the table: “Here’s my number, call me whenever you want to practice riding.”
Then Ut Hoai left, and Binh and I returned to our rented room. I said, “Besides being a bit ostentatious, I think he’s kind, isn’t he? Why do you hate him so much?”
Binh shook his head: “I just don’t like him, who knows why.”
I advised, “Tuan’s just teasing, he’s not forcing you to love him or anything, so why are you so upset?”
Actually, it wasn’t just a coincidence that Tuan often teased Ut Hoai and Binh. Whenever he had a break, he’d tell us about his time in the army, and how his squad had a guy just like Ut Hoai. Everyone knew he liked boys, but he was so sweet and kind that nobody disliked him. He teased him so much it became a habit, and now he teases any gay guy he sees.
I said, “Go after you finish selling this afternoon. Practice early for your exam so you can borrow my motorbike to take me out.”
Binh leaned his nose against my hair and took a deep breath: “Yeah, once I get my driver’s license, I’ll take you out.”
That afternoon, after selling rice, Binh followed Ut Hoai to the residential area to practice riding a figure-eight. Since Binh had never ridden a motorbike before, Ut Hoai took him there on her own bike.
I don’t know what happened, but that evening Binh was very excited. He told me enthusiastically, “Wow, riding a motorbike is so much fun! You twist the throttle and you zoom off, unlike riding a bicycle where you pedal against the wind and can’t even get ahead.”
I asked, “So, can you do a figure-eight?”
Binh replied, “Of course! It’s easy. I only had to learn 200 headache-inducing questions, but I could do a figure-eight with my eyes closed.”
From that day on, Binh went with Ut Hoai every afternoon. Lately, he’s been less irritable; he’s even more cheerful when Ut Hoai comes to the shop than he is with me.
He occasionally says, “Hey, there are some really beautiful places. I’ll take you to see them sometime.”
Binh was like a child visiting a new place for the first time. With Ut Hoai’s help, he got to go here and there, eat delicious food, and see new sights. I was happy to see him like that; instead of staying home all day wanting to have sex with me, he was now always talking about visiting places we’d never been to.
That afternoon, Binh went to practice riding his broken motorbike as usual. After selling my goods, I went home to rest and prepare for a shower. Suddenly, there was a loud banging on the door outside—a loud banging, not a knock.
I thought Binh had come home, so I opened the door, muttering curses under my breath, “What the hell is going on now?”
As soon as I opened the door, the person outside collapsed forward. It wasn’t Binh, but a complete stranger, reeking of alcohol from head to toe.
I screamed, “Who are you?”
He was so drunk he couldn’t open the door, but he still had enough strength to crawl on the floor, cursing as he crawled: “Just like that, you…” “Have you forgotten me, Ngoc? Damn you!”
I said, “Get out of here quickly, or I’ll call the landlord!”
Seeing that he didn’t react, I opened the door and went outside to call the landlord to come down and sort things out. Unexpectedly, he grabbed my ankle and pulled hard, causing me to fall onto his stomach.
In his drunken state, he growled, “Suck my dick, Ngoc! I’m so horny!”
As he spoke, he started undressing. Very quickly, he was completely naked, his muscular body and erect penis exposed before my eyes.
I was both scared and aroused; either way, I couldn’t resist a man’s body. He groped and grabbed my hand, then brought it to his penis, whispering, “Stroke my dick, Ngoc! You used to love stroking my dick, didn’t you? You praised my dick for being big and veiny, you loved it, Ngoc?”
I have to admit it’s true. His penis head was swollen and looked like it was about to explode. I don’t know how it normally is, but right now it was almost turning purple from being hard for so long.
He urged, “Stroke my dick, Ngoc! I’m so horny! Stroke it faster, Ngoc!”
I just went with the flow, grabbed his dick in my hand, and started stroking it. He arched his back and moaned with pleasure: “My dick feels so good, Ngoc… More, Ngoc… Stroke my dick faster, baby…”
I didn’t know what else to do; my mind was mesmerized by the hard, firm dick, almost two inches long, right in front of me. He moaned louder and louder, so much so that I even had to close the door tightly to reduce the sound.
After more than ten minutes of continuous stroking, his whole body trembled as he blurted out: “Ngoc, I’m coming… I’m going to cum for you, Ngoc… Ngoc… I’m going to cum… Mmm… Mmm… Mmm…”
Streams of hot semen spurted out before my eyes, soaring high and then scattering onto his stomach. I really don’t know if he would still be so aroused if he realized he’d just let a guy stroke his dick.
After ejaculating, he didn’t quite go to sleep, but instead started sobbing. He whimpered and whined like a child. And then he really started crying. Between choked sobs, he cried out, “Why did you leave me, Ngoc?” “You wouldn’t let me have sex with you, you said you’d wait until we got married, but why did you let someone else have sex with you… That guy’s dick isn’t even as big as mine… How could he make you feel good if you went with him, Ngoc…?”
He cried for a while, and I thought he’d finally fall asleep. But then he suddenly trembled, and a whole mess of vomit gushed out of his mouth…
He threw up everything he’d eaten. I swallowed a horrified scream and stepped aside. Afraid he’d call “Hue” again, I grabbed him by the armpits and dragged him into the bathroom.
It took me another thirty minutes to clean up where he’d vomited. The best thing was probably that it didn’t reach where I slept with Binh.
When I was done, I returned to him, the man sitting naked in the bathroom. I had him lean against the wall, his head in the corner so it wouldn’t fall off.
I poured cold water over him, hoping he would… “Please wake up and go back to your room,” I said. But even though I spent the whole afternoon bathing him, he didn’t react at all.
I looked at him and sighed, “He looks so handsome and well-endowed, but why is he so hopelessly infatuated?”
Seeing that I couldn’t leave him in the bathroom forever, I finally grabbed him by the armpits and dragged him out. I couldn’t let him sleep naked, so I gave him some of my clothes to wear. He was a little smaller than Sang, but still much bigger than me. My clothes looked like a giant rice cake on him, especially his crotch, which was so tight it clearly showed every detail.
At this point, Binh came home. He looked at me, then at the strange man sleeping soundly on our bed. He yelled, “What’s going on, Phuc? Did you bring a guy home?”
I replied, “Are you crazy? I don’t know where this guy came from, he’s drunk and stumbled into our room.” “He threw up everywhere, I just finished cleaning it up.”
Binh stared at me, disbelieving what I said: “Then why didn’t you drag him out here? And you even changed his clothes? You must have been completely infatuated with his dick, right?”
I was caught off guard, but only half-hit. I did see his dick, but I wasn’t infatuated with him. I replied: “What kind of nonsense are you talking? He’s probably just a resident here. He was too drunk, so I let him sleep there. When he woke up, I told him to go home, that’s all. Why are you making such a big deal out of it?”
Binh slammed the door: “Yes, I’m making a big deal out of it! I went to driving practice for my driving test to take you out, and you’re at home bringing guys home and letting them stay overnight. Do you think I’m dead or something, Phuc?”
I took a deep breath, not letting my anger get the better of me, and replied, “I’ll say it again, I didn’t bring him home. He was drunk, and as soon as I opened the door, he fell into our room…”
Binh interrupted, “That’s great! You opened the door and a guy with a big dick fell into your room? I thought it was a cartoon! I fucked you three times a day and you’re still not satisfied, Phuc? You’ve only been here two months and you already know how to bring guys home to fuck. Amazing…”
ToI glared at him, swallowed hard, my anger ready to erupt. I gritted my teeth and replied, “I said I didn’t! If you don’t believe me, then so be it.”
Binh retorted, “Then just answer me one question. Did you touch his penis?”
Such a devastating question, I couldn’t possibly answer.
Binh angrily left, and I didn’t know where he went, but my anger prevented me from stopping him.
It was strange, though. Back when I worked in Can Tho, I interacted with countless people, and he, back home, had done the same thing with Uncle Tu and dozens of others, but we never argued about such things.
It was getting dark, so I turned on the light. The man who was sleeping immediately covered his eyes with his hand. Seeing this, I realized he had probably been awake for a while.
I asked, “When did you wake up? Why didn’t you say anything?”
He stopped pretending to be asleep and sat up straight, his face now almost back to normal. He said, “Oh, I’m sorry, I wasn’t intentionally eavesdropping. I just pretended to be dead because I saw that guy was so hot-tempered.”
His voice was clearer than before, and there was a gentle yet mature tone in it.
I was too embarrassed to say anything. He asked again, “Are you two…?”
I shook my head, “No, we’re not. We’re just friends. Don’t tell anyone…”
He nodded, “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone. I have friends like you two, so I think it’s normal.”
Hearing him say that, I felt less tense. I asked him, “But where are you from? How did you end up in my room?”
He opened the door, poked his head out, then turned back and said, “I’m from the room next door. Sorry. I was too drunk this afternoon.”
He added, “Oh, I’m going back to my room. Tell your friend to go home.”
I turned away and replied, “I didn’t chase her away. She left on her own, so she’ll come back on her own. She just suddenly got angry and started talking like that.”
He whispered, “She’s not crazy, your friend is just jealous.”
That short sentence suddenly brought me back to reality. For the past two months, we’ve only been together, always together, going out early and coming home late. She even occasionally bought things for me, maybe…
While I was still thinking, he asked again, “Wait, did you… bathe me earlier?”
I nodded, “Because you threw up all over yourself, you had to shower.”
He frowned and clicked his tongue, “No wonder your friend is so angry. Tell her to go home. I’ll buy some snacks and explain it to her tomorrow. Sorry, sorry.”
Left alone in the room, I wondered if I had been too carefree. But the truth was, I hadn’t considered what I meant to him.
I picked up the phone and dialed Binh’s number, but all I heard were long, silent rings. I thought he was still angry with me and wouldn’t answer.
I sat there waiting for Binh, but my heart grew increasingly anxious. I didn’t know where he had gone, and I was increasingly afraid something bad had happened to him.
I picked up the phone again, but this time there wasn’t even a long ringing sound, just a robotic voice saying, “The subscriber you are trying to reach is currently unavailable…”
I felt restless and anxious, so I rushed out into the street to look for him. I didn’t know where he had gone, so I went to places I knew. An’s restaurant was closed, so I just went straight to the residential area where Binh practiced riding his bike.
The streets were deserted, with the sounds of frogs croaking in the bushes along the roadside. The bright streetlights overhead shone down on the empty road, making the scene even more desolate.
I kept calling Binh, but it was always the familiar busy signal… After a grueling thirty minutes, I finally reached the area marked with a figure-eight in the residential neighborhood. But there was no one there at this hour…
I felt helpless, tears welling up in my eyes. I really didn’t want Binh to get into trouble because of me. But I didn’t dare tell An, and I didn’t know where to find Binh either.
My phone finally ran out of battery after my last call, but there was no answer. I sat on a nearby stone bench, staring at the streetlights, not knowing what to do next…
I don’t know how long I sat there until I heard a familiar voice calling out, and I suddenly came to my senses…
“Phuc… Phuc…”
The voice echoed in the night, and as it got closer, I heard other sounds as well. The crisp, crackling sound of a motorbike engine grew closer, its headlights sweeping over me.
Binh turned off the engine, got off, and rushed to me. Before I could say anything, he hugged me tightly. Patting my back, Binh said, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry… I was wrong, I shouldn’t have said that to you. I’m sorry…”
At that moment, I suddenly burst into tears, because the resentment in my heart was finally understood, and the guilt in my heart was finally greatly relieved.
Binh comforted me, “Don’t cry anymore, I’m sorry. I won’t raise my voice like that again. Come home with me.”
On the way home, I found out that Binh’s phone had run out of battery, so I couldn’t call him. When he got home and called me, my phone had also run out of battery. He immediately ran to An’s house to borrow a motorbike, and as he went out the door, he met the guy from the next room who explained. I told him everything.
I asked, “So how did you know I was here?”
Binh laughed, “Telepathy.”
Suddenly, he said, “Give me your hand.”
I held out my hand, and Binh immediately grasped it tightly and placed it on his lap. He just left it like that while driving slowly back to An’s house.
Neither of us had the courage to say anything cheesy, but that handshake probably said it all.