CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Bobby – Result from the Rescue

John made a call for Army and Air Force busses to meet us at the airfield. When we arrived, there were five transports waiting on us. Mae Sua, Ling Noy, Nang Chom and Dawkmymy disembarked from one of the vehicles.

Mae Sua spoke Vietnamese and invited those to get on bus one. Ling Noy expressed in Cambodian to get on transport number two. Nang Chom voiced Laotian/Issan that they were to take number four, Dawkmymy expressed in Thai to get on the last carrier.

Dawkmymy communicated to me that the women would be brought to the Women's Training Institute outside Chiang Ria run by RMGC. Also, she informed me that she would be there at least a week.

Two weeks passed and Dawkmymy had not returned. I received a letter that many of the women could speak Thai, but could not read or write Thai. The Laotian women could talk in their language, but wanted to learn Thai. As a result, Nang Chom and she were co-teaching a class on speaking, reading and writing Thai.

She claimed that she loved me and would be home soon. Rufus, Martha and Malsa were taking care of the children in the afternoon and evening until she returned. Sy La Maaw was watching them during the day. I knew this since I was home, but it was good to hear from her.

One afternoon when I returned home from work I discovered that the box that held the letters was pulled from under the bed. Either one of the kids had dragged it, or housekeeping had to clean underneath the master bed and had not returned it to its place.

I began reading the correspondences from Dawkmymy/Kulabta. Except stopping for supper, I read till 3:00 in the morning. Her first letter was apologizing for getting mad, and that she loved me very much. The second letter revealed she was going to have my baby, and that she loved me. She would not blame me if I never returned to Thailand. The next few letters expressed the way she was feeling as the baby grew inside her.

The letter about Bert Kendrick and that she had almost lost the baby was hard to read. Writing almost every day from the hospital was difficult to read. She pleaded for me to write, even if it was to say I hated her, but not to hate the baby. Then the mail stopped for a few weeks, because she was having complications and might lose the baby. I sobbed. The following post had photos of Seebhabe as a new born.

The subsequent dispatches had photographs every month for two years. Finally, the last one sent asserted that she loved me, but would probably never see me again. She would remember the best of me, because of Bobby IV. I bawled like a baby, and could not keep the tears from coming.

I fell asleep weeping. Rufus knocked on my door, and shouted it was time to get up. How could I be such a fool? Why was I reluctant to grasp she was hurting more than me?

I do love her more than life itself. As of this day I will tell her that my love has not been real, and that I was playing. It was not fulfilling. My way to show her would be to plant a succulent kiss on her lips to demonstrate my love for her. My hug would be tighter than ever.

Receiving a second message from her revived my soul. Excitement filled me as I trembled. Quickly I tore the letter open in anticipation.

"Dear Bobby, I recognize that we have been playing at love. The only time you really kissed me or hugged tight was that night when we played Prince Charming and Cinderella. It is my fault, wanting a man for show without love or commitment.

Since then it has been a peck on the cheek and a loose cold icky hug. I remember the night, we transferred the girls to the busses that you neither hugged me nor kissed me."

Struck dumb by this letter, I know I deserved it. I took her for granted. She was the one dedicated, not me. The responsibility falls on me. Backing down, because I was afraid of commitment, it is probably too late to fix it. Maybe if...

We were receiving twenty-four Thai trainees today. I had to shift my focus from personal to the business of the day. The twelve C-47 XB826s have arrived.

Every one of the learners spoke British English very well. Twenty students were twenty-one or twenty-two. Four were in their early thirties. All had logged thirty-five hours as T-41 pilots. Two of the older pilots had logged in four hours as a C-47 observer.

One of those two had registered 550 hours in the two engine turbocharged Cessna 320 Sky Knights. His name is Peter Smyth. His father is a retired British colonel. His mother is Thai.

Peter was a captain in the Royal Thai Army. He transferred to the RTAF and kept his rank, because of his flying experience. I advised him we would try to accelerate his training. He assured me that he had instrument and night flying certification.

Peter's last review rated him in the top ten percent. His previous commander recommended him to be promoted to major. All this sounded great. He seemed to get along with his fellow

students.

Peter and I were strolling down the hall when Dawkmymy enter the office. She recognized him. His Daddy and her Daddy were friends. They renewed their relationship and set a date for dinner. She ignored me like I did not exist.

Getting out of a meeting late, I was returning to my dwelling place. Dawkmymy and Peter were coming back from their date. She looked at me directly, put her arms around Peter, drew him to her and planted a succulent kiss on his lips. I hurried into my residence. She looked directly at me and laughed.

The next morning, I overheard Peter bragging to his buddies that he had slept with Dawkmymy. He added that she was a good lay. My lower jaw sank. I could not think. For a second, my knees buckled. I had to brace myself by holding onto a door knob to keep from falling to the floor.

Dawkmymy was waiting in my living room when I got home. She said she was sorry she sent the letter. Telling her the night before last, I read the letters till three in the morning, I knew that I had been backing off. I had made a pack with myself that I was going to treat you better. I read your second letter from letter from Chiang Rai. It is hard for me to confess, but I cried myself to sleep. Rufus had to wake me up to go to work.

Then you came in yesterday morning. Thinking I had a chance to make amends, you acted like I didn't exist. You fell over yourself to talk to Peter.

Last night I saw you kiss him like you loved him. She said, "I'm sorry, I was just trying to make you jealous." "It does not make a difference. I could never kiss you again after seeing another man's lips on yours.

This morning when Peter was bragging to his buddies that he slept with you last night, my knees buckled and I almost landed on the floor. It will not change my heart or my mind. Please leave, I'm sorry I ever knew you."

She sat there for a short time, not saying anything. Tears began flowing down her face. I forcefully voiced, "Go away, and do not come back." She left in a hurry. My stomach was churning as I clinched my hands so tight that blood flowed from my palms.

We were in an instruction session when the door flew open. Dawkmymy walked to Peter and asked him to stand up. He complied. She immediately kicked him in the groin like a tornado. Mr. Smyth doubled over. She kicked him in the head three times and put him in an arm clinch in three seconds. Blood was spurting from his nose.

She shouted, "I am going to ask you a few questions. If you answer correctly, You will live! If you lie, this is your last day on earth." He looked at me pleadingly. Responding clearly, I advised him to tell the truth saying, "She is a grand master FFF champion." Adding, "If you get her mad, your toast. In addition, she knows sixteen ways to kill a person instantly."

She asked him if he ever had sex with her? He answered, "No." She queried, "Did I kiss you the night before last?" He answered, "No, we faked a kiss to make your gentleman friend jealous."

Finally, "Why, did you tell an untruth about me?" "It was just guy talk."

"Gentlemen do not report falsehoods about women. Now, say you are sorry that you lied."

"I am sorry that I lied."

"Tell the class that you are a dreadful excuse for a person."

"I am wicked as a human being."

She let him go, and he ran out of the room. She stared directly at me, and expressed, "Tell me you are sorry that you believed this low life."

"I am sorry that I doubted you." Then I shakenly pleaded, "Please, don't beat me up."

She smiled, and uttered, "I won't if you tell me that you love me." Walking to her, I embraced her tightly and planted a juicy kiss on her mouth. The class applauded.

I indicated that the class was dismissed until after lunch. We strolled holding hands to my residence. Martha heralded, "Bobby mentioned you might be with us for lunch." Dawkmymy glared at me and alleged, "You knew all along what I would do." "I did not know for sure, but you were fuming mad last night. I believed you could not let that lie go without a challenge."

Adoringly my gaze was fixed on Dawkmymy. "I assume that you still want to break up with me." Martha looked shocked. I related with a big smile, "She wrote me that I wasn't good enough for her.

Evidently I did not kiss her or hug her enough."

"Don't you know a woman can change her mind?"

"How can anyone recognize that you altered your choice?"

"After today, you are the only guy in my life."

"That is the point, you are the one woman that means anything to me romantically. If I take you for granted, kick me, but not where you booted Peter today."

"You are a big teddy bear, just growling to be heard."

She is correct, causing me to laugh out loud. The way we brushed each others lips with our tongues and the caress left nothing to doubt.

After lunch, she went back to the classroom with me. She apologized to the class for the disruption this morning. One student bantered, "I hope you never get mad at me." She teased, "Never tell lies about me, and you will be okay." Every man stood up and clapped as she left the training room. Later on, I disclosed that she was beautiful both times she was in class today.

Martha asked, "Are you two really breaking up?" I told her that we had made up and were sorry that we had not told her that we were just teasing. "You two are going to send me to the grave."

Rufus walks in and requested, "What were you talking about?" Martha replied, "We were discussing that it is sometimes hard to grasp when Bobby and Dawkmymy are joking. Everything is fine now. How has your day been?"

"We have to plant more acreage to keep up with demand. We had a called community meeting today. There are more people who want to join our little village. We decided that there would be a probation period for newcomers.

They would have to be voted on to be accepted into the group. There would be a tryout period of one year if they are related to those already in the village. If not, then the trial time would be two years. We still need to decide on the details of what would be required during the test phase."

Martha, Dawkmymy and I thought that it was advantageous to have people interested in joining the congregate, and it made sense to limit the additions to a trial period. Rufus added, "They need to earn the right to be there, and not to be able to hop on the good ride without earning it."

Rufus additionally asserted, "The inhabitants have voted to purchase a tractor. I promised I would pay half the costs for the farm implement and the accessories. Also, I will train them how to use and maintain it. After selling a dozen Qwii (ควาย – Water Buffalo) and related farm equipment, we are buying a new 1961 Fordson (named after Edsel) Super Major Power Tractor made at Degenham Motors Company in London.

I injected, "Rufus, it sounds like all is running smoothly. Are you happy you bought the village?"

"It was a pleasant surprise. They needed someone to watch over things and give them a new slant on farming, and what drives me is the feeling that comes with doing what I love."

"It tells me you are satisfied by the choices you have made. My kids have a Granddaddy and Grandma. Life turns out to be wonderful."