have a driver’s license for Martin Kinney. I know Martin Kinney.”
A painful shot of adrenaline ran through my being. That is impossible, I thought. There is no way he could know Martin Kinney.
“I met him last week. You know Tan, right?” he asked Jessica.
“Sure I remember Tan. He’s the taxi driver that took us to see the pottery village.”
“Yeah, that’s right. Tan brought this guy to my guest house just last weekend. He had lost his wallet and was all out of sorts. I felt so bad for the guy. He came here to bury his dad’s ashes who was a soldier during the war, and he lost his wallet and credit cards and everything. I gave him a place to stay for a couple nights and a little spending money so he could make it home.”
My heart raced. Would my friends find out what kind of person I really was? After all, I had to admit to myself then and there that I was nothing more than an English speaking thief and former prostitute. My heart nearly exploded. Why was I like this? What brought me to this point of depravity? It certainly was not my upbringing. If my parents were alive, they would be so ashamed of me. At that point, I was so ashamed of myself. How could I face these fun-loving foreigners as nothing more than a thief? I didn’t deserve their friendship.
“Where did you get this?” Jason asked the dreaded question.
I paused. I paused for an eternity – or so it felt. I didn’t want to answer the question. Jessica sat up and had a concerned look on her face. What would I say? What could I say?
“Well,” I started not knowing where my words would take me. “What a coincidence! Last week, I was over at the Le Hoi Chua Hang – the Chua Hang festival – and I had this stone in my shoe. So I stepped over behind the wall of the temple to see what the trouble was. And as I looked down, I saw a wallet. It seemed very strange to have a wallet there, so I opened it up and there was nothing in it except this American driver’s license belonging to Martin Kinney. Of course, I had no idea who he was, but for some reason I kept the license. It’s become my good luck charm.”
They seemed to buy my story. I was always good at creating stories off the cuff. Jason looked down at the license again and shook his head.
“This guy was so far out of his element that I thought he was going to kiss me when I took him to Al’s for a rack of ribs. But you know, he called his mom on my computer, and she just lit into him, swearing at him and telling him how stupid he was. Poor guy.”
“Aww,” sighed Sarah in sympathy.
I nervously fretted about what to say, but I was determined to keep up the façade.
“Now I feel so bad that he had so much trouble. The thief must have taken the money and then ditched the wallet. I can’t believe that you actually met him. How strange!” I said convincingly.
“I know. What are the odds?” asked Jason.
“Well, do you want to send the license back to him? Do you think he would want it?” I asked trying to seem naive.
“Well, probably not. He’s been home for a while now. I’m sure he is getting a replacement license.”
“That’s amazing that you both had something to do with this guy,” said Jessica.
“Totally. It’s kind of creepy,” said Sarah. “Definitely hold onto that license. It’s got to be a good luck charm.”
I agreed. I would not let it out of my sight.
A Politician’s Mistress
I survived the Martin Kinney Jr. driver’s license incident. The thought of Jessica finding out my true nature took my energy away. I got home around three and just fell asleep for about three hours. When I awoke at six, Hoa was there and she started going over everything I needed to know for the evening party. I needed to have my ao dai neatly pressed and ready to go. I felt very emotional and wondered how this night would end.
At 8:45 we got on our motorbikes and headed to the salon to meet with Co Thu. We entered to greet Co Thu who was on the phone. Hoa and I
A painful shot of adrenaline ran through my being. That is impossible, I thought. There is no way he could know Martin Kinney.
“I met him last week. You know Tan, right?” he asked Jessica.
“Sure I remember Tan. He’s the taxi driver that took us to see the pottery village.”
“Yeah, that’s right. Tan brought this guy to my guest house just last weekend. He had lost his wallet and was all out of sorts. I felt so bad for the guy. He came here to bury his dad’s ashes who was a soldier during the war, and he lost his wallet and credit cards and everything. I gave him a place to stay for a couple nights and a little spending money so he could make it home.”
My heart raced. Would my friends find out what kind of person I really was? After all, I had to admit to myself then and there that I was nothing more than an English speaking thief and former prostitute. My heart nearly exploded. Why was I like this? What brought me to this point of depravity? It certainly was not my upbringing. If my parents were alive, they would be so ashamed of me. At that point, I was so ashamed of myself. How could I face these fun-loving foreigners as nothing more than a thief? I didn’t deserve their friendship.
“Where did you get this?” Jason asked the dreaded question.
I paused. I paused for an eternity – or so it felt. I didn’t want to answer the question. Jessica sat up and had a concerned look on her face. What would I say? What could I say?
“Well,” I started not knowing where my words would take me. “What a coincidence! Last week, I was over at the Le Hoi Chua Hang – the Chua Hang festival – and I had this stone in my shoe. So I stepped over behind the wall of the temple to see what the trouble was. And as I looked down, I saw a wallet. It seemed very strange to have a wallet there, so I opened it up and there was nothing in it except this American driver’s license belonging to Martin Kinney. Of course, I had no idea who he was, but for some reason I kept the license. It’s become my good luck charm.”
They seemed to buy my story. I was always good at creating stories off the cuff. Jason looked down at the license again and shook his head.
“This guy was so far out of his element that I thought he was going to kiss me when I took him to Al’s for a rack of ribs. But you know, he called his mom on my computer, and she just lit into him, swearing at him and telling him how stupid he was. Poor guy.”
“Aww,” sighed Sarah in sympathy.
I nervously fretted about what to say, but I was determined to keep up the façade.
“Now I feel so bad that he had so much trouble. The thief must have taken the money and then ditched the wallet. I can’t believe that you actually met him. How strange!” I said convincingly.
“I know. What are the odds?” asked Jason.
“Well, do you want to send the license back to him? Do you think he would want it?” I asked trying to seem naive.
“Well, probably not. He’s been home for a while now. I’m sure he is getting a replacement license.”
“That’s amazing that you both had something to do with this guy,” said Jessica.
“Totally. It’s kind of creepy,” said Sarah. “Definitely hold onto that license. It’s got to be a good luck charm.”
I agreed. I would not let it out of my sight.
A Politician’s Mistress
I survived the Martin Kinney Jr. driver’s license incident. The thought of Jessica finding out my true nature took my energy away. I got home around three and just fell asleep for about three hours. When I awoke at six, Hoa was there and she started going over everything I needed to know for the evening party. I needed to have my ao dai neatly pressed and ready to go. I felt very emotional and wondered how this night would end.
At 8:45 we got on our motorbikes and headed to the salon to meet with Co Thu. We entered to greet Co Thu who was on the phone. Hoa and I
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