Chapter Thirteen
Time To Return
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4 Months Later
Location: Hanoi, Vietnam
I woke up as the sun filtered through my thin curtains and immediately pushed myself out of bed. I drew the curtains aside, not that they did much anyway and looked out onto the street below. I was in the third story of an apartment building near the Old Quarter, a tourist spot. Below, the markets were already up and running, bustling with sounds. I pulled off the long and baggy 'mind-the-gap' shirt that I used for pyjamas and put on a sports bra, smaller t-shirt and shorts, then slipped on my joggers. This was the habit that formed each morning since my friend of one month, Bianca from Australia, had found me this apartment, directly below her own. I opened the door and saw that she was already outside, waiting for me in her running clothes.
She was a foot taller than me with blonde hair, light blue eyes and tanned skin. She had participated in athletics most of her life so she was fit and toned. She had brought me back to shape after three months of eating rice and sitting in front of an ice-fan. The hot and humid weather had gotten to me but her bright and bubbly spirits had lured me into her way of life. That included early morning runs to wake us up. I now loved them.
"So why didn't you come out last night? I met some totally hot backpackers who were ready and willing to pay for some drinks for fellow travellers."
"Fellow travellers? I practically live here."
She laughed, a sultry chuckle that usually made guy's heads turn. "Yeah but you still only know the basics of the language."
I scowled at her. "I know more than you."
She laughed again. "I don't need to know any more."
We had made our way downstairs and she opened the front door, the smell of leather, dust and fresh fruit hit me straight away. Not a good mix. We started a slow jog, passing Tuan who worked the closest fruit stall.
"Morning to you beautiful ladies," he said in broken English and threw us a lychee each.
"Cám ơn!" Bianca called out thank you in Vietnamese and then grinned at me. "See! I know enough to get me by."
"So if someone's beating you up, that's what you'd call out to get some help? You're hilarious, B."
"Whatever," she said through a mouthful of lychee as she peeled off the skin with her teeth. I opened mine with my fingernails and ate around the seed. The sweet juice swept around my mouth and made me wish, as usual, that I had more than one at hand. They were delicious. We rounded the first corner and came to stop at the edge of my daily nightmare. It never got any easier. Crossing a main road. Even in the early hours of the morning people constantly passed on their mopeds or in their cars, there were practically no breaks in traffic. You had to cross carefully, never hesitating but always on the lookout for someone who hadn't noticed you. The mopeds usually weaved around you but they always came so close and... It wasn't fun. B was jogging on the spot looking at me brightly.
"Time to cross!" she chirped. Ugh! I hated this.
I took a deep breath and stepped off the sidewalk. Horns were sounding every two seconds and I felt goosebumps up my spine as a scooter almost ran over my foot, the breeze as he zoomed past causing my shirt to ruffle. I nearly turned to go back but B grabbed my arm and led me forward slowly. Soon we were on the other side, my heart pounding a helluva lot faster than it had been while we'd been running. My life had flashed before my eyes at least seven times. It must have taken ages to cross the road.
