Shortly after their wedding, the newly wedded couple arrived at the train station to take the train to Delaware, where the latter lived. Mai's parents and her little brother Thanh also accompanied them to the station. When their train arrived, Mai wore a forced smile on her face and waved goodbye to her parents. First, her brother started sobbing, then her father also looked away to hide his tears. Even Mai's stern mother nearly broke down in sorrow, but she forced back her tears and shouted amidst the crowd. "Don't forget to be a submissive, obedient wife!"
During the whole journey, Mai did not let a single drop of tear trickle down her face. "I have to stay strong for my child," Mai thought to herself as the whistle of the train's steam engine drowned the voices of other passengers on the train, signaling their departure. Fixating on the rolling hills and mountainside outside the window, Mai was so immersed in her own thoughts of home and the bygone days, which seemed so far away, such that she did not notice the blood red sun slowly setting in the far horizon, casting long, dark shadows over the trees and mountains.
After many hours on the train, they eventually arrived at their destination - Bob Summerton's house. Overlooking a barren, bleak piece of wasteland, the solitary house gazed down on Mai, as if warning her of danger. Powerfully, the cruel wind blew loudly, picking up fallen leaves from the ground and dropping them again like a predator playing with its prey.
"Welcome to your new home, Mai," said Bob Summerton with an unfathomable smile on his face. "Come on in."
Innocently, Mai struggled to carry her cumbersome suitcase up the stairs onto the porch, utterly unaware of what could be waiting for her inside
Upon entering her new home, Mai glanced around her surroundings. What came into view were four walls, a floor and a ceiling, making one single room with bare minimal furniture, including a rusty-looking cookstove, a dilapidated cupboard for the dishes, a tiny round table and two old chairs. Seeing that this was even worse than their tattered apartment back in New York, the forced smile disappeared from Mai's face and she just stood there, speechless.
~To be Continued~
No comments:
Post a Comment