One day, it finally [music] broke. Goi stared at it for a long time. She could not afford a new one. She fixed it with rope and nails. Her shop became smaller. Her pots became fewer. Some days she sold just enough to eat. [music] Some days she went to bed hungry. Still, every afternoon around the same time, Goza’s eyes moved across the road. She never stopped looking.
One evening, [music] a young girl buying food noticed it. “Auntie, what are youalways looking for?” the girl asked. Goi hesitated. “Someone,” she said. “Who?” the girl asked. N Goi smiled softly. some children. The girl nodded confused and walked away. Goi sat on her bench and watched the sun go down.
[music] She remembered Tounday’s voice. One day we will not forget you. She shook her head slowly. They were just children, she whispered. They didn’t know what they were saying, but her heart still held the words. As time passed, people on the street changed. New traders came. old ones left.
Some days someone would ask, “Didn’t there used to be boys sitting there?” Goi would nod. “Where are they now?” the person would ask. Goi would answer, “I don’t know.” She stopped asking questions herself. The answers always hurt. Years later, Ngo’s shop looked very different. The roadside was still noisy. Cars still passed. Buses still honked. But Nosi stood slower now.
Her hands were rougher. Her face carried lines that told many stories. Some afternoons she sat more than she stood. People greeted her with respect now. “Good afternoon, Mama,” they said. She nodded and smiled. Sometimes she felt very tired. One afternoon, she sat on her bench longer than usual. Her legs hurt badly that day.
She closed her eyes for a moment. Her mind drifted. She remembered the first day she called the boys. She remembered how scared they looked. She remembered how they divided one plate into three. Her chest tightened. “I hope you are alive,” she whispered. A bus passed loudly [music] and broke her thoughts. She opened her eyes and looked across the road again.
The unfinished building was gone now. A new shop stood there. Bright paint, loud music. Goi felt like something had been erased. She looked away quickly. That evening, she packed up slowly. Her hands trembled a little. She sighed. “Maybe that part of my life is over,” she said to herself.
As she locked her container, the streets suddenly became quiet. “Too quiet.” Goi looked up. Three engines rumbled softly. “Slow! Heavy!” she frowned. That sound was not common on her street. People began to turn their heads. N Goi stood up slowly. Her heart began to beat faster, though she did not know why.
The sound grew closer, closer, and closer. N Goi took one step forward. The street held its breath, and the sound of engines filled the air. The sound of engines did not stop. It grew louder. Goi stood very still, like her feet were glued to the ground. She could hear her own breathing. Slow, heavy, confused.
People on the street began to look around. “Which cars are those?” someone asked. “They sound expensive,” another person said. Goi lifted her head slowly. From the far end of the road, three black cars appeared. “They were shiny. They were clean. They were moving slowly, like they were not in a hurry.” Goi frowned.
Cars like that did not come to this street. [music] Never. The cars moved closer. People stepped away from the road. Some traders stopped selling [music] and stared. Madame BC came out of her shop and shaded her eyes. Ah, she said, “What is happening?” Go’s heart began to beat faster. She did not know why. The cars rolled closer and closer.
Then they slowed down. Then they stopped right in front of her shop. Goi gasped softly. She looked behind her, thinking maybe they were stopping for someone else. There was no one else, just her. Her small table, her old pot, her tired body. She took a step back. Her hands trembled. Me, she whispered.
The engines stopped running. The street went quiet. So quiet that Gozi could hear a bottle drop somewhere far away. People gathered closer. Why did they stop here? someone whispered. [music] “Is it police?” another asked. “They look too fine to be police,” someone replied. swallowed. Her mouth felt dry.
One of the car doors opened. Then another, then the third. Three [music] men stepped out. They were tall. They were clean. They wore neat clothes that looked expensive even from far away. Their shoes shone under the sun. Go’s heart pounded hard. The men stood still for a moment and looked around. They did not smile.
They did not talk. They looked serious. People began to whisper loudly now. Who are they? Did someone steal? Is this woman in trouble? Madame BC crossed her arms and smiled. Finally, she muttered. Maybe she is being arrested. Goi heard her. Her chest tightened. One of the men looked straight at Nosei. Their eyes met.
Goi felt a strange shock run through her body. Something about the way he looked at her felt familiar. She shook her head. No, she whispered. It can’t be. The man looked away and spoke quietly to the others. Goi could not hear what he said. [music] The three men nodded. Then they began to walk toward her. Mosa’s legs felt weak.
