And kill them, they did..His two aunts and uncle living in the border were shot by the NLF. They were told to run and save their life..which they did and in the process were executed. When Le heard that the Vietcongs were preparing to take over South Vietnam in 1974, he began to make preparations to escape the country. He knew that if he stayed, he and his immediate family will be persecuted by the enemy. He arranged for his son to be repatriated ahead of him and his wife through an Army commander friend of his. He lost contact with his friend and didnt know where his son was.
He was standing at the ship’s railing looking out to the sea. He was feeling depressed and hopeless. Whats gonna happen to them in the US? He cannot even speak english and he did not know a single soul in there. When he paid for his and his wife’s passage on this ship, he was told that the moment they step on the US land, they’d be brief by the government and will be referred to the social service and after that, they’re gonna be on their own. It made him feeling restless and sleepless. He turned to look at his wife beside him. She was holding the bible and mouthing “Dont worry Le, God is gonna take care of us”. But those words did not even register. In his mind, he was thinking of the vast challenge ahead. He’s tired, and he thought “What If I’d just jump from this ship?”. He started to walk towards the edge and look on the waters.
They were interviewed and asked lotta questions ( they were helped by a vietnamese interpreter ) and were sitting at one of the cells of the bureau when they were summoned to see somebody. They were out of the door and were shown a couple whom they thought they knew. They looked familiar to him but…he couldnt placed the faces. couldnt remember, unless “Holy Christ!..he couldnt be!!” Trang, one his grandfather’s brother who were trying to convince him to leave Vietnam seven years ago. He looked old and frail but healthy and smiling. He ran and hugged him, they were both crying like children. just couldnt stop themselves.
After getting clearance from the social service, and chatting with his grandfather for a bit in between sobs, they went to his gramps place. It was not big, but he owns the house. He was able to buy himself a bakery at one of the busiest mall in his local area and asked Le and his wife if they wanna work there. Of course Le accepted. Trang is family and they need a job to survive in America and what good place to start than with a relative.
One day, his grandfather had a heart attack at 71 years old. He couldnt recover from it so the family decided to sell the Bakery. Le loved working on it and thought, whats gonna happened to them now? Trang was selling it for 90 grand and as much as he wanna buy it, he couldnt..He only saved 35 grand. However, being a savvy businessman that he was, he negotiated to buy the bakery from his grandfather and agreed to pay his balance monthly. Without hesitation, his grandfather agreed and Le now owns the Bakery.
That Sunday, he kneel down on the church pews and thanked God. HE did not forget him and his wife after all.. A tear fell while he silently prayed and remembered Psalm 23..The Lord sheperded him and his wife and he did not want any…and he will dwell in the House of the Lord forever..That Sunday, they stayed longer in the church and petition God for his Son..Every day and night that they were here, he had been praying for him..He knows that God is looking after him too and he has faith that one day, they’re going to be reunited again.
A father is the person who brings you to school on that first day. He is the one who fixes your uniform, shines your school shoes, and cleans your lunchbox. He is the guy whom the principal calls because you did something nasty in school, like playing in the mud or punching your classmate on the nose. He is the guy who helps you answer all your assignments and fix those school home economics projects. At the end of the day, he is the one who picks you up from school and tucks you in your bed after reading a beautiful fairy tale to make you sleep.
A father is the person who guides you to choose what course you want and where to find for it. A father plots your course through destiny and guides you in the best course of action. A father forgives you if you have walked a wrong path, and still takes you in after you have left him. A father protects you and makes you invincible from harm and He is the person who lets you know where you have gone wrong and he is willing to sacrifice his life, his dignity, and his love, so you will get the best treatment a son could ever have.
