The Unwanted Read Online Free

them. I was the result of their brief liaison. My fair skin and curly hair spoke clearly of my father's dominant genes. Perhaps because my appearance made him recognize his own mortality, or because of my mother's irresistible charms, before he left the country permanently, my father emptied his bank account into her hands. The thirty-something-thousand U.S. dollars he left us was a great fortune for anyone in Vietnam. My mother used this money, and her connections, to secure herself a partnership in a bank.
    A few years later, she married another American, an officer, and Jimmy, my brother, was born. Jimmy's father left Nhatrang in 1971, with the last of the American troops, to go back home to his own family. He, too, was quite generous. The money he left us helped to pay off the mortgages my mother had on the mansion and provided some needed renovations. My mother also had the tall wall erected around the mansion, which not only shielded the house from outsiders' curiosity but also sealed us up, as if covering something shameful. We were meant never to be discovered.
    Now though, my mother realized that no wall on Earth would protect us from being ostracized. The secrets that my mother had tried to protect so desperately were impossible to hide. Hopeless, she knew that we would grow up in an unforgiving society, as neglected as wild rice. Our only hope was to get out of Vietnam and move to a more accepting place. She looked at my grandparents sorrowfully, as she held my brother and me in her arms.
    “Daddy, forgive me,” she said. “For the sake of my children, I am leaving.”
    She turned to glare at Loan, and her voice deepened.
    “Loan, get the suitcases.”
    Then she told us, “Go and give your grandparents a kiss goodbye. Make it good. This will be the last time you see Grandpa and Grandma.”
    We did as we were told. My grandmother dropped her beads on the floor to reach for us. Her tears gushed down her wrinkled face as she kissed us with all of her love. My grandfather's embrace was so tight that it cut off my air supply for what seemed like an eternity. In our ears, he whispered how much he loved my brother and me. Then at last, the embrace broke as Loan reappeared at the door with the suitcases. With her help, we changed into our clothes, packed a few belongings, and headed for the van.
    “Take Loan with you. Maybe she can be of help,” my grandfather said, pushing the girl toward us.
    “What?” My mother stopped in the middle of the room. “She can't come with us. She doesn't have a ticket.”
    Lam spoke for the first time. “So what? We all know that you are a very powerful woman and that you could move a mountain if you had to. Nobody is asking that you move any mountain; we just want you to take care of this girl instead of abandoning her here. Come on! Give it a try, won't you? For once in your life, do something nice for someone else. Who knows? It might even make you a real human.” My mother glared at him as he continued. “Please, I think it could work. Right now, everything is very confusing out there. The police can't possibly check each and every person for passports. Even if they do ask for yours, the way you know people in this town, I am sure we could still sneak her out with us. But seriously, let's be honest. The problem isn't about whether you can or can't. It is whether you want to or not, isn't it?”
    “You shut up,” my mother said.
    “Sure, anything you say, madam.” He shrugged and walked away.
    “Take her with you,” my grandfather repeated. It was no longer a suggestion to my mother, it was a command. “I owe her father that much for the bullet we shared. I promised him I would take care of her, which I have done thus far. I want you to take this responsibility now. Do anything you can to help Loan—for me, please? Besides, she can watch over the kids. And hurry up. Go! Get out of here and save yourselves, all of you, and don't fight anymore, for heaven's sake. If for