With Anna In Saigon Ch 01

Not too long ago, my all-time favorite former student, Anna, whose actual name was Lam, had posted a photo of a painting by Monet on Facebook and added a lovely text on the beauty of beauty. Yes, touring the best art museums and galleries in Europe with Anna was probably the most enchanting vision of life I could develop.

As Europe was changing dramatically, at the moment - and definitely not to the better - I found comfort in the idea of being able to, one day, saunter through the

Ho Chi Minh City Museum of Fine Arts

with her. Anna was living and working in Saigon, as Vietnam's biggest city was customarily called.

I, on the other hand, was living in Central Vietnam, 600 miles north, together with my wife and our son, where Anna had attended school, including our private English Academy, and where her parents were still living with her younger brother. She also had a fraternal twin-sister, who looked totally different; she was almost chubby. Anna didn't fully trust her, though, as she had once told me.

Of course, it was absurd to seriously imagine traveling through Europe with Anna: Like I said, I was married and more than twice her age: While I was closer to 50 than to 40, she was only a tender twenty-one.

Well, twenty-one-and-a-half

. And yet, we both knew we had a very special connection, about which we had talked in the past.

We loved each other, like favorite student and teacher. Plus a bit more. A lot more, actually; at least, on my part. We had met a few times after she had graduated high school here, in our small nondescript town, before she had left for Saigon to attend university there.

Unfortunately, there had always been Chinh, too, a fellow student of hers from high school. He had also attended classes at the private English school, where I was teaching at the time, so I knew him fairly well. Their parents had been friends forever and, as young as Anna was, she needed someone to chaperone her. There was no other way.

Anna had favorably commented on my proposal to, at least, imagine what it would be like to mosey through the best art museums in Europe, and she agreed that we could go to the

Ho Chi Minh City Museum of Fine Arts

the next time I would be in Saigon.

Yes, that would be lovely and exciting

, she had said.

Now, the problem was: When would I be able to find an excuse to go to Saigon? And under what pretext? Of course, I would also have to be alone on that trip, just in case it turned out that Anna would want to join me in my hotel room. However, my passport was valid until October 2027, and we also had all the papers together that we needed for our son.

Well, there was a glimmer of hope, when the director of the small school where I was currently working asked me to attend a workshop for the new textbook series we had just introduced. In a few months, the lady from the publisher would be in Da Nang again, but, as it was only me who was using the new series with the older students, I could also fly down to Saigon for four days, our director suggested.

We agreed that we would split the cost: She would pay for my plane ticket and one decent meal per day, while I would take care of the hotel.

That would be better than waiting for several months, teaching without the proper introduction to the new books and the additional material available, wouldn't it?

I had persuaded her.

As the publisher's course in Saigon went from Wednesday to Friday, I booked plane tickets from Tuesday to Saturday, since I knew that Anna had to work on Saturday evenings, anyway. She had two jobs, actually: the one in the evening was with

Zalo

, a social networking site, here in Vietnam.

Of course, Anna was super-excited when I told her I was coming to Saigon and told me that her day-job was kinda flexible and only required her to be in the office for two or three hours in the morning and the afternoon, each. Her gig with

Zalo

went from five-thirty to eight in the evening, six days a week, except on Fridays.

We agreed that she wouldn't pick me up from the airport but meet me in the evening, instead. We could grab a bite to eat and forge plans for the week. Of course, I was intrigued that she would want to see me already on Tuesday evening and, overall, more than once, apparently.

After knowing each other for almost eight years, this would be the first time we would spend together, just the two of us.

Or would she bring Chinh?

After all, he was also living in Saigon. Well, I wouldn't mind seeing him once: He was handsome and smart. I had actually met him without Anna for beers in their hometown; just not her without him.

I now remembered that Anna had lied to her parents to see me in the evening at the only bar that had beer on tap in her hometown: She had told her mom that she would go for coffee and had Chinh pick her up, who then delivered her to the aforementioned bar, where I had been waiting impatiently, smoking one cigarette after the other. Chinh probably knew that I incurably loved her.

Yes, Anna's mother was fairly strict and had always called her around quarter-to-ten, every time at that bar. Once, even Anna's grandma did, who was also living at their house. Maybe that would happen again but now, there were 600 miles between Anna and her family. And Anna also had a long lunch break from about eleven to half past two in the afternoon.

Anna probably couldn't or wouldn't want to stay overnight, would she?

Of course, I had dreamed about her doing exactly that, perhaps two-hundred times already. Now again, as I was waiting at the modest departure lounge of our small provincial airport. At least, they had decent food for moderate prices, so that I could easily kill some time.

Anna had just texted me when and where we would meet tonight: Just after eight, at the large, yellowish-orange phone store, one block behind the Presidential Palace. At the huge roundabout. Of course, she didn't want me to come directly to her office, as people would see me there and then ask her the next day who the older foreigner was she had met.

Since there were only ten or fifteen planes per day here, at Chu Lai airport, everything went smooth and easy. As I had an aisle seat, I envisioned our time together in Saigon over the next few days and kept reminiscing about gorgeous, willowy Anna; especially, how she had often bobbed her slender naked legs under her grey badminton dress.

And spread them, by 90 degrees

. I still didn't know if, back then, Anna had just been cold, as skinny as she was, or if she had truly been aroused. I had also caught her looking at me quite often, for much longer than is customary between student and teacher. And she had sometimes seemed upset when my wife had visited our classroom.

I still couldn't really imagine that she would have sex with me. And yet, that was all I did.

Incessantly

. I couldn't think of anything else.

Was she still a virgin, like so many upper-middle-class girls in Vietnam, who preserved themselves for marriage?

Of course, I hadn't forgotten that I was married, but my wife and I had stopped having sex years ago. We were living together like friends, which wasn't the worst option or situation. Although she hadn't been part of the upper middle-class, she also had stayed a virgin until our wedding.

Well, almost

. After we had gotten engaged, officially, petting in the park was suddenly okay. She had also visited me a few times in the hotel room where I was living, in the morning, when there wasn't much to do at the nearby restaurant where she was working at the time.

After our son had been born, we shared one bed, until that robbed me of too much sleep and so, we decided to spend the nights in separate bedrooms. In addition, my wife liked going to bed around half past eight, whereas I often worked until almost nine. Obviously, I wouldn't sleep before midnight.

I just couldn't

.

And then, during the strict Covid-lockdown, when we all were confined to our houses for months, my wife and I couldn't find the time or place to have sex. Our son never was a good napper; once, we tried, until he showed up in the bedroom door and started crying bitterly. Which broke my heart.

Temporarily

. I don't know about my wife's.

The plane had landed, in the meantime, and we got on the bus that was waiting for us irrelevant passengers from the provinces on the tarmac. Since I only had carry-on luggage, I swiftly sauntered through the densely packed airport, but decided to pass the waving cab drivers and take the city bus, instead, which cost only about 25 cents.

I had been to Saigon multiple times and knew the city well. Said bus stopped near the apartment hotel that I had booked in advance, hoping that they wouldn't be as strict as at a regular hotel, where all guests had to register with the local police. I didn't dare to dream of Anna spending a whole night with me, but an hour in the afternoon, perhaps?

Would they allow her to just come up to my room with me?

Well, it was still illegal for unmarried couples to occupy a hotel room together but, all over Vietnam, unmarried couples went to small hotels that were renting rooms by the hour, for sex. Well, perhaps she would have to show her ID briefly to prove that she was 18 - and that would be it.

Couldn't I have asked the hotel about their policy in advance?

Well, I was too superstitious for that. Anna hadn't even given the slightest hint yet that she would want me to touch, kiss, and hold her. The condoms I used to carry in my wallet as a young man had usually remained there, until they expired.

And I found it simply impossible to discuss matters of the heart using electronic devices and digital communication channels. No, Anna and I would meet in person later today, and the chemistry between us would determine in which direction and how far we would develop our friendship over the next few days.

Maybe years

.

The concierge lady was already a bit older, about my age, but still pretty charming. She didn't look as if she would deny Anna access to the elevator, at noon, this Thursday or Friday. And if so, a 200,000-dong bill might do the trick. Which was like eight bucks; enough for one day in provincial Vietnam.

Easily

.

The room was pretty nice: subtle pastel colors, nice pictures on the walls, clean and friendly. Spacious, with modern appliances. I would have preferred a room with the balcony facing south, toward the city, but then, the north side meant that it wouldn't be as hot. I could probably even sleep with the balcony door open, as I didn't like A/C too much, although it was nice to have it now, in the afternoon.

The room even had two beds: a nice King-sized and a smaller single bed. Yes, everything was aesthetically pleasing if not outright charming. Since I didn't have any plans till eight, I took a quick shower, after which I lay down on the double bed to message my wife and Anna. I eventually dozed off, but when I woke up, neither of them had replied.

Probably since they both were working

. So, I dressed and went downstairs to saunter in the general direction, where I would meet Anna in three hours. Of course, here in District 1, everything was twice if not three times as expensive as elsewhere in Vietnam, but I hadn't been here for six years or so and enjoyed the cosmopolitan atmosphere.

Well, Anna and I had agreed to eat together later, but that was still hours away, and I was hungry. So, I went into an Indian restaurant, to which I had been nine years earlier with my mother and then, later, another former student of mine - who wasn't quite as ravishing as Anna.

Although she was ultra-slim and willowy, Anna didn't appear malnourished or even haggard. Like many young Vietnamese girls, she just had the genes. And then, her mother wasn't huge so perhaps, she had been short-changed a bit in the womb. As far as I remembered, Anna ate as much as other people and didn't explicitly try to stay slim. No, she had nice soft features.

But it wasn't just that Anna was stunningly beautiful to look at; she was also kind and caring, smart and witty.

And ultra-sensitive

. Of course, I would have loved to have her here with me, at the restaurant, but two tables over was, at least, another slender young woman with reddish dyed her, who reminded me of her.

And I would see Anna multiple times over the next few days, from what it sounded like.

Hopefully

. But perhaps she had a boyfriend now, as dazzling and strikingly charming as she was. That would only be normal, at her age, although she probably wanted to take her time with getting married and having children.

I couldn't even imagine her being pregnant, though, as narrow as her hips were; not much more than eight, perhaps nine inches wide.

Maybe she would develop some more, until she would be 25

, I had just thought to myself, when the waiter brought the appetizer plate, which I had ordered to leave some room for the food I would eat with Anna later.

Said plate, however, was packed with all kinds of things, such as samosas, and contained more food than a proper dish would have.

Oh, well

. The young lady over there, who reminded me of Anna, wasn't quite as gorgeous; the woman with her looked like her mother. They were talking quietly, and now that I was looking at them again, they didn't seem to be Vietnamese.

Korean, perhaps

. What I liked, though, was that both were wearing dresses, which is still common in this part of the world. Yes, Anna had worn quite an array of dresses over the years, more so than her peers. She really could wear anything, but pants would have made her legs look skinny, I guess.

The food wasn't great, though. Not bad, but I wouldn't come back here with Anna. I knew another Indian restaurant, which we could try together.

If the place was still there

. As that was still possible in Vietnam, I lit a ciggy to take a break from eating, and looked at the old-fashioned clock on the wall. I still had more than an-hour-and-a-half, before I would meet Anna.

My heart was already beating faster, it seemed. I ordered another beer, but when it arrived, I also asked for the check. Since I had so much time left, I decided not to take a cab; it was only about a mile to where we would meet. The cab driver might also get pissed if I only went on such a short ride.

The weather was nice, too: tropically warm, of course, but not too humid. Anna's office was near the

War Remnants Museum

, where I looked at the tanks and helicopters that the Vietnamese had captured during the war. On the way, I had also seen those two older fighter jets and the two tanks in the park surrounding the Presidential Palace.

I decided to buy ice-cream, so that Anna wouldn't smell the cigarette smoke on my breath and grew increasingly nervous, the closer I came to meeting her; like a teenager on or during his first date. Although Anna and I didn't even have a date tonight. Perhaps tomorrow. Or the next day.

At the Museum of Fine Arts

.

This year, over

Tet

, I had met Anna only very briefly, barely an hour, at a café. With Chinh, of course. Yes, would she ask him to chaperone her, at least once?

Hoping that I would like the idea?

She knew that I enjoyed his company. But then, she must understand that I liked her much more.

Like a man loves a woman

.

Or would she bring her twin-sister? Probably not, as I knew that Anna didn't trust her. Nhung didn't drink, for instance, and would rat Anna out to their mother if she caught her with an alcoholic beverage. Or with her former English teacher, who was more than twice her age. Nhung would probably relay that to their mother as well, hot off the press.

Did they actually have a Monet at the

Museum of Fine Arts

here, in Saigon? Probably not. We would find out. As nervous as I was, I lit another ciggy, when I arrived at that huge yellow phone store she had asked me wait in front of.

Fuck it

. Anna knew I smoked but had never complained or hinted that I shouldn't.

And we wouldn't kiss, anyway; here, in this busy location.

Or at all

. People didn't kiss in the street in Vietnam, not even married couples. Those less than ever. I remembered this roundabout from the week I had arrived in Vietnam for the every first time, more than ten years ago.

I had stayed in District 5, at a hotel that hadn't even been completed yet. When I had returned with my mother, a year later, still only four out of eight floors had been done. And yet, they had guests stay there. I wondered if it was complete now.

There were more cars today, everywhere in Vietnam. Even in our nondescript town, not too far from Da Nang. Vietnam had a luxury tax, which made cars twice as expensive, but people still hankered for them, even though many side streets in our town were too narrow. The little alley, where our house was, was just as wide as a modern SUV, with no room for error.

No, just the luxury tax wouldn't prevent people from buying cars. Which was probably not intended, anyway. There were quite a lot of electric vehicles, too, which were produced in Vietnam. Of course, this roundabout here was hell, as clogged as it was. But still, not as bad an Manila or Jakarta.

Soon. Maybe

.

As Anna hadn't arrived yet, I lit another ciggy and looked at my phone to see if she had written me a message and what the time was:

nine minutes after eight

. But now, I saw her moseying through the throng of people 40 yards away. She was wearing a red company polo with a blueish logo on her left chest as well as blue jeans, which she had combined with teal canvas sneakers.

We smiled at each other when she had come closer and then hugged very briefly. I pressed my nose into her hair, as she was about ten inches shorter than me, like most Vietnamese girls. A lot of ladies, like my wife, weren't even 4'9" or 10".

Anna's purse's brown leather strap was squeezing her little right boob, until she rearranged matters, so that it came to rest between her enticing hemispheres. She suggested going into a side street, where she knew a spiffy and hip bistro. As we were turning, I asked her where she actually lived:

"Not too far from here. I can walk to my house, later."

"I'll take you home," I instantly offered, although Vietnam was safe, for the most part.

Since Anna knew that I was in town for a few days, she wouldn't come to my hotel tonight, and I wouldn't ask her to. Luckily, we had a bit more time to refresh our friendship and let things develop more naturally. Yet, I didn't have any indication how far she would want to go.

Would Anna spend the last night with me, before I would fly home again, on Saturday?

Anyway, after we had sat down in the bistro, I confessed that I had already eaten dinner, while we were looking at the small, nicely laminated menu.

"We can eat together tomorrow," Anna smiled, looking at me.

Of course, I liked that she wasn't reproachful, as I hadn't waited to be able to eat together, but it was difficult to admire her, as we were sitting next to each other. The small joint was really busy. At least, our thighs were touching and I, at least, could feel the energy flowing back and forth between us.

As tender as Anna was, she hadn't ordered much, but still insisted on sharing the food. We were drinking some interesting tea concoction, with milk and tons of spices, which was super-popular in Vietnam. She seemed in good spirits but was tired from working all day, but when she apologized, I told her gently that there was no need:

"That's normal. Don't feel bad about being tired in the evening."

I noticed that she must have applied lipstick, just before she had left her office and told her how beautiful she looked, still: