To Touch the Stars by Jeremy Pack

Author:Jeremy Pack [Pack, Jeremy]
Language: nld
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12

October 1974

THE central market in Phnom Penh was bustling with

traffic. Torrential downpours had kept people indoors

for most of the week, and because of the rare

appearance of clear skies in the middle of the monsoon

season, the marketplace was unusualy crowded. It

wasn’t just the fair weather that packed the bazaar,

though. Since the Khmer Rouge bombardment had

intensified and the trickle of refugees had resolved into a

flood, the whole city was bursting at the seams. Down

on the Mekong, a shantytown had sprung up. Hovels

constructed of sheet metal, wood scraps, and whatever

other materials could be scrounged together huddled

along the riverbank. By day, the citizens of this

impromptu vilage poured out of the slums to escape the

deplorable conditions and eke out an existence begging

or doing odd jobs.

Once the influx of exiles from the countryside had

begun in earnest, Alex and Tait had opted to relocate

from the Hotel Le Royal to a two-bedroom cottage in

the northeastern suburbs. This afforded them some

respite from the chaos that existed in the city’s heart.

Their little house had a good view of the river and

Wat Phnom. It was sparsely furnished and plain, but

since they were both accustomed to living in hotel

rooms, it didn’t matter. At first, Tait had been

ambivalent about rooming with Alex. He’d never shared

a home with anyone before, and he wasn’t sure how

he’d adapt. As it turned out, their routines were

surprisingly compatible. Each preferred solitude, so

even though they cohabitated, not much changed. They

would spend the day working, share an evening meal as

they always had, and retire to their own rooms for the

night. They didn’t see each other any more or less than

they had when they had been living in separate quarters.

Tait spent most evenings reading or catching up on

the news back in the States. Occasionaly, during

periods of intense bombardment, they would sit

together on the balcony and watch the flash of munitions

exploding far in the distance. Now that the monsoons

were in ful swing, the ground fighting had scaled back

considerably, and it had been some time since they had

engaged in that activity. The quiet was unusual, but

welcome.

Tait and Alex made a habit of going to the central

market in Phnom Penh once or twice a week to

purchase food and supplies, and they always went

together. Tait found he enjoyed these outings with Alex

because it broke up the routine and made him feel like

they were living something of a normal life. Bombs

might be faling al around them, people might be dying,

and any day the Khmer Rouge could overrun Phnom

Penh, but for now they were safe, and to some degree,

happy.

As they browsed the marketplace, Alex stopped

suddenly and gaped in disgust at a vendor stal packed

to overflowing with US-made military supplies. “Look

at that.” Tait folowed her gaze. Fatigues and

ammunition clips, mosquito nets and helmets, boots and

canned food rations overflowed from every surface in

the booth. Alex scowled as she shook her head at the

display.

Tait walked up to the stal and perused the goods.

“Where did these come from?” he asked the toothless

man huddled in a darkened corner. The vendor feigned

ignorance and looked quickly away, pretending not to

understand. The glimpse of fear in his eyes revealed that

he knew very wel what Tait had asked.

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