The Destiny Boat

The Destiny Boat

              
                   1975 was the significant milestone of victory in Vietnam’s History. It’s the final year of the Vietnam War and also the birth of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. It seemed that the liberation to bring freedom to the country was something all Vietnamese should have been happy for; however, my grandparents’ family was not. In fact, the liberation was not considered as a “victory” to Southern Vietnam at that time, where the Republic government used to be. It is well known that after the Communist took over the country, many Southern Vietnamese tried to escape the country to the U.S. Therefore, the only way to leave the country at that time was to navigate the seas. Even though it was very risky because of Thai pirates and the storms, people still sold all of their property just to buy a ticket to get on a boat. My grandparents’ family was one of them. My grandparents had thirteen children, and they decided to send some of them on the boat, hoping they could seek for a better life somewhere overseas. Gambling with her life, my mom also got on the boat with her sister without knowing her life would change forever after that day.

“It was not easy”, said my mom. I bet it was not. Leaving the homeland and family to the unsecure destination was not an easy decision. She told me the day she stepped on the boat with her sister, she was scared. It was a very small boat but it was overloaded with people. For the Communism army not to know, my mom and others had to lie down on the bottom of the boat and be covered by a blanket. To be more secretive, they had to leave at night. Nonetheless, the plan of escape was very adventurous. The boatman took this small boat somewhere in the Pacific Ocean where they would stay for couple days while waiting for the bigger boat of other Republic countries to pick them up. Because of using the sea transportation, the waiting spot couldn’t be stable. Some boats were lucky, and they got picked up within three days, but that was very rare. On the other hand, Most of the boat got hijacked, lost or sank. My mom told me she was on the boat for more than three days hoping and waiting. As the reserved food was running out, the fear of dying increased for everybody on the boat. Lucky enough, they finally saw the big boat came to them. Everybody was happily waving to the big boat in tears, trying their best to make a sign. The big boat saw them and of course, picked them up. By the time everybody got in the boat, the joy immediately was replaced by the great shock: it was a Communist fishing boat. My mom and everybody else got arrested and were brought back to where they left.

Panic and disappointed, my mom didn’t know where her life would lead to. My mom and all the people on the boat, however, got arrested by the time they reached land. She told me, the communism army was very angry with the passengers. Furthermore, the army was yelling and shooting toward the group of people. My mom and her sister for the first time were scared for their lives. Fortunately, no one got shot. My mom and her sister were soon put in jail. “Those were the worst days of my life” said my mom with her eyes looking to nowhere. She said everything she did was strictly controlled. They set the time to sleep, wake up, shower and even to use the toilet. After three months got arrested, my mom and her sister were finally released. She soon realized the place she had been taken into custody for three months was Ca Mau, a small town in Southeastern Vietnam. As what Vietnamese always say “Within the bad luck, there’s good luck.” At this place, my mom met my dad for the first time. From what my mom told me that her first impression about my dad was an unattractive and old-fashion country guy. Knowing my mom’s and her sister’s situation, my dad decided to help them. He helped my mom to contact to her family in Saigon, letting them know about the failed plan. The kindness of my dad had touched my mom’s heart and she fell in love with him at that moment. As soon as my grandparents knew about the news, they soon picked up their daughters and went back to Saigon. My mom said goodbye to my dad, but she knew that her heart now belonged to this kind country man. After that, they, of course, still kept in touch. Soon enough, my dad moved to Saigon to find a job. “I wasn’t sure if that was his sleek excuse to be close to me” my mom told me with a smile on her face.  They officially went out and got married after two years of dating. 

After 1975, Saigon had changed its name into Ho Chi Minh City with a completely new image. All the property of the “old” Saigon now belonged to the new government. The “Saigoners” had to start their lives all over again. With two empty hands, the just married couple – my parents, started to build up their future. After the war and with the new government, the city was totally unorganized and disorderly. Finding a job at that time was very hard for my dad. In the end, he decided to work as “xe om”, which people considered as very low-class job. With this job, my dad had to spend the whole day outside at the crossroad with his second-hand motorcycle waiting to see if there was anyone wanting to pay for a ride. It was a very tiring job with little income. The income was actually depended on your luck. If it was your lucky day, you could have many customers who wanted rides. If not, you went home with a hungry stomach. However, for his strong love to my mom and me, who was just an infant inside my mom’s stomach, he didn’t complain about anything but continuing to work hard. Years and years went by and my parents finally had enough money to buy a house. My dad, with his kindness and laborious attitude, my dad soon had many good friends that helped him to get a better job. From a person who had nothing, now my dad has a small and stable business, a new house and a happy family. When I finished high school, my parents told me about their plan to send me to the U.S to study abroad. I was surprised. It was not an easy decision because studying abroad costs a lot. “But for your future, we are willing to do anything” said my mom. “Your grandparents always wanted this for me, now; it’s my duty to make it happen for you”. I was speechless.

Sometimes, I wonder what would have happened, if my mom had made it to America that year. For certain, she wouldn’t have met my dad and my brother and I wouldn’t have been born to this world. I’m glad that it happened. I’m grateful to be born in my family and to be my mom and my dad’s son. After my mom’s story, I do believe in fate. Everything happens for a reason. Therefore, on that destiny boat, my mom couldn’t get to where she wanted to, but she met my dad. “Never in my life, did I regret meeting your dad” my mom smiled.