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Sabaydii,
Here is the continuation of a series ‘Coming home’ entitled ‘My sister-in-law – the gracious host’
Hakphaang,
Kongkeo Saycocie
From the very first day in Muang Lao
Even for a short breath
They came to see me
My in-laws I couldn’t do without
For the entire stay in
They gave me wings
Taking me around the city
To the places I would like to see
To the areas I hadn’t seen before
My wife’s sister Senglavanh
Stuck in
Not long before the family left for
Being that she had a family of her own
And a husband committed to taking care of his aging parents
She lived on
With the hope
Things would be better
At the time of my visit
She shared an apartment
With her in-law by Wat Chanh
With she and her two sons on the second floor
Her husband Ai Thongsavath
Being from LuangPrabang[1]
From a family famous for making the silverware
The court even used
Continued that tradition
For all Lao to be proud of
Once in a while
In every other month
He would come down to
On his ship traveling between the two cities
Though not in his schedule
He came down anyway
To give me a sightseeing
Of the city I had left
Their apartment
Though quite small
With the dozens of shoes occupied the entrance door
Before the main room
Inside
The big bed crowded the room
Leaving only a small walkway
At the corner
A small refrigerator
Stood behind the dining table
While the TV set occupied another corner of the room
Outside
There was a veranda
Big enough to breathe a fresh air
Being a late summer day
I could see
Monks in their yellow robes
Busily working at the temple ground
At times
I would see people pushing their cart by
Past the old building
Past the muddy road
Long needed repaired
If not for the job at the French cultural center
With her own office and a computer to use
Everything would look grim
As the road and the building themselves
Equipped with the scooter
A contribution of the family living abroad
She dutifully took her two sons to school
One at the former Lycee
And another at the primary school
Before taking herself to work
Not far from the Lycee itself
In general
Her life looked hard
Still compared to the millions of Lao
She did have hope
A good job to hold on
A husband who loves her
A family to fall on in hard times
And two smart sons on the way
To make a make for themselves
Hang on my sister-in-law
One day
The brighter day will be shining on you
9.18.03