2-The kindly elder brother

I had known Huyen's family since my childhood, but I lost track of them for over ten years when my parents and I moved from Viet Nam to Cambodia.

When we returned to Saigon in 1963, my father bought a house next to Uncle Luu Hung's. I used to meet Huyen when he was on leave, a couple of times each year. He was a very quiet person. Even though he did not speak much, his sisters were afraid of him. Each time he gave an order, they showed strict obedience.

Our houses were located at the end of Vuon Chuoi (Banana Grove) Street, near Professor Nguyen Sa's Van Hoc School. Once in a while a few gang members would come to cause trouble in our neighborhood. Each time one of them harassed someone or started a fight, we girls reported it to Huyen, but he smiled gently and ignored it.