Of Tender Mercies and Longings

Of Tender Mercies and Longings

They were not yet sixteen, but nourished and sustained by a diet rich with dairy products and bovine flesh saturated with growth hormones, they blossomed under the sun and on the high plateaus of New Mexico, and exuded a raw, heart-pulsating sexuality and a blinding beauty to match. Their proud and concerned parents had warned them of the dangers of life and the treacheries of the human heart. But they were too confident to listen and too young to understand. 

One day a Summer shower passed through town. The girls took refuge under an umbrella underneath a mesquite tree. An old man with a young heart happened to drive by. Their beauty and budding sexuality reminded him of the lines a certain man had plagiarized: 

Áo nàng vàng anh sẽ yêu em đó

Áo nàng xanh, anh mãi nhớ em kia

Hai em tươi cười thân hình nhỏ thó

Áo ướt rồi, anh ngắm mãi không "dìa"

I'll fall in love with the girl with a yellow dress 

But I will ever remember the young lady in blue

How beautiful the slender figures, how radiant the smiles

Wet are your dresses, and from them I can't take off my eyes

-Dirty old man, go away! You're embarrassing us!

-I may be old, but dirty I never am. Please forgive me. I can't help myself. I can't hide from what I admire. Be that as it may, I now see you ladies are shivering. Be careful. You may get a cold. And that may mar your beauty. Where do you live? I'd be glad to take you home. This rain looks like it's not going to end soon.

-Our Mommy told us not to get into a car with a stranger

-Your mother was absolutely right. The world we live in is full of evils. Beware of the treacheries of the human heart. Anyway, nice to meet you two. Thanks for talking to me. For a brief moment, I went back in time when I was young and green and falling in love was such an easy thing to do. You take care.

-But wait a minute.

Wissai

August 4, 2014