Page 30

Thirty

MILLIE

Millie often marvels at the way people—especially young people—say, so casually, that they’re not afraid of death. Maybe people say that only because they’ve never actually stopped to consider it, but the thing with Millie is, she’s been close to death so many times that she knows, beyond a shred of doubt, that she is very much frightened of dying. The numerous times that Father and Mother have punished her, Millie wailed and struggled, all of her sensibilities overwhelmed by a single overriding thought: I don’t want to die.

But right now, Millie is too weak to do anything much about it. She can’t remember the last time she was given any water or food. It must have been over two days ago. She should have known, really, that someone like her couldn’t possibly live for long. Certainly not the lifespan of the average American. As she lies curled up in her bed, she considers that phrase: the average American. She wishes she could be an average American. What a privilege that would be. In her hands are the origami flowers Thomas had made for her, and under her bed is the letter she has written for Vera. Channary has promised that she will take the letter when she has the opportunity and keep it until the time comes when Father and Mother decide she is old enough to start scamming men in person, then she will find Vera and hand it to her.

What would Vera think then? Millie closes her eyes and tries to imagine all of the possible reactions that Vera might have. She might cry or rail at anyone who would listen. She would probably tell her daughter-in-law, the cop. Or maybe she won’t tell her daughter-in-law right away because she might get scared. A small smile touches Millie’s mouth. Yeah, right. Vera getting scared? Unlikely. One thing is for sure though—Vera would definitely demand that Channary be her niece and make sure that she is okay.

“Penxi?” Channary calls from behind the wall. “Are you okay?”

“Yes.” A stupid lie, when it’s obvious she isn’t. Her voice comes out cracked and raw.

“I’m scared.”

It takes so much energy to say, “Don’t be.”

There is a sniffle. “Are they going to kill you?”

Millie takes a long time to ponder the question, wondering if she should lie to Channary, but what is the point? Best for Channary to learn now just how dangerous Mother and Father can be. “Yes.” How foolish Millie has been, to think that if she just behaved, if she just remained obedient, that she might one day be free. And now she’ll end up just the same way as the others before her. Poor Thomas. She hopes he wasn’t too scared when the time came.

Channary weeps quietly. Millie wishes she could wrap her arms around the kid. She tries to think of some piece of advice to give her, some wisdom that might help her, but her mind is blank. Finally, she says, “Don’t forget your real name.”

There is a loud boom, and shouts explode inside the warehouse. Millie jerks up, her heart pounding.

“Penxi? What’s happening?”

“I don’t know.” Adrenaline pulses through her, giving her some strength. She pushes herself off the bed and tries to stand, but her legs are too weak and she falls, landing heavily on the floor. Pain lances up her arms and legs, and she gasps. There are more shouts from outside. She needs to know what is happening. She crawls to the door and presses her ear up against it.

People are shouting, “Get down! Hands behind your head! Down!”

Millie gasps. “It’s the police,” she whispers. “It’s the cops.” One last burst of energy shoots through her and she slams her fists against the door. “Help!” she screams. “Help us! We’re in here!”

In the room next door, she can hear Channary doing the same, shrieking and kicking at her door. Down the hallway, every door is being pounded at by her siblings. Millie’s heart is racing so fast she feels like she’s going to explode. Footsteps pound down the hallway and someone shouts, “Get back from the door!”

She does so, moments before there is a thump so loud she feels it in her bones. Then another thump, and the door is flung open. Two police officers file in, guns drawn, and Millie raises her hands.

They lower their guns after making sure there’s no one else in the room, then one of them says into his walkie-talkie, “We need a medic here.” When he looks at Millie, his face is sad. “Jesus. What have they done to you?”

There are a million thoughts buzzing through Millie’s mind, but when she opens her mouth, only one word comes out. “Channary.”

“Is that your name?” the cop says.

Millie shakes her head. “My sister is in there.” She points at the wall.

“They’ve got her.”

And sure enough, Millie hears her wails clearly now that her door has been opened too. Millie tries to walk, but her legs give out, and the cop catches her before she falls again.

“Whoa, take it easy. Come on, let’s get her out of here.”

Outside of the room, the warehouse is in chaos, with what seems like a dozen police officers marching around.

“Penxi!” Channary cries. She runs toward Millie and throws her arms around her. Millie sobs, and hand in hand, they stumble down the hallway.

On the first floor, Millie finally sees the sight she’s been dreaming of for over ten years. Father and Mother are being marched out with their hands cuffed behind their backs, their expressions mutinous.

Mother catches sight of her and snarls, “You little bitch. You did this. You’re gonna be sorry.”

“That’s enough,” the police officer holding Mother growls. It’s Selena. She meets Millie’s eye and gives her a little nod, and Millie returns it, then hangs back and watches as Father and Mother are led outside.

“What’s going to happen to Father and Mother?” Channary says.

“Oh, they’re gonna go away for a long time,” the cop holding Millie says.

Millie’s throat closes up with tears. If only Thomas could see this. And Yara. And Robert. Yara would say something snarky, like, “Who’s the bitch now, bitch?” She smiles inwardly. I didn’t do this , she thinks. Thomas, you did it.

Outside, Millie takes in great big gulps of the cold fresh air. Someone wraps a foil blanket around her and leads her to a waiting ambulance. Someone else says something about severe dehydration, and Millie nods, letting them lower her onto a stretcher. There is a sharp pain at the back of her hand, and when she looks down, she sees that someone has stuck a needle in it and is in the process of hooking her up to an IV drip. Channary is still holding her other hand, and Millie squeezes it to let her know it’s okay.

There are more shouts, and Millie stiffens, but then Selena’s voice says, “Let her through.”

And moments later, Millie hears a familiar voice snapping, “Aiya! You hear my daughter-in-law! Let me through! My niece is in there, I am family.”

“What’s happening?” Channary says.

Millie smiles. Already, thanks to the IV drip, she’s feeling a little less close to death’s door. “Something good.”

···

Penxi wakes up in the hospital room and isn’t surprised to see Vera sitting next to her bed. She’s been in here for three days now, and Vera hasn’t left her side at all. It’s been really nice having Vera there, though Penxi has been guilty of faking naps sometimes just to get Vera to stop talking.

“Penxi, ah, you know your eyes don’t close all the way when you sleep?” Vera says by way of greeting.

Penxi yawns, rubbing her eyes. “Yeah?”

“You should close them all the way, otherwise you give future husband or wife big scare.”

Penxi can’t help but laugh. “Okay, Vera, I’ll keep that in mind. Gonna be a while before I find a partner though. I think I need to just not date for a while.”

Vera nods. Then her face softens. “Selena give me your letter.”

“Oh?” Penxi’s cheeks warm as she thinks back to what she had written down. Argh, she’d written down literally everything, every dirty secret. When she wrote it, she didn’t think she would ever see Vera again. And now here she is, having to face her after all that stuff she wrote about scamming people.

Vera reaches out and places her hand on top of Penxi’s. “Penxi, ah, you are such brave girl. You been through so much.”

Penxi swallows thickly. “I’m a scammer.”

“You are human trafficking victim. No. You are human trafficking survivor.”

It still seems surreal to think of herself with that label. Even after talking to Selena and hearing those words from her. “Human traffickers” was what Selena had called Mother and Father. Penxi knows it’s true, but she never thought of herself as a victim of human trafficking.

Selena had assured her that the authorities would be reviewing her case with a sympathetic eye, given the circumstances, but still, Tilly had assigned one of his colleagues to represent Penxi anyway. He is unable to represent her himself due to a conflict of interest, but Vera says she will nag him into overseeing Penxi’s case and making sure they have the best people on it. It has been a very strange, very wild few days, and through it all, Vera has refused to leave her side, flapping fiercely at anyone she thinks might cause Penxi any distress.

“How is Channary settling in?” Penxi says.

“So-so. Has many nightmares. Julia say Emma start sleeping with Channary so she won’t be so scared.”

Penxi smiles at the thought of little Emma soothing Channary back to sleep after a nightmare.

“They are trying to find her parents back in Cambodia.”

“That’s good.”

“Adi and Robin have find your real parents, by the way.”

Penxi sits up. “What? How?”

“These teenagers with their phones, how do I know? I have their phone number right here. You want to give them call?”

Penxi’s mouth turns into a desert. It’s been so long. What would she say? “Do they know what happened to me?”

“Yes, I think police already talk to them.”

Penxi starts shaking. “I don’t know what to say to them. It’s been so long. What if they’re angry or upset or—”

Vera squeezes her hand. “Penxi, look at me.”

She does so, and lets the strength in Vera’s eyes wash across her whole body.

“You don’t have to say anything. They are your parents, they been so worried about you. They will only be happy to see you. I know this because I am a mother. Trust me.”

Somehow, Penxi manages a nod. She watches wordlessly, her thoughts a complete scramble, as Vera makes the call, then passes the phone to her.

Though she hasn’t heard their voices in over a decade, the moment they say, “Penxi? Is that you?” everything comes flooding back. Their smiling faces. The love in their eyes. The concern. She has forgotten what it was like to have real parents. Not Mother or Father.

Tears stream down Penxi’s face as she says, “Mama, Baba.”