The Distant Stars (Những ngôi sao xa xôi) - Lê Minh Khuê

[11] The Liaison Officer

 That afternoon, Thao and I had to run up the strategic hill three more times. We detonated eight more bombs. And the amount of earth rose to three thousand two hundred cubic meters. Every time, I tried to find excuses to keep Thao at home. But she was smart and it was hard to trick her. As she ran, her breathing grew more and more laborious. Small green veins stood out on her temples and across the backs of her hands. I was afraid she would collapse. And every time we came back, Nho would step out of the cave again and scowl, repeating:

-Thao! Thao!

 However, the last time, I was the one who nearly crawled back to the cave. Thao helped me lie down. I tried to open my closed eyes, which felt as if they were glued together, and didn't even know what I wanted now. 

-I'm sleepy! - I heard my voice floating by. Then, the coolness of the cave flowed in quickly as I fell asleep. 

 A squad of assault troopers came up from where they were building the road through the forest, who probably hadn't even eaten before they ran up the strategic hill... I heard their voices as if they were coming from far away. They asked about something and Thao answered them. They teased Nho. She got angry, then started laughing. Someone was singing softly... Someone's hair brushed against my cheek, then the sound of breathing came down from above, which was warm and covered me. I felt as if I were lying in my mother's arms.

-She's a Hanoian!

 I recognized the voice of the liaison officer and woke up immediately. He was a Hanoian, too. His father was an electrical worker and his mother was a clothing worker. At home, he had often played hooky and gotten bad grades. One time he rolled five bombs over a cliff, forcing them to go off down there so that they wouldn't damage the road. He was polite, hospitable, didn't smoke, and didn't flirt with us girls. As for us, we wouldn't leave him alone.

-Hey! If you go out with your sweetheart, for sure you'll force her to cut her hair, wear a suit and black boots, won't you? He looked uncomfortable, scratched his head, and blushed deeply:

-In everything, there are always exceptions, dear ladies! Anyway, I've never been in love. 

 I opened my eyes. The cave had grown dark already. The small light had already been lit on the top of the ammunition trunk. A picture of Uncle Ho was glued onto the middle of a piece of large white paper. Just beneath it, an empty explosives canister held a bunch of fresh flowers. We always had flowers there, but in the lamplight, I couldn't tell their colors. Maybe someone had just brought us these. We were a priority. The liaison officer was boiling some water, his back turned to us, as solid as a bedboard. But when he stood up, I saw that his slender waist was as agile as a ping-pong player's and attractive...