Nyein Kyaw - Love Zone

1

It seemed as if gold was hidden among the emerald leaves. As we approached from afar, the beauty of the forest and the surrounding mountains became more and more vivid. The leaves were falling in a dizzying manner. Green leaves of different shades could be seen along the path along the mountain. The shapes of the leaves were varied. The appearance of the new leaves was full of awe-inspiring power. The shoots of the crickets were covered with rare colors, pale green and yellow, and red. The young leaves that we could see from a distance were very similar to the colors of the old leaves that had fallen along the road.

“Where should I drive you?”

I got into the jeep I first saw at the rental car station in front of the airport. The driver started the engine and drove off when I got in. The road from the airport to the city was one-way. The driver was driving at full speed along that road. After driving for a mile or two, he asked. He asked me suddenly, and I was taken aback. I had to answer where I was going. There was no specific place to answer. So...

"Drive into the city"

After answering, I handed him a cigarette case. The driver took out a cigarette and lit it without slowing down. He returned the cigarette case to me. He held the cigarette butt in the corner of his mouth...

"What part of town?"

It's hard for me to answer. I'll have to answer in a way. But it's not good if he thinks I came to this city and this place without knowing where to stay.

"I'll send you to a tea shop. I'll go after I have some tea."

His left hand held a cigarette. The hand holding the cigarette rested on the handlebars. He turned to look at her and smiled. The driver's face was sharp, with a mustache, beard, and sideburns that had just been shaved. His skin was smooth. His eyes were medium-sized, and his cheekbones seemed to make his thick-skinned face look even bigger.

"Guests, I think."

His voice is the voice of an ethnic group. I can't guess which tribe he belongs to.

“How do you know?” the driver laughed.

“Nobody in this town rents a whole jeep. They rent it from the airport in groups of three, four, five. They rent it individually without much luggage. I only have this one suitcase. I know. I don’t have any plans where I’m going to stay. And I’ve only been here once or twice before.”

I was surprised. He smiled while smoking a cigarette... "I've been there once. How do you know?"

The driver carefully turned the sharp left turn. When he reached the straight road,

“The teacher asked me if I was in town for ten. Two years ago, it was ten. Now it’s twenty, maybe two years. And we’re called taxi drivers. People here, all the people who come from Mandalay, call us taxis. This has been the saying since my father was a driver. It’s still the same. When I heard the teacher call me taxi drivers, I knew that I wasn’t a resident of this town, or a regular visitor.”

I laughed. The driver smiled.

"That's right, you're not a detective."

The driver's smile immediately disappeared. He shook his head.

"No, sir. I'm a real taxi driver."

"Why, teacher?" I laughed again.

"It doesn't matter if it's not a real taxi. Because I didn't come to this city to do anything bad."

The driver's words made me smile and laugh...

“When you get to the city, ask me, Maung Hwa Aung. Everyone knows my name. Are you a student?”

I nodded. “From Yangon University. I came here for study.”

"Aw..." he lifted his chin in surprise. The muscles in his strong neck were tingling.

“How can I help you, sir?” He was still puffing on his cigarette and didn’t have the strength to answer. “Thank you, Ko Non Aung.”

We arrived at the road where the asphalt was layered. The loose sand and gravel were not sticking to the asphalt. They were scattered. We slowed down the car to a crawl. The sound of the car body, the sound of the wheels rubbing against the rough road were very loud.

"If it's hard to be a teacher, why don't you live in a monastery? I'm not calling because I'm stuck in the garage of my car owner. I don't own a house, teacher."

"I don't have any relatives in this city. I'm from Ganzi. Far north. If it's not milk, I'll invite you to stay with me."

I think he speaks openly. He lit a cigarette on the side of the road and...

“It’s no problem, Ko Noon Aung. I’ll stay at a guesthouse.”

Ko Noon Aung took a deep drag on his cigarette and blew out the smoke. He shook his head.

“There are no hostels in this town, sir.” “There are none, right?”

"Yes, sir, there are very few people who come here without relatives or friends. Government employees usually stay in their official residences. Very few people come without a host, sir. Even those who do come tend to stay in monasteries and police stations."

I was too distracted to speak. I looked at the road that cut through the two ravines. As I was still looking, the car arrived on the road. The sound of the wind was hitting my ears. It was blowing my hair. There was a cold breeze in the air. It felt like ice mist was being sprayed on my face. The cold mist was like a strong wind blowing all over my body.

“What is the purpose of your study, sir? Don’t think I’m curious. If I can help, I want to help. There are many ethnic groups here. There are Kachin, then Chin, Wa, Palaung, Lisu, Ossetian. Maru. Shan. Khamti. And there are many ethnic groups. There are also Dawei people, from the south and north. Mon and Karen. You will find cloth shops in the market. They are Rakhine. There are also many Burmese. The Chinese and the Kalas are not from their own group, they are mixed. There are even some Tibetans and Throns in the market. Tell me, sir, if you want to learn their language. I will help. I helped two French scholars who came four or five years ago.”

I think he is sincere. He probably speaks what is in his heart. He speaks quickly, but when he speaks quickly, he is more slurred, but I understand what he is saying. He can talk continuously. I remember him as a person who can talk a lot. I have only just met him. However, we are on friendly terms. The help he wants to give and the reason for my coming are two different things. To be honest, I have not yet had the chance to talk.

"That's not the subject, Ko Non Aung."

I remembered after I said that my sentence was out of place. If he wanted to ask, he would ask. It was still a conversational pattern. It was as I thought.

“Tell me about geology, sir. Some places are not known to people. About three or four months ago, some boys from our area found the iron ore mentioned in the newspaper. The chief came to check it out after we reported it to him. The problem is that, as the newspaper said, it will be iron that will be usable for three thousand years, sir. Where are we going? Now, little ones. If you want, sir, we can show you places where there are minerals and other things. We are going here and there, so there are many places that we cannot see ourselves. I have been to the very difficult Sumankha mountain range.”

It was because of the accommodation that they were in a hurry. I couldn’t hear Ko Ngon Aung’s friendly and helpful words. If I spoke to him, he would talk back. So I just nodded my head in agreement. Ko Ngon Aung’s mineral words were ringing in my ears. I looked at him and smiled and nodded in social interaction, but my mind wandered once and then again. In my ears, I could hear my grandfather’s knocking, my grandmother’s worrying, my father’s laughing, my mother’s cleaning, my sister’s sighing, my brother’s scratching his head. The voices were ringing. Although I couldn’t hear the crackling in my ears, I could definitely hear the soft, familiar sounds of conversation. By now, my mother and I had probably read my letter. Except for knowing that I had arrived at that place, they would not be less worried. Even if they didn’t know where they were, knowing exactly where they were would be a great relief. However, since I am not in front of their eyes, they will not be completely at peace in any way.

My grandfather couldn't come with me. My grandfather has arthritis that can occur when he walks a lot. In addition, my grandmother has high blood pressure and is taking care of her. My father has a very important national duty full-time. My mother has taken leave from her high school students and can't come with her. My sister might be able to take leave from her assistant lecturer's department. However, it would be difficult to come on the trip without a companion. My brother is a student at the Institute of Technology and will not be able to come because he has canceled his studies. It's a good thing that no one else can come.

I don't know how long I will stay in the city.

I still can't predict which day I'll see Yu. I can't tell you which house in the city Yu will be in. I still can't think of how I'll even try to get word of Yu's whereabouts.

"When you reach the front camp, will you listen?"

He threw away his cigarette and opened his eyes wide. He turned to look at me.

“Is there a tea shop?” He shook his head. Then he smiled.

"It has to be Chinese food. And a variety of alcohol. The tea has to be drunk when you get to the city. The alcohol is all kinds. From kang yi to Johnny Car and Bike High."

I smiled. "I won't stop. I don't like alcohol, Ko Non Aung."//

"It's best not to drink. I've even cut down on smoking. I only smoke two cigarettes a day."

My servant laughed. "Even if it's less, it's forty rolls. I like it."

He laughed too. He slowed down the engine. The scene ahead looked like a village of four houses. Four thatched-roof buildings. It was located on the edge of a forest next to an asphalt road. Nearby, I saw a buffalo cart. Two trucks were parked in front of a shop. I looked at the road in front of the buildings. I saw some people eating. Ko Nang Aung shouted something at the road in front of the camp. I noticed it was in an ethnic language. I didn’t understand what language it was. The two men who were repairing the car turned around. They waved at him and shouted back. When they passed the camp, they picked up the engine. I looked at the speedometer. The red arrow was passing between thirty and forty. The wind from the front of the car blew the two flaps of my jacket. The engine was no longer making a sound. The sound of a dog's teeth grinding against each other was deafening.