Swift Justice

Waking up in a cold sweat, Kevin’s eyes come into focus peering into the early morning dusk in his bedroom. He faintly sees his pretty wife Ling’s brown eyes showing concern. She is trying to comfort him while rapidly saying in her native Vietnamese tongue, “It’s only a bad dream! Kevin it’s only a bad dream!” Like the numerous times before the petite south East Asian woman sits up in bed, shaking her husband with both hands to wake him from his vivid dream. In Thomas’s unconscious slumber he was back serving as an Army Airborne Ranger fighting in the Vietnam War. He with his platoon was shooting it out with the Vietcong in the dense jungle in of South East Asia near the Cambodian border; it was the day of a fierce fire fight. “Whoo, honey, that one seemed so real!” Kevin tells his young Vietnamese wife wiping the beads of sweat from his brow with his hand. The memories of when he lived in the jungle surviving by the code of kill them first. A soldier in battle doesn’t want to give the enemy the chance to sneak up to eliminate him or anyone on his side. Combat that he was participating in years earlier still remains deep in the conscious of the Portland Police officer’s war stained mind from serving his country. The haunting dreams occur at least three times a month ending a peaceful night of rest sending Thomas into a panic attack that sometimes prevents him from getting back to sleep. “You need to seek the help of a psychiatrist to ease the scary thoughts that haunt you in your sleep honey!” Mrs. Thomas says to her shaken husband as she sits close to him on the bed that they share. Still feeling upset Linn remains speaking Vietnamese very fast to the man she loves. “Remember here in an America you need to stay in practice speaking English!” “Ha ha very funny Kevin! You know darn well my English is perfect! I think you realize that when I become emotional, I wind up speaking Vietnamese rapidly like a maniac.” Linn replies back speaking the usual English language that she studied hard for nearly a year to perfect. She spent many hours diligently trying to learn America’s dialect upon coming to the United States from Vietnam. Mrs. Thomas gets up from the bed, turns around at her husband, “Besides my dear husband. Just because I moved several thousands of miles from my country doesn’t make me a total different person. Deep down I am still the same old Ling from my small village in South Vietnam.” “I love it when you talk dirty to me! Come on give me a little lovin!” “No boom boom for you Mr. Thomas you don’t have enough time, you need to get ready for work! Go wash your face and shave off those tiny stubbles! While you are getting ready, I’ll start the coffee and fix some eggs for us.” “Sure would like that boom boom, but the coffee and eggs sounds mighty good also.” “Another time sweetheart I promise, now get to moving please!” Linn tells him as she pulls back the blankets leaving Kevin lying in his white brief underwear on their queen size mattress that is covered by a baby blue sheet. “Hey at least my horrible dreams are like my alarm clock honey!” Thomas tells his wife after turning and gazing at the small black metal wind up clock with the round face that’s sitting on his night table. The hands read seven minutes until its alarm is too loudly chime to wake him up for work. Fifteen minutes later, Kevin strolls into the dining room looking squared away in his dark blue police uniform with his colt forty five in its black leather holster on his hip. He is muscular from working out three times a week for years with his brother Seth and his friend Jimmy Radcliff from high school. Sitting down at the small rectangular dinner table that has a flower printed table cloth covering it, the policeman sips his cup of black coffee. A couple of minutes later Ling sets down a plate of hot scrambled eggs. “Thank you so much!” He says when she is making her way back to the stove to retrieve some eggs for herself out of the cast iron frying pan. Kevin waits until grace is said for the morning food; it is Linn’s turn to do the honor. “Thank you Lord for our food this morning. We owe you many thanks and praise for everything you do in our lives. Please keep my husband safe while he patrols the city’s sometimes dangerous streets.” They both say amen simultaneously prior to taking a bite. “My business is doing well now Kevin along with having employees that I can really rely on. Remember the time we talked about having kids?” “Uh huh!” He responds nonchalantly gazing at her. “What I’m trying to say is that I feel that we are financially stable enough to begin raising children!” “Honey kids would be a welcome addition in my life with you! I have pictured you as the mother of my children for quite some time in my thoughts!” Thomas tells her then gives his wife a pleasant grin. “I am so pleased that you are in accord with me on having little ones share our household!” Linn tells him as she appears to glow with happiness from her husband’s reply. Following eating his breakfast, Sergeant Thomas gives his wife a quick hug and a peck on the cheek before stepping out the front door. Monique