Packed and ready to return to Phnom Penh not knowing what the future lies ahead. The treacherous part of his emotional being was the separation from his family, his beloved daughter and the country he loves so dearly. He had so much hope being a part of the rebuilding process, whether they be in small investments with his lifelong saving, making small donations to the local school, sponsor a child at the orphanage, or just helping out family members from both sides of his family and his wife’s.
Piseth’s mind was full of memories of good times and some bad times in their relationship together which now lasted over 10 years. There were bad days in their lives together, yet today has never been worst in his life time.
The rental taxi speeds faster and faster into the horizon not knowing the pain and anguish that Piseth was experiencing.
Poor Piseth, has the world turned upside down against him? For a purest of man always been honest with friends, family and those he came in contact with. He sacrificed ten years to help his cousins by helping to sponsor them as wives so that they have better opportunities to help a generation. Have all of the good deeds gone the opposite way and god’s way of providing rewards is to punish him?
Piseth turns to his diary in which he has been keeping daily entries about the changes and moments of his life. He begins to read an entry on how the sister-in-law tried to seduce him to fall in love with her. As he reads on, he begins to recollect the weeks leading up to the incidence where he was accused of raping his own sister-in-law.
Charya, the 15 years old sister-in-law, supposedly the victim has been infatuated with Piseth because of his good look, charm, and extremely nice personalities that he portrays.
One moment in time, Piseth writes, “she came so close to me and even asked me whether she can sit on my lap. I refused but she kept on making flirtatious approaches on me...”. Piseth writes, “my wife came back from the market and looked at me very suspiciously”. Sopheap was angry at the incidence yet it was something Piseth had never planned to do nor had the slightest thought about having an affair with his own sister-in-law.
The ordeal worsens as days passed. Charya became unusually close to Piseth and would always asked Piseth to go out in the evening for a drive to the center of town to buy fresh fruits or just to sit by Steung Sangker to enjoy the passing view of cars and motocycles. Charya and one of her cousins who happened to be hired by Piseth’s wife always accompanied Piseth and Charya to the town center in evening whenever they choose to go. Piseth knew in his heart that he did not want people to have the wrong impression about his relationship with his sister-in-law. In Cambodia people have a tendency to spread rumors like wild fire even though things are not true; especially involves love triangle.
One day, at the house, whilst Sopheap was out with her friends; Piseth found himself in a difficult situation where Charya came into his room and started to kiss him on his neck. Piseth was in shock and immediately told Charya to leave his room. Piseth felt that it was inappropriate act on the side of the Charya to lead him on. Nobody knew about the incidence except the cousin who hired as the mate of the house. She saw Charya leaving Piseth’s room but did not suspect anything else had happened.
As Piseth contemplates on the memories and different incidences that led up to the night he was drunk; he begins to have doubt about himself whether or not he ever committed the crime of rape to his own sister-in-law.
All the sudden, Piseth was awaken by sudden stop of the taxi in a town called Udong, in Kampong Speu province, known for its historical significance of being a capital city before Phnom Penh. In additions, the beautiful stupas and temples that are recently built on the Udong Mountain served as a reminder of the great Cambodia’s past.
Apparently, the taxi driver had miscalculated and hit a running cow. It was a small accident and the taxi driver proceeded on to Phnom Penh.
It was night fall when Piseth arrived in Phnom Penh. He had made prior arrangement to have some friends pick him up and stay with them for the night. It was nine in the evening when Piseth finally made it to his friend’s house across the Japanese bridge in a new housing development called Borey Sopheakmongkol.
It has been a long day for Piseth. At this juncture, his friends do not understand the mental anguish that Piseth was experiencing, but they suspected that Piseth was unusually upset over some thing.
To cheer Piseth up, some of his friends organized a dinner party because they also knew that he was going to depart to the USA in two days.
Off they went, to a restaurant nearby the new housing estate, called Washington. There is a local saying about going to the United States from Cambodia without using visa; particularly about this restaurant called Washington, equipped with modern hotel, Karaoke center, casino, massage parlor and fitness center. It was a place where the local Cambodians like to come out and enjoy their evenings with friends and families because of its friendly services, nice hostesses, and some famous singers providing entertainment all night long at no additional charge.
Piseth smiles in despair because he just has too much on his mind. A crowd of beer promotional girls swamped their table with all sorts of beer brands such as Love, Asahi, Heineken, and Tiger and of course the local favorite Angkor Beer, with their tagline “My Country, My Beer”.
It is normal that at a single table, five to six different brands are opened at the same time. This goes to show how beers are sold in places such Cambodia. Beers are sold mainly at restaurants and entertainment outlets through the use of promotional girls.
The strategies now have evolved into freelancing where the girls are not attached to the Beer Company, but work purely as independent agents on 100% commission. The girls can redeem their bottle caps for instant cash at the end of each night or they can save it for redemption at a later time.
These promotional schemes have led to probably one of the most detrimental developments in Cambodia’s history. A typical pay for an average garment worker in Cambodia earned about $40 dollars per month. In comparison, promotional girls have to force themselves to drink heavily to earn extra and most would resort to selling their bodies for extra income. As a result of the heaving drinking; most of these promotional girls encountered sexual abuse, unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. It will definitely become a ticking bomb for Cambodia in the nearest future to come.
One of the singers who came to sit by him asked Piseth why he was sad; but Piseth refused to tell, shrugged it off and diverted the questions to something else.
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