I'm a Lonely Stranger Here

There were no people or cars on the road.

 I wiped the sweat from my face 

With the sleeve of my T-shirt.

The sun burned on my skin.

I took a sip of water that was left, 

And regretted my rough plan.

           It was summer and my boss and I had just arrived the day before at Noibai airport in Hanoi. It was the fifth time that we had come to Vietnam on business. 

           We had finished some work at the office then our cab took us to the hotel at 8 PM. We had a quick meal at the hotel restaurant, because my boss was tired from the long flight. After dinner, we parted ways with a promise to meet the next morning at 7 AM in the lobby.

        　I was not as tired as he was. Instead, I wanted to exercise and move my body rather than rest it. The Hanoi Club where we were staying was a nice enough hotel, but it had no gym. Thus, I made plans to get up early in the morning and go jogging. 

          There are many lakes in Hanoi. I had jogged near the hotel several times, usually on a course that circles around one of the lakes. I decided to try the largest lake, Ho Tay Lake.  It looked big. However, at that time I was physically fit enough to run a half marathon several times a year. So, I thought, “I’ll just run counterclockwise with the lake on my left. I can do it!” and did not research the course carefully. It was later that I discovered that the lake is huge, around 17km long and 5.3km2 in area.

          

         I got up at 5:00 AM but I wasn’t sleepy due to the fact that my body was still on Japan time. When I opened the curtains, I saw Ho Tay Lake shining in the morning sun. Yes, Ho Tay lake was right in front of this hotel! While admiring the beautiful scenery, I ate a banana. 

         I changed into a T-shirt and shorts, and put on my familiar jogging shoes. I looked up at the clock. It was still only 5:13 AM. I grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, and raced out of the room. 

          In the cool fresh morning air, I started my jog. It was quiet with few people or cars, and it was not too yet hot. My legs felt light like feathers. My plan was going well. I ran for the tall building on the other side of the lake.

         There was a boy fishing, a lady carrying baskets of fruit hanging off of long sticks that rested on her shoulders, a man preparing to open a diner, and a dog walking sleepily.

          Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion.

         When I passed by the building, I still had enough water left in my bottle, and enough energy left in my body. That meant maybe I had enough time to finish my jogging goal and meet the boss for breakfast. I wasn’t sure though since I didn’t have a watch. I am not usually in the habit of wearing one either at work or when jogging. 

          My internal timer told me it was ten minutes later and the straight road divided into left and right paths. I chose the left one on the lake side so as not to get lost, but I soon discovered that the path was tricky. After crossing several bridges, I began to feel that I had come a long distance. So, I stopped running along the lake and tried to go as straight as possible. 

           Soon, I could no longer see the lake on my left, but I believed that I had the right direction. After a while, I found a large park. Straight through there, I came to a big street. I remembered that there were no big streets around the lake. I suddenly realized that I was going in the wrong direction!

           I jogged along the street for a bit. but the road surface was bad and there were many people, so it was hard to run. Without any choice, I turned down a side path to run along the lake again.

           The sun was up and the heat made me lightheaded. I repeatedly took sips of water. My legs were getting heavy. 

How much more do I have to run? 

Is this really the right direction? 

What time is it now?

——I am lost

             My steps simply stopped, and my internal watch broke. At that moment, I saw a figure in the distance wearing what appeared to be a cone-shaped hat made of straw. With what little power I had left, I ran toward the person. As I approached, I knew that the person was an old lady. She was carrying baskets of vegetables. 

             I greeted her in Vietnamese. She anxiously returned my greeting but it was all the Vietnamese I could speak. I asked her what time it was with my poor English. However, she didn’t seem to understand. So, I pointed to my wrist and said, “Time!”  Then she pulled a pocket watch out of her pants, and thought for a moment, and said, “Seven.“

7 o’clock? 

OH NO!

My head went blank. 

My boss would scold me. 

No, wait!

That’s not enough. 

He would do more than that.

He might call the police! 

            I had to give up the rest of my run and go back to the hotel by cab. Looking around, I found a big building that looked to me like a hotel. I figured if it was a hotel, there must be some cabs waiting. With my hopes in hand, I checked it out only to find that it was not a hotel but an elementary school instead.

           Now I no longer had the energy to run. I returned staggeringly to the street that I had just left. Even though fatigued, I found myself humming an Eric Clapton tune.

’Cause I’m a lonely stranger here

Well beyond my day

And I don’t know what’s goin’on

I’ll be on my way

[Eric Clapton, "Lonely Stranger"]

           How many times have I sung the song?  When I finally, I reached the street, something unexpected happened!  A cab stopped right in front of me and a passenger got out. Summoning my strength, I ran to the cab and climbed in. The driver looked at me strangely. With a cool face, I pulled out the hotel key from my pocket and asked him to go there. Of course, I didn’t tell him that I didn’t have any money.

           I was relieved when the cab started moving. The air conditioning worked well and the leather seat cooled me down. I became a little sleepy. But, in no time at all, the cab arrived at my hotel. I was surprised at how close it was. 

           I confessed to having left my wallet in my room and asked the driver to wait for me to go get it. When I passed through the entrance, there was my boss standing in the lobby.  

Quickly I apologized, “I’m so sorry! I ‘m late!” 

Surely, he was going to scold me, I thought. But instead, he smiled and replied,

“Don’t worry. I just got here, too.”

 “What?”

I looked for a clock and found it above the front desk. I couldn’t believe my eyes. The hands on the clock pointed to 7:02 AM.

           Although the situation had me somewhat confused, I borrowed from my boss the much needed currency and paid the cab fee. Then he saw me sweating, and told me to take a shower and to change my clothes.

          While taking a cold shower, I activated my detective skills and reflected on why that old Vietnamese lady had said, “Seven.” 

          At last, I realized that she must have been telling me the rough time due to her poor English. Probably, it was still only about 6:45 AM when I spoke with her. Then I must have walked for about 10 minutes followed by a 5 minutes cab ride. 

         

The lonely stranger 

sat on the sofa, 

silently.

His heart was filled 

with memories.

Rough plans brought him 

Pleasure and worry.

Rough times brought him 

Tragedy and comedy.

The long, long journey 

Was finally over.

However,

The long, long day

 Was just beginning.

The lively stranger 

stood up from the sofa, 

strongly.

His body was not filled 

with breakfast 

yet.