Chapter 4: Kettle Mountain

“There you are!  Our plane leaves in 15 minutes.” 

Blake nodded as he walked over to the magazine rack, thinking that he’d spotted a new issue of, Climbing.

A few minutes later—“Find something to read?”

“Yeah. I can’t believe it—there’s an article on Kettle Mountain inside.” Blake turned the pages until he came to the first picture.

“Wow, where’s that?”

“Isn’t that incredible? It’s located in the Adirondacks—past Lake George—near a little town named, Minerva.”

“Sounds like you’ve been there.”

“Oh yeah. My rock climbing club has been there a half dozen times.  I’m the one who told them about it because Kettle Mountain was where my dad went deer hunting when he was a teenager, back in the 60s.  Then, after Vietnam my mother took us kids up there every summer.  She told me that since this had been my father’s favorite place, that the easiest way to remember him was to enjoy the same things that he did—and just like she said, when I’m up there fishing on the Boreas River I can feel my dad inside me. 

Enjoying each others company and plenty of time to just sit back and relax during their flight, Blake promised to take Sutton fishing on the Boreas as soon as they could both get away.

It was 10:30 a.m. when their Northwest flight landed in Minneapolis. Only 15 minutes late. About an hour later a taxi dropped them off at their hotel—the weather was perfect.

“Let’s go to the desk and check-in before we get some lunch. You’ve got your own room.”

Blake followed, somewhat excited with the new surroundings. He had never been to Minneapolis. “Here’s your key—I just have to freshen up my uniform and make a call.”

“Sure, no problem. See you then—I’ll be sitting over there.”

Inside his room Sutton removed his uniform from the suitcase. Now that he was retired he seldom wore it but today he was going to. He just had to let it hang for a while. He got out a spray bottle and filled it with hot water from the tap. An old army trick. A light spray and a few minutes to dry out—all the wrinkles would be gone.

Sutton found Blake sitting in the lounge, thumbing through his magazine. “Come on Blake, let’s go to the café and get a bite to eat.”

“Good idea, I’m hungry.”

They each ordered the same thing—a club sandwich with French fries and ice tea.

“Blake, I decided not to call. Cold feet I guess. Look— after we eat, let’s just get a car and go on over there. We can probably give the letter to Nick’s wife and explain the whole thing in about an hour. Maybe later we’ll catch a movie or something.”

“Whatever you think is best, Major. I know this isn’t an easy thing to do.”

“Well, you’re right about that but it has to be done.”

“742 E. Conrad—our directions say it should be around the corner somewhere.” Blake studied the map intensely.

“There it is Blake. The white house with the blue shutters.”
 

Sutton slowed down and pulled the Ford to the curb. “Well Blake, let’s hope she’s home. Come on, we’ll knock on the door.”

Looking at the fancy railing as he stood at the front steps, Blake could feel his heart begin to race. Repelling down the side of a mountain was easier than this. Now he knew why Sutton had wanted him to come along. This was something that no one should have to do alone.

Sutton opened the screen door. He wasn’t sure if he should knock on the door or tap the small lion’s-head knocker to announce their presence. He reached out and knocked three times.

For a few moments both men stood perfectly still, each listening for someone inside to come to the door. There—the glass on the door began to slightly shimmer. Someone was coming.

Blake’s eyes were glued to the door handle when it suddenly turned. He wondered what Elini would look like.  “Yes, can I help you?”

Sutton seemed to be standing a little straighter. What he said next he must have rehearsed in his mind a hundred times. “Good afternoon. We may have the wrong address but I was wondering if you know Eleni Fotis. I think she used to live here and we have something to give her.”

The lady at the door stepped forward, backing them both up a few steps. “Eleni Fotis is my mother but I’m sorry, she died three weeks ago. Perhaps I can help you. My name is Maria Fotis.  Excuse me, I see you’re from the Army base.  Please, won’t you come in?”

Once inside, Maria motioned for the two men to sit. “I have some hot coffee on the stove—how do you gentlemen take yours?”

“Oh, that’s OK—please, we don’t want to intrude anymore than we have.” Sutton’s pleading seemed to go unnoticed because Maria was already half way to the kitchen.

Realizing the situation, Sutton turned to Blake and spoke. “Blake, how about you, how do you want your coffee?”

“Just some water, thank you.”

Turning around, “And you, Sir? Cream? Sugar?”

“Just black. Thank you.”

While Maria was preparing the drinks, Blake’s mind began to race like mad. It had never crossed his mind that Nick’s wife would be dead. Sutton was thinking the same thing.  He had calculated that she would be in her 40s.  She just passed away—no wonder the Army didn’t tell me.  

Looking around the room, Blake tried to calm down. The room looked inviting—a Holy Bible was open on a small table. There was also a drawing of a young girl hanging on the wall behind Major Sutton.  Impressed, Blake wondered who she was—obviously an expensive piece of art that her mother must have bought.  Maybe it was Maria when she was a young girl.

“Gentlemen, I know this sound impossible, but what if nothing else—what if Rama is still alive? Isn’t that possible?  He wasn’t a soldier. He could have gone home to this place after the war. He could still be there and if we could talk to him, he could tell us what happened to my father. What’s so wrong with that?” Again she looked straight into Blake’s eyes as she asked the question.

The flight back to Washington was a lot different from the flight they had just taken to Minneapolis. “I’m going to take her, Major. I know you don’t agree with her, but I do. I mean—at least I see a slight possibility. OK, chances are overwhelming that we’re not going to find her father but you have to admit—Rama—he might be alive. So I think there’s a possibility that we could either find him or find someone who knows him. When you consider that we just went all the way to Laos—believing that we might find that bomber—and we did all of that on a heck of a lot less evidence than we have now—I just feel that we need to pursue this to the end.” Not angry at Sutton, Blake looked at him for a sign that would tell him what to do next.

“Blake, you’re right. In some strange way there’s a chance. And Blake, there’s another thing. Something I never told you and the rest of the guys after I read Nick’s letter. Son, I think I should tell you now. There’s a dimension to this whole affair that I need to tell you. I would have told you all back there in the jungle but until now I just didn’t see how it would help.”

“What is it, Major?” Over the intercom the Captain announced they would be landing in 20 minutes—more than enough time for Sutton to tell Blake about Shining Brass and the American soldiers that had been abandoned in Vietnam—in other words: the dirty little secret.

“Blake, before I tell you, there’s one more thing. You know that General Samm isn’t going to pay for this one. If we’re going to Cambodia then it’s up to us to get there.”

“Yes Sir, I’ve been thinking about that.  I’m going to talk to my father.”

“No, don’t worry. You’ve heard about all the money us old bachelors have tucked away for rainy days. Well, the rain has started to fall.”  He then began to tell his young friend the saddest story of his life.

Sutton dropped Blake off at his house. It was just about time to call Maria. Blake had promised to call. She wanted to know what he and Sutton had talked about on their way back to Washington. In his mind’s eye Blake could see her dark hair and beautiful smile.

She was a brave woman and he liked that about her. She wasn’t afraid to hope for the impossible. Plus she had expressed her concerns well. There was some logic there. She was also able to see clues that he and Sutton had totally missed. In fact, one right after the other there seemed to be a whole string of clues that they had missed. The more he thought about her, the more he wanted to help her.

Hello, Maria? Yes, we made it back safely. Yeah, it’s raining pretty hard. Well, thank you—it was a real pleasure meeting you. No, I don’t think that. In fact, the more I think about what you said the more I agree with you. And Major Sutton has come around, too. Yes, he is a good person. I agree. That’s right, he wants to come with us. Believe me, Maria, Major Sutton wants to help you with all his heart. He was the one who sent your father to Vietnam in the first place and he doesn’t want to leave any stone unturned.  It just took him a little longer to shake off the belief that your dad is no longer alive. Yes, I do believe you. You’re 100% right. There’s still a chance.

By the way, that drawing in your living room.  Yes, the girl. Oh, you drew it!  I see.  No, I had no idea.  I thought maybe your mother had bought it. Well, in that case you are a very talented artist.  I really like it. Yes, someday I would like to see more.

OK, I’ll call you tomorrow night. Good bye.

________________________________________

A few months later Sutton held the three tickets in his hand. But just for a moment. Satisfied that everything was in order he returned them to his vest pocket. Who doesn’t double check at least once to see that their airline tickets are indeed where they’re suppose to be? Leaning back in his seat he looked across the terminal toward the food court. Inside the coffee shop he could see Blake and Maria putting the final touches on the three cups of hot coffee they had offered to fetch.

Two days of constant traveling passed slowly, mostly spent at 35,000 feet—more than enough time enough for both Maria and Blake to finish the paperbacks they had brought with them.  It was a pleasant surprise to discover how much they both enjoyed to read. Maria was reading, The Deed of Paksenarrion by Elizabeth Moon. At last the final leg for Thai Airway International arrived—only a few minutes left before setting down on the runway at Pochentong International Airport. Maria tugged on Blake’s arm to share the view from her window seat.  Sutton sat across the center aisle and was finishing his conversation with the guy who sat next to him.  It was around three o’clock in the afternoon when Maria took this photo.

Once on the ground and their luggage safe, Major Sutton immediately exchanged a substantial sum of U.S. dollars into riels while Blake and Maria stood outside the main terminal holding a cab. Soon the three of them were on their way through the streets of Phnom Penh, none of them exactly sure what the future held. Pulling her camera out, Maria was obviously thrilled by what she was seeing and tried to capture everything right out of the taxi’s open window.  Before she knew it she had managed to shoot nearly a dozen photos before the driver pulled up to their hotel—pictures that would one day go into a very special photo album.

Roughly forty minutes from the airport, the Sofitel Cambodiana is one of the best hotels in all of Cambodia and offers comfort comparable to 5-star hotels in other Southeast Asian countries.

Besides that, within Phnom Penh it has the best location, offering outstanding views of the Mekong, Tonle Sap and Bassac rivers. It’s also a short walk to the Royal Palace. At least for their first night’s stay in Cambodia, Sutton had arranged for the best—reflecting his deep desire that their adventure start off on a good note.

“No, you two go by yourselves. I’m going to visit the bar and check out all the beautiful ladies I’ve been seeing.”

“Are you sure Major Sutton,” Blake asked, almost sounding like his son?

“Positive, you two get going. I’m just teasing. A couple of beers and it’s bed time for me.”

Maria held on to Blake’s arm, turning to wave back at Major Sutton just as Blake reached to open the door. The two of them felt like newly arrived tourist at Disneyland—except this was for real.  Walking down Sisowath Quay, they took one of the local streets to the left so that Maria could take some candid shots of a typical afternoon in Phnom Penh, the capital city of Cambodia. 
 

With all the intrigue and planning that had consumed them over the past few months, the opportunity to just get out and see the sights was more than welcome. For the rest of the day they could put the Vietnam War, her father, Rama and Angkor Wat out of their minds and just have fun. It was obvious that they were falling in love. As evening approached, a lovely Cambodian sunset greeted them.   

Back at their hotel, Blake and Maria sat down in a romantic restaurant.  A sign announced that later there would be live music. Maria asked Blake if he could dance.  Over diner they talked about all the things they had just seen and the way the people lived.  Blake said that he especially liked the sunset.

Meanwhile, Sutton had found a comfortable seat at the bar. He found the local beer very refreshing. Instead of pulling out one of his own cigars, Sutton opted for something more exotic which turned out to be good choice. Turning in early, Sutton fell asleep in his room, exhausted from the day’s events. Two hours later, Blake stood outside Maria’s door. He held both her hands. Her touch and her eyes said, yes. Their first kiss said forever.

Earlier the next morning, just like they had agreed, everyone was packed and ready for their short flight to Siem Reap—a small town 125 miles north of Phnom Penh.