SOFT HAND

SOFT HAND
By Bunkong Tuon
I was in my room trying to sleep when I heard giggles outside my window. I opened the window to find out who was giggling and got slapped by a soft delicate hand. Because the afternoon sun was blinding me and therefore I could not see anything, I retreated in the corner of my room and began to weep. Then I told myself that I was a man's man and that I must return to the window and seek justice for the slap I wrongfully received earlier. When I returned to the window and stuck my head out, the same soft delicate hand slapped me again. Like before, I could not see the face behind that hand. Blinded by the glorious light of the sun, I stumbled back into the corner of my room and wept. While I was weeping, the giggles turned to laughers. More than ever, I felt insulted. I got up, straightened myself, put on my leather jacket and combat boots, and proceeded to exit the backdoor of the apartment to find the face behind that soft delicate hand. When I opened the exit door, once again, the same soft delicate hand was waiting to slap my face. I closed the door before it got a chance and ran into my room. I went to my corner, hands around my knees, and wept.