Old Girlfriend

A story from my father

My father was quite a ladie's man back in Laos. Many girls would fall in love with him because he was good-looking. My dad was 5'7", so back in Laos, he was considered a tall man. The OGs would always compliment him on how tall and handsome he was. They would jokingly offer their daughters to him for free.

Anyways, I remember my father telling me about a specific girlfriend he once had. He had many girlfriends, but this particular one, he liked a lot and had even planned on marrying her. (Note: At this time, my father was already married to my mom, and they already had a child together.)

Anyways, my father told me this old girlfriend of his was a very beautiful girl. She was tall, slim, had a nice body, and a beautiful personality. He said she would always smile while talking to him, and the men in the town and next town were jealous. (They assumed she had a thing for my dad but never knew for sure.) My dad and she dated secretly for about 1-2 months only. My dad and her were deeply in love. My mother, on the other hand, was sad, but back in laos, there was nothing a women could really do.

Anyway, my dad told my mom he was going to marry her. My father and grandparents got their plans together for a wedding until they heard that someone from out of town had already kidnapped his girlfriend to be their wife (which was very common back then in Laos).

My dad was devastated because there was nothing he could do about it. He eventually tried to let it go, but a few nights later, my dad had a weird dream. He dreamed that my mom was cooking up a meal, and his old girlfriend was there helping my mom cook. She was smiling at him like usual. She asked him if he was hungry, how he had been, and how come my dad hadn't gone to visit her anymore. (Note: She just got marry maybe 4 or 5 days ago.)

My dad replied, "I thought you got married already."

She just smiled and gently walked towards him. She held his hand and said, "No, they took me, but I came back home already." She continued, "(My dad's name), kuv nco nco koj os. Tuaj saib kuv mog." (I miss you. Please come visit me.)

Eventually the chicken crowed and woke my dad up. He felt his hand was uncovered and cold. He was all alone in bed because my mom already woke up and started cooking. My dad woke up with a strange and depressed feeling. He said, he felt as if something was missing in his life.

Later that day, he decided to go out of town to see his ex-girlfriend, which was about a 4 to 5 hour walk. My dad left with two of his single buddies Kao and Thai. (They often go talk to girls together, and they were more familiar with the town where my Dad's ex-girlfriend was currently living.)

My dad told me on they way there, Thai told him-(The guy who married your girlfriend is one of Kao's cousin's. He is short, stout, and kind of rich guy. He used to play soccer with us. You don't know him, but you have definitely seen him before.) Still my dad didn't know who he was and honestly didn't really care much.

When they finally got to the next town, it was almost dark. They quickly showed my dad's ex-girlfriend's house. It was a nice big house at the time, and there were a lot of people there too. My father and his friends all planned on doing their own business, and afterwards meet up at the second house to the left.

My dad said that he just walked around hoping to see his ex-girlfriend, but he didn't find her, so he tried to go find his friends instead because it quickly got dark, and there were few cats roaming town, which kind of gave him the creeps.

Eventually my dad walked by his ex-girlfriend's house again and saw her standing by tree next to the restroom smiling at him. (Note: Those times, people are very shy and embarrassed to see each other, especially if one got kidnapped for marriage. so my dad looked away and acted as if he didn't even see her. My dad didn't want to talk to her or anything too because talking to someone else's wife was shameful and troublesome, but he just wanted to see her one last time because he liked her a lot.)

Anyways my dad said he just hurried up to the spot where his friends said they would meet up, and he waited for about 20 minutes or less. Then he said he felt as if a sudden cold breeze was blowing behind his back. My dad said at the time, he didn't think much of it.

Eventually his friends all met up and discussed their business.

Kao then told them that he would be spending the night at this town because one of the relative's wife just pasted away yesterday night, and they didn't have all the people to go forward with the funeral, so he would attend and help out at the funeral, and leave after the funeral was done. Thai said he wanted to head home, but my dad convinced Thai to stay one more night, so then Thai decided to stay. (Note: My dad still wanted to see his ex-girlfriend again and hoped she will show up at the funeral. That way, it wouldn't be wrong for him to accidentally bump into her.)

They all slept a one of Kao's elder cousin's house. They all slept on a guest bed next to a wall. My dad was the first to fall asleep and had experienced sleep paralysis. He heard little kids running outside saying my dad's name and saying, "He is here. He is here!"

Then suddenly my dad saw a giant shadow hand, the size of 5 adult men's hands put together, and it was reaching towards him. After that my dad woke up and got scared from the dream. He woke Kao up and traded spots with him and slept through the night.

When they woke up, Kao said last night he heard cats crying and brushing against the walls and jokingly asked the reason why my dad got scared. My dad responded no and that he would tell Kao and Thai when they got back home because it was not good to speak of such things aloud while someone just recently passed away, so they left it at that.

That morning they ate and planned to visit the deceased's home to show their respect. They followed the OGs to the house, and eventually, the funeral was taking place at my dad's ex-girlfriend's house. My dad was pretty nervous of seeing his ex-girlfriend again, but he had a big heart because it was a big chance for him to bump into her unexpectedly but formally without getting into trouble.

When they went inside the house, my dad said he saw his ex-girlfriend crying at the corner of the house. The family was mourning for their loss, and some of the OGs were yelling and arguing.

Soon they were on their way to the deceased woman's on the nees [literal translation "Horse"](the bamboo carriage for the dead), and from about a few ft away, they saw the deceased. She looked bad. She was dark blue. Her face was swollen with blood coming out of her eyes and nose, and her tongue was pressed on her bottom lip. She looked very angry.

My dad and his friends tried to be respectful to the deceased's family and went next to the corpse. My dad took a good look at the dead woman and found out that the deceased was actually his ex-girlfriend. My dad was scared shitless now and looked around for his ex-girlfriend who he thought he saw earlier crying, but she was nowhere to be found.

My dad told me, at this time, he was thinking either his eyes playing tricks or she was haunting him.) Then he quickly rushed out of the house silently while pulling on Thai's arm and whispered to Thai, "Hey. We need to go home. I need to talk to you about something when we get back."

A few minutes later, Kao came outside looking for my dad and Thai. My dad then told Kao that Thai and him were heading home first.

Kao then asked, "Do you know who the deceased is?"

My dad in terror just nodded his head, and Kao quietly whispered to my dad and Thai that he just talked with the parents, and they said she was so upset after they kidnapped her and told the family that she hated the family and will haunt them when she died because they ruined her life and took her away from the one she loved.

She secretly drank poison and killed herself.

My dad said at this point, he got goosebumps all over his body and felt as if someone was following behind him. Thai quietly told Kao that it might not be good idea if my dad were here during the funeral, so Thai and my dad would be heading home first. Kao agreed.

My dad and Thai both walked home without looking back. On the way back, my dad said he was feeling tired and heavy. Thai and my dad decided to try and pick up the pace because they are in a forest and didn't want to rest because of what they found out.

My dad said at that time, it feel like a 10 or 15 lb rock being tied to his neck, arms, and legs.) Then my dad said he feel dizzy and suddenly tripped and fell. He couldn't stand back up. Thai had to help pick him up and motivated him to get back to town. At this point, my dad told me it felt like he was carrying a heavy backpack 60 lb that was pulling him down. It was very tiring.

Eventually, they reached their town. Thai helped aid my dad to my grandparents' house. Then my dad told Thai everything, and Thai was as freaked out as my dad was. My dad soon told my grandpa about these incidents. My grandpa is a shaman, so he tied a string for my dad, and gave my dad a vined necklace to wear.

When my dad came home, my mom asked him where he went. My dad said someone just passed away in the next town, and he just went to see who it was. My mom told my dad that he needed to be careful because this morning she had a weird dream that a rotten hen was biting and pulling on my dads pants around the ankle. My dad just told my mom it was nothing and that it was a silly dream.

A few days later, Kao came back, and my dad inform him about everything. Kao let my dad know that the family already buried her, but when they did, she look very rotten and mad. Kao also told my dad that her widowed husband said he dreamed of her coming to choke him, which was creepy.

Anyways a full week passed by, and nothing happened, so my dad decided take off the vine necklace because it was irritating him. He said it was raining a few times that week, and it makes the vine very itchy on his neck.

The day after the rain stopped, my parents decided to go farming. My dad/mom said while they went farming, my oldest sister wouldn't look at my dad or go to him at all. She would just cry and turn toward my mom like when kids cry and stop breathing for a bit if you know what I mean.

My mom watched my sister while my dad farmed all day. While my dad was farming, he said he heard a woman was calling his name down the road. My dad got nervous and called my mom's name, thinking it was her. Then the voice stoppe.

Eventually my mom put my sister to sleep and came out to help my dad farm, so my dad asked my mom if she called him earlier. She replied with a no.

My dad said at the moment, he knew something was a bit off, so he calmly told my mom to go in the farm house and start cooking because it looked like it might rain again.

After my dad quickly finished up on the field, he hurried in the farm house and told my mom to eat quickly because he was tired and wanted to sleep early.

Soon the rain was hitting hard again. My dad said that night it was lightning and thundering hard, so he went outside to gather as much dry wood as he could when he heard someone calling him outside.

He said to me, "It was pitch black outside, except for the little light in front of me, but each time the lightning flashed, I saw a figure of tall woman standing at the road toward the forest and field. It was floating and gliding towards the farm house."

My dad said he quickly gathered what he had and rushed inside the farm house. He then whispered some black magic words (kau khoom) on the string that held the door and tied it tightly. He told my mom to go to sleep right away.

That night my dad had the scariest nightmare. He dreamed he was back at her funeral again, and she was horrible looking with messy, long hair, Hmong clothes, a blue face, eyes were hallowed (My dad said qhov muag thob thob [literal translation "eye back back"].) and had rotten blood coming out of her it. She was laying at her nees (bamboo carriage bed for the dead).

He said she turned and looked at him, smiled then she got up off the nees, and she was smiling at my dad then did a mean face to him and was walking toward him. She then walked about 3 feet from him and said to him, "Kuv hu hu koj. Ua cas koj tsis teb kuv li. Koj tsis nco kuv lawm os? Kuv tuaj txog lawm os (my dad's name). Nrog kuv mus mog." (I have been calling you. How come you didn't answer me? You don"t miss me? I am here now (dad's name). Come with me.)"

My dad said she walked closer to him but did not touch or harm him. She was just talking to him. My dad was scared, but nicely told her, "You are not my wife. You belong to someone else. You are their people, not mine. Are you not embarrassed?"

Then she did a mad, ugly face and stuck her tongue out at him. She walked up to my dad's face then screamed. That made my dad jump and wake him up.

My dad said it was still pitch dark outside, maybe 1 or 2AM. He said it was dead silent. The only thing he heard was light rain and wet footsteps roaming outside the farm house. My dad said he was pretty scared from that nightmare and quietly woke my mom up.

When my mom woke up, she asked who was outside. My dad told my mom to be quiet, and she did. My dad told my mom that it might be bad people, so she needed to be quiet. That night, my dad and mom heard someone walking outside the farmhouse and quietly exhaling its breath. My dad told my mom to get some sleep, and when she did, he said some more magic words and prayers. He heard whatever it was let out an exhaling, "Heeeeeem." Then my dad said he somehow fell asleep even though he was scared.

Next morning my dad woke up early and lied to my mom and said he needed to use the restroom really bad, but he quickly grabbed a sharp sickle and walked outside the farm house. He saw small footprints like a cat's all over the farm house. He then spit three times. Then he cursed a few times too. He, then, entered the farm house and told my mom out loud, "Let's go grab some vegetables at the river, and we will come back to the farm house," but that was a cue for my parents to actually head home.

My dad told my grandparents about the incident at the farmhouse, and my mom said she also had a weird dream that someone was banging at the door and asking if anyone was home. My mom was about to open the door, but then my dad suddenly woke her up from the dream.

My dad finally told my mom about everything. My mom said she was scared for weeks and had bad nightmares. My grandpa did a big jingle bell for my mom, dad, and sister, changed my dad's name, etc.

After those incidents, my dad stopped dating girls for a while according to my mom. Nowadays when I ask him about this story (like yesterday to get full details to write this story), he would still get nervous, and he would never mentioned her name. He just calls her an old girlfriend.

The End...