"Sure!" answered Leena obediently. Then she lowered her head and started her dishes elegantly. Lee felt somewhat embarrassed at the sight of her refined manner of dining. Lee thought he looked like an ill-mannered hungry beggar compared to her. But well, never mind. The main priority was to get some food in him. They still had a long day ahead.
Half an hour later, they started their trip again after they finished their meal and got some rest. They had stayed in the service area for about one hour in total.
Still the same, Leena sat silently and watched the outside fly by. A long trip was always boring when they were squeezed into a small space. Now Kevin was driving. He took the turns with the steering wheel. They switched back and forth during the whole long journey. If someone drove too long, he might get too complacent, or tired.
"So, Lee, where are you from?" Leena was still a young girl brimming over with curiosity. So she found some random topic when she was extremely bored. This was something she knew nothing about. Hopefully he'd have something interesting to say.
"You probably wouldn't know it even if I told you the name. It's a rural area way out in the boonies." Lee was not happy when he talked about his hometown. Maybe if he weren't in the army, he would be farming the land in the cold winter wind now! Well, well, yes, there was his old and shabby home. How long would it stand? Everywhere in the village was held together with mud and love. The people were poor and the place was rundown. Lee felt frustrated.
"Sorry, Lee. Did I ask you something offensive? I didn't mean to." Leena felt sorry when Lee's tone shifted from bright to depressed. She turned to Kevin, expecting he would free her of this embarrassing situation. Unfortunately, Kevin was busy driving. So he did not notice her desperate expression.
"Oh, nothing. I'm just a little homesick and your question brought about those feelings. You reminded me of my family," Lee replied with an honest smile on the face. He was from a poor family. So he valued this chance a lot and would always do his best at work. That was also the reason he rarely went back home these days even though sometimes he missed his family badly. Trying to turn things around, Leena decided to ask Lee something else, "You haven't been home in a long time, have you?" Somehow Lee's reply made Leena feel down. She felt stuffy inside and a bit uncomfortable, just like a tightly crumpled ball of cotton.
"No! I've been back home exactly once since I joined up. My hometown is too far away, and I'd have to make special arrangements to leave. Even when I was eligible for leave, I left the chances to my fellow soldiers." Lee was originally in a good mood today. But now as they talked more about families, he could not help missing his family now. So he was quite depressed and upset.
"You can take some time off to go home this year. You can enjoy the Spring Festival with your family!" Kevin was a man so he seldom cared about those minor things. However, he couldn't help but notice Lee was working hard all the time. So he always took it out of his own pocket to increase Lee's pay. That was the most direct way he could figure out to support the man. As for leave? He really didn't think about it. But thanks to Leena's questions, he could offer Lee some time off. Now he heard that Lee's family seemed to be in a poor situation and he thought probably he should get to know more about him.
"Really? Major General?" Lee was extremely delighted to hear this. This way, he would have the chance to go back to his hometown to spend the new year with his family. He missed his family.
"What? Do I look like the kind who always tells jokes?" Kevin cast a glance at Lee. This guy never talked about his family and other private things, but why did he tell Leena everything? Was it just because she asked? He was the one who was with him everyday, but Leena was able to make him talk about his feelings. A strange guy, Kevin thought.
"No, Major General, I didn't mean it like that," Lee replied quickly and then turned to Leena. "Thank you, Leena!" He was extremely grateful. After all, if Leena hadn't brought it up, Kevin wouldn't have offered him time off to see his family. What was more, it was during the Spring Festival period. No wonder he was thankful.
"Hey, don't I deserve some thanks?" Kevin frowned. He was the one that signed off on the vacation time, not Leena. But why did he thank her first? Actually, Leena was puzzled as well and thinking the same thing. She didn't know why she had anything to do with his vacation, much less why Lee thanked her.
But Leena mentioned it first, didn't she? So she should be the first one I thank," Lee replied as if everything happened naturally. He could not help feeling thrilled at the thought of the vacation several months from now. He would be home soon!
Ha! You don't need to thank me. I was bored and just asked some questions. That's all. I'd like to know when you're leaving, though. I wanna know how it goes." Leena smiled a bit. She sensed that Lee was a simple young man and had a pure soul which was quite rare in the complicated city. He would be content with little things such as a vacation.
"Yes, I'll definitely let you know." Lee thought Leena was just making sure Kevin would be able to get a replacement while Lee was away. The major general still needed a bodyguard, after all. But she wanted to make sure Lee had gifts for his family, and she needed time to get them. Lee was so joyful now that he'd get to see his family again. They were talking and laughing for the remainder of their trip. Most of the time, Lee was telling Leena some story or another while Kevin drove and listened. Occasionally, Kevin would tilt his head or smile when he heard something interesting. They were getting on with each other quite well, and laughter made the time go by faster.
"Oh, really? What about you? Have you ever been punished?" Leena grew more interested and kept asking. She was still a young woman after all and it was inevitable that she was curious about everything she hadn't heard much about.
"Of course I have! There is no exception in the military. What's more, I was punished by Major General even more severely than others," answered Lee excitedly. Lee was in good spirits as Leena asked him about various things in the army. He answered her questions as best as he could, and sometimes even told stories about Kevin, forgetting that the "evil man" sat right beside him. What a brave guy!
Lee, are you going to tell her how many times I go to the restroom? Hm?" Kevin tried to derail the conversation when he noticed he was the topic, and he didn't want Leena to know everything. He might have some explaining to do if Leena caught wind of this or that.
"Hey, don't interrupt. Please focus on driving!" Leena warned Kevin and then turned to Lee. "Lee, keep going. Don't mind him." She was in high spirits now and didn't want Kevin to interrupt Lee. She was curious about life in the military, or to be more specific, Kevin's life in the army base, because Kevin rarely stayed at home and she did not have many chances to know more about him. Now there was someone doing her this favor and telling her everything she was interested in, so she would never let this chance slip away.