The Porsche Cayenne is the result of hard work and dedication. It was born in the city, and found a home in the country. But for Vannak, the opposite is true
I’m taking my family to see my mother today. I know I shouldn’t, but I feel nervous. I was told to work hard and to chase my dreams, so I did. But, as I slowly made them into reality, my childhood memories became little more than faint echoes of a past once loved but now misunderstood.
My wife understands. She always does. “Don’t worry, Vannak,” she says calmly. “Nothing will have changed. Your mother will see that you’re still the same boy who used to put too much chili in his noodle soup.”
We pack the Porsche and head for breakfast early to avoid the morning rush. The kids tease each other relentlessly over a feast of pancakes and pastries. Their laughter helps to calm my nerves.
Before the last of the street vendors has set up shop, we’re back on the road; the Porsche purring reassuringly as it weaves in and out of the morning traffic. Its elegance and grace throws the chaos of the capital’s streets into sharp relief.
As dark clouds swirl menacingly overhead, I remember a shortcut to my mother’s house, a dusty road that cuts through a forest. Despite its city-slicker image, the Porsche makes light work of the country path, which soon gives way to a muddy red track. Majestic sugar palm trees, red and gold pagodas, and stilted wooden houses dot the horizon. “We’re close,” I say to my wife.
The Porsche slices through the red-clay earth like a knife through butter. We pass over a bridge where ten or so young boys are casting nets in the hope of catching dinner.
A hundred metres away, I see my mother talking to a friend outside her house. As we get closer, she looks up at the Porsche. I roll it into her driveway, and get out from the soft leather seat. Immediately, her arms extend towards me, and we both smile impossibly large smiles. “Welcome home, my son,” she says before squeezing me tightly in a loving embrace.
I was wrong to feel nervous. Success has given me the car of my dreams, a wonderful home and enough money to enjoy a comfortable life. But, my wife was right, some things never change. I’m still a boy from the provinces at heart.
