Goodbye, my love: Happiness

MOTHER'S ROSY CHEEKS

"Beauty doesn't lie in the rosy cheeks of a young woman, but in the eyes of the beholder." My father used to tease my mother whenever he saw her putting on makeup. My mother would shyly glance at her husband through the mirror on the wardrobe and mutter something softly. This simple, rustic couple didn't even have a wedding photo; they quietly stayed together, their love genuine and heartfelt.

I remember back then, Mom's makeup consisted of just a jar of cream that both brightened her skin and served as a foundation, and a pink lipstick. Whenever she went to a wedding or a get-together with friends, she'd only lightly apply those things to her lips and face, but Dad would always stare at her for a long time. I'm sure even without makeup, Dad would still give her his full attention.

My mother's makeup compact was her prized possession; though smaller than the palm of her hand, it lasted her for years. She said that back then, owning a makeup compact was a dream for women. Therefore, once she bought one, she used it very sparingly. Besides her youthful "rosy cheeks," she also had to look after her hungry children. Everyone wants to be beautiful on the outside, but the beauty of a woman's soul, when she cares for her husband and children, is the most attractive and enduring quality, even after decades of wrinkles etched on her forehead.

My mother didn't wear perfume, but she always had a pleasant scent. When I was little, I loved nuzzling her cheek and inhaling that fresh fragrance. The distinctive smell of the moisturizing cream mixed with soapberry that she used to wash her hair, I nicknamed it "Mom's scent." Later, when she wasn't as healthy as before after surgeries, her scent was mixed with a little green menthol oil or the bitter aroma of traditional Chinese medicine. Every time I hugged her thin shoulders and inhaled her scent after her treatment, my eyes would well up with tears, as if they were falling into a hazy mist.

My mother's foundation cream and other natural beauty products didn't have flashy packaging or flashy advertising. They quietly seeped into our lives, starting from the dressing tables of our mothers and grandmothers, and accompanying countless families throughout their journey of growing up, filled with cherished memories. Now, holding that old jar of whitening cream in our hands, my siblings and I are all moved to tears.

My mother is old now, and my father passed away more than half a decade ago. The blush box, once so lovely, is neatly tucked away in a drawer, as if encapsulating the youth of a generation. Perhaps, my mother's rosy cheeks were in my father's eyes, while for her, applying blush was simply to look more beautiful in the eyes of her loved one. The blush box was a means of expressing love, preserving affection, and strengthening the bond between my parents. Occasionally, I see my mother take out the box and gaze at it for a long time. The lines and engraved letters on the lid have faded. For my mother now, it probably exists more than just as a cosmetic item. The blush box is still here, but the person who gazed at it is gone forever.

My mother's makeup box is like a witness to the love stories of our grandparents' generation, simple yet enduring through time.

Today, my mother unlocked the old cream jar again and placed it on the table next to the dressing mirror. She said tomorrow is my parents' wedding anniversary. She caressed the jar, as if greeting an old friend. I didn't see my mother in her wedding dress, nor the rosy blush from the old cream jar, or the delicate pink lips from the lip balm. But from her now clouded eyes, I could still see the happy smile of the young bride she once was. A happiness mixed with a touch of anxious anticipation, reflected in her rosy cheeks.

Perhaps happiness is never truly lost, whether in smiles or tears. Happiness remains somewhere within memories and recollections... It's a stepping stone to the future, helping people learn to appreciate the present. Like the happiness my parents built over the past decades, it doesn't contain the word "love," yet everywhere I look, I see love.

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Source: https://baodongnai.com.vn/van-hoa/chao-nhe-yeu-thuong/202510/chao-nhe-yeu-thuong-hanh-phuc-5ba059b/