Dad's bike

BPO - I was born and raised by the peaceful and poetic O Lau River. During the war years, my hometown was severely devastated. The country was unified, and the people fell into poverty and misery. I was the sixth child and after me there were 3 younger siblings. The family had many children, and apart from a few acres of contracted land and dry land allocated by the cooperative to grow rice and other crops, there was no other source of income. Living in a state of hunger and lack of clothing, my father was determined not to let his children drop out of school.

Báo Bình Phước•07/05/2025

Carrying the burden of a bunch of children on their shoulders, my parents worked hard all day. I remember, in 1980, when I was 7 years old, my father bought an old bicycle from an acquaintance. The bicycle became the means of transportation and work for the whole family. On that bicycle, my father traveled back and forth countless times to earn a living. A friend in another commune 30 kilometers away from my house rented land. On the rickety bicycle, my father took my mother to plant cassava; every few days he cycled to see if the cassava had grown yet, then weeded and fertilized. Every harvest season, my father would put the crops in a bag, tie it to the back of the bicycle, and make 5 trips to finish. In the summer, looking at my father's shirt soaked in sweat, I felt so sorry for him. In 1981, my eldest brother was recruited to join the army, my eldest sister finished 9th grade and stayed home to help her parents farm and herd buffalo, the remaining 7 siblings were all of school age. My father alone took care of all the heavy work in the house.

Illustration: Sy Hoa

Hunched over each rickety cycle, my father took my siblings and I to the commune health station every time we were sick; he took my mother to the afternoon and morning markets to sell vegetables and agricultural products to buy food for the whole family. I remember one time, when we went to the neighboring village to cut grass for the buffalo, while he was busy cutting, my father was suddenly bitten on the leg by a dog. The bite was quite deep and bled. My father chewed some grass leaves, put them on the wound, then quickly tied the grass to the bike and cycled home. That night, my father had a fever. My whole family was very worried. Afraid of encountering a rabid dog, my father decided to cycle to the city health center to get vaccinated. My father woke up at 5am to cycle to get the injection. The round trip was nearly 100km. Yet my father persisted to get the full dose of injection...

Working hard all day, still not enough to eat… Yet I never heard my father raise his voice and scold my siblings. He was calm, hard-working and compassionate. At that time, only about 5 families in my neighborhood had bicycles. Therefore, whenever someone had to go far and urgently, my father would take his bicycle to help.

There is an unforgettable memory for me of the difficult days with my father. That was the year I was in grade 12 at the district school, I won a prize in the provincial excellent student competition. The province invited students and parents to attend the award ceremony. The invitation was for 8 o'clock. On the bicycle, my father and I took turns pedaling and left at 5 o'clock in the morning. My father calculated that from my house to the provincial cultural center was about 52 kilometers, taking about 2.5 hours. Unexpectedly, in the middle of the road, the bike had trouble, the chain kept slipping. Every time the chain slipped, the two of us pulled the bike to the side of the road and my father put the chain into the drive. My father's hands were covered with oil, his shoulders were soaked with sweat. When we arrived at the cultural house, we were 30 minutes late. Before I could sit down, I heard the organizers read the list of the next students and my name was there. Luckily... From the stage, I looked at my father. His face, smeared with oil stains that had not been wiped off, looked at me with a satisfied smile, his eyes filled with tears. Perhaps, my father cried because he was happy not to miss my important occasion; he cried because he was moved by the academic achievements of a district school student like me...

Time has passed, my brothers and I have now grown up and become adults. My mother has passed away, my father is almost 90 years old... Life has changed a lot, but one thing is that my childhood growing up with my father's bicycle is always full of memories. That bicycle is old, faded with time, and is still kept by my father as a souvenir. Every time I return home and look at the bicycle, I clearly remember my father's sweaty back and the busy cycles of the bicycle. Remembering the days with my father through the time of hunger makes me appreciate more the value of life today.

Every time I was unsteady on the road of life, the image of my father on the bicycle years ago gave me more motivation. I will tell my children about those difficult but loving days, so that my children will have more support to grow up in this bustling urban life....

Hello love, season 4, theme "Father" officially launched from December 27, 2024 on four types of press and digital infrastructure of Radio - Television and Binh Phuoc Newspaper (BPTV), promising to bring to the public the wonderful values of sacred and noble fatherly love.
Please send to BPTV your touching stories about Father by writing articles, writing feelings, poems, essays, video clips, songs (with recordings),... via email [email protected], Editorial Secretary Office, Binh Phuoc Radio - Television and Newspaper, No. 228, Tran Hung Dao, Tan Phu Ward, Dong Xoai City, Binh Phuoc Province, phone number: 0271.3870403. The time to receive articles is from now until August 30, 2025.
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Let's continue writing the story about Father with "Hello Love" season 4, so that stories about Father can spread and touch everyone's hearts!

Source: https://baobinhphuoc.com.vn/news/19/172438/chiec-xe-dap-cua-ba