Towards the Dawn - Short story by An Na

There are things that the next generation just needs to follow, no need to wonder or learn more.

Towards the Dawn - Short story contest by Anna - Photo 1.

Illustration: Van Nguyen

So Hoang waited for another 10 minutes. His feet were already in shoes. Hoang had washed the sneakers from yesterday in the strong sunlight and dried them to wear today. His aunt told Hoang not to underestimate his appearance, for those who have not met him, his appearance is the factor that they use to judge him. Never before had Hoang prepared as carefully as he did for this interview.

This company was the place Hoang had dreamed of working for a long time. Thanks to the inside information his aunt had, he had the opportunity to apply and was called for an interview. "It would be great to work there, high salary, stable job, not as unstable as the many failing businesses nowadays. Only thing is..." - his aunt hesitated: "Maybe you have to work in other cities, and even abroad when they need you". But hearing that, Hoang's eyes lit up. Hoang himself did not expect the thought of leaving this place to make him so happy.

***

Hoang remembers that after his mother's funeral in his hometown, his father's youngest sister, Linh, took Hoang's young hand and put it in her hand: "I need your help. Poor thing, he's only 7 years old and doesn't have a father or mother..." Linh could only say that much before choking back tears. Hoang didn't know what was waiting for him ahead, as an orphan, but being able to live with his aunt in the big city was Hoang's long-standing wish. Hoang was fed up with this boring countryside.

The big city was really luxurious and splendid, every street was brightly lit, the crowd was tight. On the motorbike that my uncle picked up Hoang and her aunt from the airport, Hoang sat in the middle. He didn’t blink because everything in his sight was overwhelming to Hoang. The city appeared with magnificent high-rise buildings, shops crowded on both sides of the street… It seemed like this scene was only seen in movies on TV.

"If only my aunt's house was here!" - Hoang thought as the car approached crowded places. But the car didn't seem to want to stop. Each turn of the wheel rolled smoothly. After about 30 minutes, the car passed a bridge over a wide river. From here, the streets became more deserted. Every time the car turned left or right, the road became a little narrower. Until the road was too narrow, and the luggage was bulky, the uncle slowed down, turned to his aunt and said: "Is it okay?". His aunt had to move Hoang's basket to make it compact, so as not to be obstructed by the signs encroaching on the sidewalk. "Well, this is fine" - Hoang thought as he looked at the steaming pot of vermicelli soup right in front of him. Hoang loved to eat vermicelli soup. But the car continued to roll. At the end of the alley, when the wheels rolled on the path instead of the road, Hoang's aunt's house appeared. Hoang was a bit disappointed by the thought that a house in the city must be spacious and airy, with people always bustling in front of it, to be fun.

In front of her house, there was an empty space just enough to park a motorbike. Hoang seemed to have just woken up from a beautiful dream, absentmindedly following his aunt into the house. Making up for the loss of the "city house" were the delicious meals his aunt cooked, and Na - his aunt's youngest daughter, 2 years younger than Hoang, who loved to play with Hoang. Na was also Hoang's talisman, especially when his aunt scolded him.

But my aunt often scolded Hoang. "Hoang, you have to turn off the water after using it, how can you afford to let the water drip like that?". "But the faucet has been broken for a long time, hasn't it, aunt?". My aunt approached the faucet, gently adjusted it until the water drip slowed down and then stopped completely. Hoang didn't understand, it was clearly the faucet that was leaking, why did my aunt scold Hoang. "You have to concentrate on everything you do, like this" - my aunt said and showed Hoang the faucet knob, it was true that it was broken, but as long as he knew what to do, and stopped at the right level, it wouldn't leak. After finishing the faucet, he went to the door. "When closing the door, you have to be gentle. Things that you cherish will last." Just like that, Hoang felt guilty for touching anything.

One time, when he was 12 years old, Hoang accidentally dropped the TV remote, the batteries flew everywhere. One battery hit the glass of his precious mini fish tank, cracking the glass and spilling water and fish all over the floor. His aunt screamed: "Oh my God, are you trying to destroy things? How many times have I told you to concentrate on everything you do?" That day, his aunt scolded Hoang a lot, even when he spoke up for him, saying that he was tired of raising fish and had planned to give up the fish tank for a long time...

Hoang felt hurt and hid in his room, skipping dinner. In the kitchen, Hoang heard little Na's voice whining: "Why are you always so harsh with Hoang? Do you hate Hoang that much? He did it by accident, not on purpose." Hoang didn't look but knew his aunt's face was red with anger. "Do you hate Hoang that much?" - Na always mentioned that sentence every time she spoke up for Hoang, but only once did her aunt answer Na: "When you grow up, you will understand."

***

At 15, Hoang was proficient in fixing faucets, changing light bulbs, checking electrical outlets, tightening screws on all the furniture in the house, lubricating rusty iron bars to protect items and reduce squeaking noises… and many other small household chores. Hoang was scolded less by his aunt. However, his aunt still seemed dissatisfied with Hoang, so she always looked for more work to do.

One Sunday morning, my aunt told Hoang: "Plant a pot of plants and take care of it." Na heard and enthusiastically supported: "Hoang, plant a pot of plants for me!" Although planting plants seemed unrelated to a senior student with a lot of homework like Hoang, seeing Na's excitement gave Hoang more motivation. Moreover, every word my aunt said was an order that had to be obeyed.

Every Sunday, Hoang worked hard on the tree. Actually, growing a tree in a pot did not require as much effort as the people in Hoang's hometown. It was just that potted trees were very difficult to take care of. His aunt said, "Because you are not devoted to them, trees are like people, they can feel everything." Hoang did not understand what his aunt was saying. A tree is just a tree. However, every time a tree died, Hoang became more determined to replant it.

Until one day, Hoang was overwhelmed with joy when the pot of fir trees bloomed purple flowers on the leaves. Hoang planted this tree for little Na. She loved it so much that she took pictures to show to all her friends. Hoang was also happy. Every morning, the first thing Hoang did when he woke up was to check the pot of flowers. Hoang learned to touch the soil with his finger to check the moisture, then he would know if he needed to add water or not.

Now, every time a guest comes to the house, my aunt shows off the potted plant and doesn't forget to say, "Hoang planted that. Aren't you good at it?" with a bright smile.

***

Hoang arrived at the company at almost 8 o'clock. He had an appointment at exactly 8 o'clock.

The girl invited Hoang to sit in the waiting room. In the rather large room, there was only a table and about 10 swivel chairs. There was a large projector on the wall, probably a meeting room. Hoang sat down on the chair closest to him. A creaking sound rang out, although Hoang was aware of his every gesture being gentle. At that moment, his aunt's "command" rang out in Hoang's head: "Wherever you go, you must always maintain your demeanor, walk or stand with your back straight, don't look around, don't fidget, or people will judge you."

The chair kept making an annoying squeaking sound, Hoang remembered his tool kit in his bag. For a moment, Hoang forgot all of his aunt's strict instructions. Hoang quickly took out the oil bottle, tilted the chair to find the metal part that could raise or lower the chair to apply oil. In less than a minute, the annoying squeaking sound disappeared.

Just as Hoang settled down, someone pushed the door open and walked in. He was around 40, his face was calm and the energy he carried was a pleasant feeling to those around him.

He smiled and greeted Hoang, introduced himself as Thang and started the interview with a witty statement: "Apart from your expertise and… fixing a chair to stop creaking, what other abilities do you have?" Hoang blushed, it turned out that Thang had seen everything Hoang had done. In Hoang's mind, he had only prepared answers related to his expertise, so his unexpected question made Hoang confused, but Hoang honestly replied: "I also know… how to plant trees!".

As if catching the signal, Mr. Thang immediately returned to the room and appeared a few minutes later with the pot of cycad in hand: "This tree was sent by my friend from the North as a gift, it was very beautiful at first, but I don't know why it's gradually losing its leaves." Hoang's eyes also lit up when he saw the beautiful bonsai pot, the old tree trunk was rough, with lumps proving its age, and the leaves on each branch were even like the models drawn in the bonsai class that Hoang took. From the base, roots to the canopy, it exuded a thorough care from the owner. The only thing was, the leaves had almost all fallen off. Hoang gently touched the soil at the base of the tree, he felt his fingertips were slightly moist. "The tree has too much water and lack of sunlight, and the roots might have been touched, bro!". Mr. Thang looked at Hoang in surprise: "Oh, that's right, I also asked a bonsai artist to check the health of the tree, he said the same thing as you. Now, I need you to help me take care of it?".

The interview ended, Hoang left with a bonsai pot in his hand. Hoang recounted the interview to his aunt, who smiled, a rare smile that radiated satisfaction.

Three days later, Hoang received a probationary letter from the human resources department.

***

Na's wedding is on Friday. Hoang asked for leave to stay home and help everyone.

In the evening, when everything was done, Hoang brought a chair to the front of the house to sit and enjoy the breeze. When passing by Na's room, Hoang heard his aunt whispering softly: "Mom has something to say so you don't misunderstand. Mom doesn't hate Hoang at all. On the contrary, she loves and worries about Hoang very much. Hoang is more disadvantaged than you guys because he lost both his father and mother. Without his parents, Hoang will have to face more difficulties than you guys. That's why Mom wants Hoang to be strong and resilient to be able to cope with this life. Mom's harsh words are just to make Hoang get away from the weak person inside him. As you can see, until today, Mom is at ease because Hoang has truly grown up!"

Hoang felt his nose sting. He started to walk quickly before his aunt left.

In the corner where there was only enough room for a chair outside the gate, Hoang looked in and saw his aunt busying herself in the kitchen. That image had become familiar to Hoang over the years. Hoang wanted to touch his aunt's bony, bony shoulders to say something, but all his thoughts could not be expressed in words, and could the words that were put together fully express Hoang's feelings?

Hoang saw his image at the age of 7, also in this place, looking at his aunt's house with full of disappointment because the "city house" was so old and cramped. Hoang did not know that while having to raise three younger siblings, his aunt and uncle also saved up to buy an expensive piece of land in this city, that was already a lot of effort. And then they also took care of Hoang... How difficult it was.

The thoughts jostling in Hoang's mind were all things that made Hoang ashamed of his own thoughtlessness. Even on the day of the job interview, Hoang was still happy with the thought that it would be great if he left this place... Hoang forgot that, for a long time, Hoang had been used to relying on his aunt's "password", the things she reminded Hoang of - it was like a universal key to help him solve everything more smoothly. And the words of her that Hoang remembered forever when he wanted to drop out of school because he couldn't keep up with the classes in the city: "Just go towards the dawn, the darkness will stay behind - do you remember the story that I read to you before going to bed when I was little?". Hoang seemed to wake up. At the end of that year, Hoang's grades improved significantly. Then, all the good things and good intentions that my aunt taught Hoang every day, suddenly lit up like green trees in the sun...

"I'm not as mature as you told Na, auntie!" - Hoang choked and whispered to himself.

Towards the Dawn - Short story contest by Anna - Photo 2.