Far away fragrance - Lao Dong Newspaper

The dark spots on their sweaty cheeks were evident, and the fierceness in their constant, competing words was evident. The platform was crowded with a cacophony of noise.

Minh looked to the right, the sun was about to set in the west. Several tea shops near the train station were still quiet, people were coming and going in front. On this trip back to his hometown, Minh mainly visited Vinh and researched whether his rose garden could extract a scent like the perfume in France. When Minh studied in Paris, people used to call him "the scent engineer".

A girl named Thuong was putting her suitcase down at the drink stall. Minh looked at her. Her lips were clumsily painted with lipstick, and her feet were in high heels, old canvas shoes for dancing. But what stood out most was Thuong's youthful beauty.

How to describe that beauty in Minh's perception at this moment. The high nose and the pensive eyes like a French girl, something he fell in love with there but could never bring back, like the scent in a bottle that followed him back to Vietnam. Thuong's chestnut-colored hair, long enough to reach her waist. Occasionally, a few strands of hair flew up to her forehead, to her lips and rosy cheeks. The chestnut-colored hair kept caressing Thuong's face, making Minh unable to restrain himself from approaching her.

- Excuse me! If you don't mind, could I help you carry this suitcase?

Thuong was a bit surprised by the gentleman's elegant proposal. She smiled and agreed.

The two of them slowly walked to the station when it was just getting dark. Minh looked at Thuong and took the opportunity to ask her:

- Where are you going now?

- Yes, I'm going to Dang village, about 20 kilometers from this train station.

Minh's eyes suddenly lit up.

- Then we're going the same way. Will you take a taxi with me?

The road from the city to the countryside at night was beautiful. The high-pressure lamps gradually thinned out and disappeared along the paved road, through the town and then through the countryside. Leaving the bustling city behind, ahead was only the whistling wind and the sparse passing cars. Thuong looked up at the sky, watching the newly risen stars. The stars twinkled in the sky but were not bright enough for the darkness on the road on the ground.

Minh stole a glance at Thuong as she cast a wandering gaze through the glass window. She looked so beautiful at that moment! A bit of light from somewhere shone in, making Thuong look attractive. Her long eyelashes kept curling up, challenging Minh's sneaky glance.

Suddenly, Minh could not control himself before that beauty, he put his hand on Thuong's soft hand. Feeling his hand warm, Thuong turned back. She did not pull her hand out of Minh's hand but kept it there. Both of them remained silent, no one said a word to the other, their hands clasped in the middle. Both of them looked thoughtfully out the car window, on the road gradually covered in darkness and the car moved towards Dang village.

- We're almost to my house. My house is at the end of that alley.

Thuong spoke to Minh gently and then smiled again. Only then did she pull her hand out of his.

- What's your name? Can I come to your house tomorrow?

Thuong nodded slightly, took out a small business card with her name and phone number from her wallet and gave it to Minh. She opened the car door and looked back at him. At that moment, Thuong felt as if Minh had become very familiar, as familiar as a soul mate, as if they had known each other from some past life that she couldn't quite place.

Minh was the same, from the moment Thuong opened the door and stepped out, he suddenly felt a strange emptiness in his heart. Minh felt that Thuong was so close but also so far away. Minh looked at Thuong, she put her hand on her lips, blew him a kiss and turned around to run into the alley quickly, hidden behind the thick darkness and the dark caviar tree near the electric pole.

Minh returned to Vinh's house. After taking a shower, he went to bed to rest. He had been on a long trip all day, but tonight he couldn't sleep. The image of Thuong with her dark and light beauty kept stirring him.

Minh was over thirty years old, if talking about the girls who had passed through his life, there were many. But really, Minh had never met anyone who made his heart flutter like this quick encounter with Thuong. Was it love at first sight? Minh wondered and suddenly looked at the moon that had not yet set.

The next morning, the autumn dawn was beautiful as the sun rose and cast its golden rays over Vinh’s flower field. The roses were still shyly holding on to the dew of the night and not yet ready to bloom. Minh picked a few of the most beautiful flowers and walked along the winding dirt road to Thuong’s house.

- Dear!

Minh's voice rang out from the alley. Hearing that deep voice, Thuong hurriedly ran out. Minh handed the bouquet of fresh roses to the pretty girl.

- This is for you... This morning I found a scent on my hand. I thought it was the scent of roses. But since walking here, I just remembered that the scent wasn't from roses, but from your hand.

- Why do you say that?

- Because yesterday I held that hand!

Thuong squinted her eyes and smiled, she rubbed the rose against Minh's chest and sobbed. The smile of love filled with happiness sparkled from the bottom of her eyes. On an autumn morning in the countryside, everything was so pure and gentle as if it was about to melt.

- I will wait for this rose garden to ripen and give off a fragrant scent. I will distill it into a perfect scent like the one that intoxicates people in the splendid Paris. A small perfume factory of my father and I has been set up in the city. I have two months in the countryside to experiment and research the scent of these roses.

Thuong walked beside Minh under the fragrant and sunny rose garden, listening to him lecture about scents. Minh talked about the luxurious stories of Paris, France, where he had lived and studied for five years. Pride and elegance were shown on Minh's face, in every word he said, and in the perfume he used that remained on his body.

- I'm tired of the hustle and bustle of the city. I want to go back to the countryside. We can do anything together, but I won't go to the city anymore.

Thuong also had the intention of finishing school and staying in the city to work. Then three years passed, not long enough but long enough for Thuong to realize that the city did not belong to her. Thuong felt bored with that bustling metropolis. Besides the cold faces in the office, people always kept their secrets from each other, Thuong felt like everything was full of calculation.

So, she decided to return to her hometown. Thuong loved literature, she would write about the things she loved; she would go to the fields with her mother, chat with her father every night, listen to the crickets chirping in the garden every night... Isn't that happiness?

Minh listened to what Thuong said, although he also liked the countryside, the city was much more attractive to him. Minh felt that he really had feelings for Thuong. He held her hand, the fragrant hand from yesterday still had the mark. The two stood in the middle of the rose garden, kissing and getting drunk. The intoxicating love of that autumn morning, the young lovers were like a painting imprinted in the eyes of the goddess of love, so immense and gentle.

In the following days and many days after that, on the dirt road from Vinh's house to Thuong's house, Minh often walked along the grass until his shoe prints were worn out. He often picked some of the most beautiful roses in the garden to give to her. Thuong rubbed the rose petals against Minh's chest. The two of them went to the rose garden together.

Minh picked a basket full of roses that were in full bloom, at this time the fragrance of the roses was spreading more. Minh placed the basket of roses in his office, a small laboratory with clean, sterile glass tubes.

A full basket of roses was reduced to a few drops of thick essence, contained in a small glass tube the size of a finger. Minh seemed happy with the scent he had mixed.

- The scent is truly wonderful, it is like the pride of a veil falling in the windy autumn afternoon.

Minh enthusiastically described to Thuong the scent of the small roadside coffee shop. Thuong also talked about the lush green corn fields along the Duong River in her hometown.

In Dang village, a purely agricultural village, people often carry huge piles of grass on buffalo carts in the afternoon slowly drifting by. On the alluvial plains that are lush all year round is where Thuong's childhood was immersed. She loves her homeland very much, a complete love, once in love she does not want to leave. People may think Thuong is conservative, but happiness is her own choice.

Minh and Thuong love each other deeply, but their views on the city and the countryside are completely opposite. Minh is proud of the scent and the city. Thuong is gentle with the summer afternoons when the sunset falls on the foot of the dike.

When the day came for Minh to leave Vinh's house, his project was still very long. Minh held Thuong's hand tightly and said softly:

- Honey! If you come with me to the city, I will ask my parents for permission to marry you.

- I will not go back to the city with you! That place does not belong to me.

- What about us loving each other?

- I don't know...

In fact, Thuong always understood that her status and Minh's were very different. Minh's family was famously rich in Hanoi, and his love story was as long as a century. Some other girl would be more suitable for Minh.

Minh stroked a few strands of hair still on Thuong's cheek and said kindly:

- You think about my offer. I have to go back to the city to arrange some work, wait for me!

The autumn afternoon had no sun, the rain like the old summer somewhere came and spread white curtains of falling drops. Thuong stood under the eggplant tree next to the electric pole, her chestnut hair was soaked. Minh hugged Thuong tightly. The two scents from the peaceful countryside and the luxurious scent of the city intertwined.

Minh went out of the alley, where Thuong stood with the rain still lingering somewhere a bit of fragrance.

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