The school uniform, pristine white that morning, was stained with ink by the end of the last school day, with signatures and names left behind. Handshakes, pats on the shoulder, and farewell wishes.
Suddenly encountering that moment on an early summer day, when the flamboyant blossoms blazed brightly in a corner of the schoolyard, and the crape myrtle was also tinged with a nostalgic purple, I saw myself 20 years ago, also feeling a pang of emotion, lingering in the schoolyard on the last day of school. Silently passing around a few lines of farewell messages in a yearbook, recording the beautiful days of youthful dreams.
I don't know who started the trend of writing in autograph books or when it began, I only know that one bright, sunny early summer day, when the bell rang for recess, I unexpectedly received a lovely request along with a cute little notebook: "Please write a few lines for me." And after that, the autograph book trend spread throughout the class. Everyone passed it around and wrote in each other's autograph books.
Turning the faded pages of those notebooks, filled with cherished memories of our school days, familiar faces and classroom seats vividly appear in my mind. Wishes for success in the high school graduation exam; getting into our dream university; achieving success and happiness in life; and always remembering the beautiful days under the roof of our 12th grade. Even misunderstandings, likes, and dislikes were expressed, along with promises to reach for the blue sky together. Especially noteworthy is that in that small, pretty notebook, each of us had a small, beautiful butterfly decorated with pressed phoenix flower petals. Back then, we didn't have phones, computers, or email to freely chat and confide in each other. Therefore, besides signatures and wishes, each of us left our village address, as a belief that no matter how far we went, we would always remember our roots, find our way back to our old place, and that address would never be lost.
Now I understand that those autograph books are an invisible thread binding our childhoods together. Thank you to those handwritten notes from my school days for helping me rediscover those lovely memories. They helped me remember my teachers, my dust-stained uniforms, the chalk, the blackboard, and the times we skipped class and got caught, the anxious moments of reviewing or quizzing at the beginning of class...
It's an unforgettable memory that we bring up every time we meet again. And we hum the melody of the song "Wishing for Old Memories" by composer Xuan Phuong: "Time flies by quickly, only memories remain / Dear memories, I will always remember the voices of my teachers / Beloved friends, I will always remember the moments of anger and resentment / And then tomorrow we part ways, my heart suddenly filled with longing / Remembering friends, remembering the old school…".
Another summer has arrived, and for each graduating student, the images of today and the beautiful youthful years spent under the school roof will forever be preserved in their memories. These memories become a foundation that gives each person more confidence on their journey through life.
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