A mother's heart is illuminated by the warmest sun and it seems like a thousand flowers bloom gently every time she opens the window, gently illuminating her baby. My's baby is so beautiful. Since her baby was born, My has meticulously noticed every little change in her baby.
My wanted to be the wind that gently lulled her child to sleep, soundly. Forever. My was busy cooking, pots and pans, when the fever came to her without her knowing. She panicked when touching her child, it was like touching a piece of coal. Her hands trembled, her mouth trembled, tears streamed down. My wiped, My applied a compress, and soothed her child. The fever did not go down. Her child fell asleep again, unconscious, and did not wake up. My frantically called her husband for help. Her husband immediately flew home, took them to the hospital. She was taken to the emergency room. The waiting minutes were endless, My's heartbeat was faint. The hospital corridor was dimly lit, faintly lit by passersby, faintly the sound of an ambulance siren outside echoed in. My was lost in her own anxiety and sobbed with emotion when the doctor opened the door and said: "It's okay, she's out of danger."
Since that time, My did not want to leave her child for even a single step. She watched her child's body gradually grow. She waited, longing to hear her child's cooing. The angel often looked somewhere, avoiding her mother's eyes. Her mother's intuition told her that there was something different about her child. She tried to push it away, sobbing and waiting, her heart spontaneously raising a thousand prayers and hopes. One year old, two years old... she still refused to call her mother. The small, plump mouth of the past now sagged, drooling all the time. She tried to stand up but fell down again. Her husband smoked more at night. One day, when she caught her husband's red eyes looking at her child, My was extremely scared. She stared back at her husband as if asking, wondering.
The doctor diagnosed her child with cerebral palsy. My searched through all the newspapers and documents about the disease to understand her child's condition. She hugged him and went to this hospital and that center to find a ray of hope. The worry made My thin, her skin dark, her eyes darker, and her hair tied back with broken strands.
After much hesitation and consideration, My decided to send her child to the Rehabilitation Department of a hospital near her home to practice regularly.
The bougainvillea flowers seem fragile but full of life. The wind plays with them, they still cling tightly to the branches, showing off their colors. The terrace is full of green, sitting quietly watching makes me love and feel proud of this small corner even more. No matter how much effort you put into something, when you achieve it, you will appreciate it even more. With hard work and perseverance, My and her husband built a lovely three-story house with their own hands. She got married at the age of 23, and My had a child at the age of 27. Giving birth was difficult, but the couple never gave up, always loved and encouraged each other to overcome it. The birth of the beautiful baby girl fulfilled the parents' daily expectations and hopes. How could My and her husband not be shocked and stunned when the baby they had been waiting for for so many days was sick for the rest of her life.
My turned around and helped her sit on the carpet that had been groomed with flower pots arranged around it. My wanted her to blend in with nature, to see the beauty of life. The little girl sat for a while and then slumped down. My put her down again, holding her and trying to caress her. Her eyes were smiling but her mouth kept drooling, trying to pronounce something, but she couldn't make it out clearly. Suddenly, the sound of children playing happily down the alley made My feel a little sad. The desire to hear her child calling her mother rose up. My suppressed her feelings and waved her away. It didn't matter, everything had to be calm and patient.
In the room, her husband kept opening and closing the wardrobe door. My guessed that her husband was preparing clothes, because this morning, Ms. Nga at her husband's company had mentioned that the company was having a party tonight. Every year, the sisters were very excited to meet each other at this time to chat. My husband's company usually invited the whole family of the staff to the year-end party. When Ms. Nga asked what time she would come tonight, My paused for a moment, then quickly replied that she was busy this year so she couldn't go to avoid embarrassment, but in fact, her husband hadn't said anything.
Late at night, her husband came home. The child was already asleep. My gently got up, looked at her husband and asked:
"Why didn't you tell your wife and kids to come with you to the party this time? I thought your office still encouraged the whole family to go to the year-end party..."
The husband silently picked up the mug of water on the table, turned it upside down, tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp, then put it down on the table and slowly walked towards the bed. Reeking of alcohol, the husband waved his hands from side to side, and growled:
"My life is miserable because of you. Giving birth is difficult and taking care of children is clumsy. Look at you and your child. Are you taking you and your child out to embarrass me?"
Having finished speaking, her husband collapsed on the bed, motionless, his mouth open, breathing heavily. Her husband was drunk. My knew it. Tomorrow, her husband would not remember what he had said.
My eyes blurred. Her husband's words were like a knife cutting into her already painful wound. Only then did My understand why her husband had been avoiding taking the baby out to play lately. The day her husband went out with his friends, when he saw his wife and child, he pretended to look away. At that time, thinking that her husband did not notice her, My kept waving her hand at him. It turned out that her husband felt inferior and ashamed in front of everyone around him.
***
The night wind blew, the room was cold, the cold penetrated into her heart and mind. My sat on the small table with a flickering yellow lamp, thinking about the sudden change in her life. The family was peaceful. Suddenly, she discovered that her child was sick, her husband urged her to divorce. My still could not believe the rapid change in her husband, they had gone through so many difficult years without letting go. So why now... My looked into the mirror in the room, saw tears rolling down her sunken cheeks. She turned to look at her sleeping child, then looked at herself in the mirror. Sobbing.
A person who has changed his heart and lost all loyalty, no matter how hard you try to hold on, it will be difficult to keep. But try to keep the property. Mien said so. No matter what, money will save you from hardship. Women need a warm and loving heart, but to live, you must be rational. When the house is yours, the mother and child can live in peace. My's salary can take care of the child and do many other things. Anyway, My is lucky to have her grandmother's support.
"I agree to sign the divorce papers, I will take full care of the child, on the condition that you leave all the house and property behind."
"It turns out, you've always been calculating like that."
"Yes, without calculation, how can one live…".
My's face was cold, even though her heart was choking. She didn't think she would ever have to be the one to fight over property like that. But thinking about her child, she might receive harsh words. Her husband's face was grim, showing extreme anger, his hand tightly holding the pen, resolutely signing the divorce papers.
***
"Na is so obedient. I love you, please help Na stand up. That's right!"
"Baby Na, stand up, let me see, let's go together!"
"Na is both pretty and obedient. If you stand up by yourself, I will reward you!"
Every day in the rehabilitation room, people hear Mien's voice tenderly coaxing baby Na. If someone saw Mien's caring gestures for her child somewhere else, when she was not wearing a white shirt, they would probably think Mien was her mother. Many times, My herself wondered why, even though she was not related by blood, she could take care of, cherish, and guide her child with such love and patience. One day, her face and limbs were covered in sweat after massaging and shaping another patient. When she saw baby Na, Mien smiled gently, her eyes lit up, and she opened her arms to welcome her. Mien said that after many years of working, she was used to it, losing strength due to continuous vigorous activities was natural, but she didn't find it tiring. Sometimes she felt pressured, especially when guiding and training patients for many days without any progress, as if there was a heavy rock pressing on her shoulders. But nothing is impossible, when you know how to train yourself to adapt and try. As Mien spoke, her eyes lit up as she looked at the patients with love. My felt the positive energy from those eyes.
My remembers the fateful conversation when Mien saw My crying behind the hospital room door. Waiting for the mother to stop sobbing, the young doctor called her into a private room to talk. It is unclear how Mien started the conversation, because My's wounded heart was filled with her own thoughts. My only began to pay attention when Mien choked up: "I am living alone and raising a severely autistic child! To some extent, I understand the difficulties of mothers who have children who are not normal. Each person has their own situation, those poor children do not have the right to choose their own fate"... Mien told about her life, about her journey with less fortunate children. How could My abandon her child? My cried because she herself is just a normal person, sometimes she cannot control her emotions, wants to go crazy when her husband urges divorce without knowing where she went wrong. My is a normal person, so under the pressure of life, sometimes her shoulders feel tired and her legs are weak. The two women hugged and comforted each other.
Since Mien led My to join the volunteer team to support children with cerebral palsy at the center, My found her life meaningful. My realized that there are many fates that are more difficult and bitter than hers. Like Ms. Lan, whose family is already poor, with a sick mother and sick child. Like Mr. Huynh, who is old and weak, still has to take care of a grandchild with cerebral palsy because her parents rejected her... When she can be a light, lighting up hope for just one person, she already feels happy. But now, My is not only a source of light for her child, talking to her, sharing, nurturing her emotions to make her happier and more optimistic, My is also accompanying many families in difficult circumstances, being the mother of many other disabled children, bringing positive energy to the volunteer team of the center. Now My is so busy with the children, she has no time to be sad. Love gives people miraculous power. My thanks Mien so much, for being the first bridge connecting to this meaningful journey. My understands that there are always sunny flowers appearing in life, warming each other, making people believe in the meaning of life.
While she was lost in thought, Mien went into the gym and called My out, saying that someone wanted to meet her. The figure sitting on the sofa in the hallway was so familiar. My's chest suddenly ached. Her ex-husband came to see her, bringing her a gift and saying goodbye to the mother and child to prepare for a long trip. He felt remorseful and ashamed, asking My to forgive him for his weakness.
Even at a glance, My saw that her ex-husband's face was darker and more wrinkled than before. Sitting silently together, the entire meeting was almost all about her ex-husband speaking. It wasn't until her ex-husband said, "I understand how hard it is for you," that My replied, "No, I'm fine now, very fine."
My stood by the window watching until her ex-husband's figure disappeared, leaving only the sun-dappled flowers silently spinning in the deserted yard at the end of the afternoon. It seemed that there was no more resentment in My. Could people forgive each other so easily? My didn't know anymore. The feeling that was so clear at this moment that My could confirm was that her heart felt light, that's all!
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nhung-bong-hoa-nang-truyen-ngan-du-thi-cua-tran-ngoc-my-185241006162408034.htm
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