Tears Flow Down - Lao Dong Newspaper

Until now, she still couldn't believe it was true. Yesterday afternoon, he had fed her and told her that he would leave as soon as he was done taking care of her. But now, he had hurriedly left, leaving her lying there alone. Thinking about this, two streams of tears kept flowing from the corners of her eyes.

She wanted to get up, wanted to light incense for her husband, but she couldn't. For the past few months, since that near-fatal stroke, she had never been able to get up on her own; he had always supported her. The two old people talked day and night, while their children and grandchildren were busy all day.

- My mother said so. My parents have the most.

- I counted, my parents have more.

- Tuan, how many do you have?

- His family doesn't need to be counted. There's only one from his paternal relatives in the countryside.

It was the voices of her grandchildren. She didn't know what they were saying to each other, but she wanted to call them in. Since she fell ill and was bedridden, she hadn't been able to see them. She just lay in her room listening to their voices, not knowing how fat or thin they were. She called out breathlessly:

- Canh, Canh! - She listened quietly but there was no answer - Minh, Minh!

She waited a while but none of her grandchildren answered. They must have gone out. She sighed. The bugle continued to sound steadily.

Lying down and listening for a while, the old lady fell asleep without realizing it. When she woke up, it was probably midnight. She thought so because there was no more sound of trumpets or crying outside; in her room, the sensor night light was on. Her mouth felt bitter and dry, her stomach rumbled. She had not eaten anything all day. She seemed to hear voices outside, but her ears were still buzzing, unable to hear a word. She tried to push herself up with her hands, lifted herself up, stretched her thin neck toward the door and called. Her voice seemed to be blocked by the door, bounced back, and hit her, causing her to fall back, breathing hard.

Thinking for a while, she felt thirsty again. She raised her head and looked at the table at the head of the bed. There was a bottle of water that her daughter had fed her this morning. She leaned on the armrest. The legs seemed not to be hers, holding her back. Try harder, try harder. She breathed a sigh of relief, her eyes sparkling with joy as she reached for the bottle. This way, next time she would try to do it herself, she would gradually get used to it, so she wouldn't have to bother her children and grandchildren. She thought about how when her husband was still alive, he took such good care of her that she thought she couldn't do anything anymore. She grabbed the handle of the bottle but her weak arms couldn't lift the bottle, dragging it along with her body weight, hitting the glass.

Bang!

- What is it!

She panicked and trembled:

- Mom... mom is going to... going to...

She looked at her children standing before her with her old eyes. They had only been in charge of their father's funeral for two days, but they all looked exhausted. She felt sorry for them.

- I just want to pour a cup of water.

The eldest daughter-in-law tactfully raised her index finger to her nose. The few of them looked at each other, frowned slightly, and then went outside. The eldest brother said to his younger sister:

- Ms. Hoa, please clean up for me, then change clothes and wash up for mom.

Only then did she notice that there was a musty smell in the room. It was so boring, it didn't help them at all, it only made them more tired.

Hoa is her youngest daughter, living in the countryside. Both husband and wife are farmers so they are not as well off or rich as their brothers. The children are obedient.

- Mom! Come back to the countryside and live with us. You have to live with me first.

The daughter changed her clothes and cleaned her up while saying that and then started to cry. She sighed softly and said softly:

- Give me some water.

The daughter quietly went out for a while and then came back. The old woman smelled the aroma from the bowl in her daughter's hand, her hungry stomach that had been lying still all day now rumbled.

- All day I was busy preparing water for my brother and sister to welcome the guests so… It's late at night, there's only instant porridge, mom will eat it.

Seeing her child's sad face, seemingly remorseful and miserable, she waved her hand and nodded. There was a funeral at home, so she had to play cards to relieve the children and grandchildren's fatigue. Suddenly, there was a loud noise coming from the living room.

- You can't hear me! Bring mom to your house and let everyone laugh at my husband and I. After all, Toan is the eldest son. - Toan's wife's voice was clear.

- Yes. Besides, I am the director of a big company, your sister is also the head of a cultural agency, with a house and conditions like this, how can we not support Mom? And Uncle Toan and his wife here, they are both successful businessmen, with extensive connections. If we bring Mom to our aunt and uncle's house in the countryside, people will curse us in our faces. - Toan continued his wife's words.

- Honestly, I didn't mean anything by it. My husband and I in the countryside have more free time anyway, and have time to take care of my mother. As for you guys, you guys have this and that, you're always busy...

Before Hoa's husband - the old lady's son-in-law - could finish his sentence, Toan - the second son - interrupted:

- You mean you can't take care of mom here? If you're busy, you can hire someone to take care of her. Sending her to your house is not good.

- Yes, my son is still alive and well. Why would we suddenly bring my mother to live with her son-in-law? Where would we put our reputation? - The old lady's second daughter-in-law interrupted. - Besides, I'm telling the truth, I can't stand anyone who doesn't like her, but how long will my mother be able to live like this? When she passes away, she won't be able to live as a ghost in her son-in-law's house. If we bring her here, people will spit on her. When she's sick, they won't take care of her, and when she dies, they'll take her to the organization.

The eldest son nodded and concluded:

- In short, just leave Mom at my house. If you are too busy to take care of her, hire someone. You and your uncle are poor, so you don't need to contribute. If Uncle Toan and his wife want to, they can contribute, if not, they can't. I spend a few million a month to hire someone to take care of Mom, it's not worth it.

- Oh, why don't you come up here and take care of Mom? Consider it as if you don't have to hire anyone. You can pay them every month. Having a daughter take care of Mom is the most reassuring thing, and you can also earn extra income. It's not as good as farming.

- Let's do this, ten million a month, what do you think? Let Hoa come up here to take care of mom, and conveniently clean the house for you and your brother, I'll pay you in full every month, and take care of three meals a day...

The more she listened, the more her ears felt like they were buzzing, making it hard to hear. The porridge was too salty to swallow. She waved her hand, signaling that she was not eating anymore. Thick tears welled up in the corners of her eyes. If she had not been sick, her children would not have been in such a difficult situation.

Hoa took a towel to wipe her mother's mouth and helped her lie down. She softly said, "Go to sleep, Mom," but her voice was choked up. She nodded, closed her eyes slightly as if preparing to sleep, but waited for her daughter to bring the bowl out and close the door before opening her eyes and looking around the room. The opposite side was now empty. The bed where he used to sleep every day had been moved.

She was unconscious all night. She remembered the old days of hardship and toil in taking care of her children until they became successful; to the time she had a stroke and was bedridden, fortunately he was there to take care of her, otherwise her children and grandchildren would have suffered. When she was still healthy, she helped her children with housework, cooking...

The night is so long!

Illustration: HOANG DANG

*****

Her daughter had been feeding her since dawn to prepare for the funeral procession at 7:30 a.m. It was already noisy outside the house. The brass band was starting to play again. She wanted to go out and say goodbye to him. They had been together for life, sharing joys and sorrows, but now he was leaving first, could she not see him off on his final journey? That was what she thought, but she didn’t dare tell her children. Even if she did, they would brush her off. If only her legs could walk normally. She kept thinking and lost herself in the sound of the trumpets and drums.

- Is that you?

- It's me. I'll say goodbye and go. Stay here and take care of your health. Don't think too much or you'll get sicker.

- I'm already sick. I wish I could go with you to avoid bothering your children and grandchildren.

- Don't say that.

- You promised to take care of me before you left. I should have gone first.

- I'm sorry I couldn't stay with you, couldn't take care of you properly. It's almost time. I'll go ahead, wait for the day to reunite with you down there.

She leaned forward, flailing her arms as he slowly walked out and disappeared behind the door. She fell to the ground, still watching his figure. Her heart ached. So he was really gone.

Hearing the sound of trumpets and drums, she guessed that the funeral procession had begun. It was only a dozen meters from where she was to where he was, but now it seemed so far away. She grabbed the ground in front of her to drag herself toward the door, but she could only move a little before she felt like she had no strength left. The sounds of gongs, drums, trumpets, flutes... seemed to be getting farther and farther away.

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