Short story: Rainbow After the Storm

GD&TĐ - After the storm subsided, occasional gusts of wind still blew through, causing the bamboo grove at the edge of the village to sway and creak loudly, creating a jarring sound.

The sky darkened, then poured down rain, before brightening again, sunlight peeking through the trees drooping from the storm the night before. The sky cleared, and a circle of various colors was drawn. The children cheered with delight, but he didn't! He hated those shades of red, orange, yellow, and purple, because they were exactly like the headband his son, Cuong, wore.

Wrapped in his thick raincoat, he quietly unlocked the door and slipped inside. He was returning to his hometown today, but he didn't want his relatives to see his face. Every day, as soon as he arrived at the edge of the village, a flurry of greetings would erupt. Upon seeing him, some were respectful, others obsequious, all readily agreeing and eagerly inviting him to their homes for a meal.

Eating at one house offends another. Ever since that meal with old Hao, a close relative of his, who, under the influence of alcohol, subtly hinted that he was gluttonous and vulgar, always joining any house with "important people" at their table. Those words were sharp as a knife; he wasn't such a commoner, he was simply being polite! Let the old man say whatever he wants, he doesn't need to explain himself. From now on, he won't eat at any house that disrespects him! He still has his house in the countryside, adjacent to the ancestral temple left to him by his parents; the kitchen is there, with all the pots and pans, he can cook whatever he wants.

He was, after all, the head of the Nguyen Dinh clan, a prominent and influential family in the local area, so he had to maintain his authority and that of his clan! In Quynh Phung commune alone, his clan was the largest; according to the register of male descendants, the list stretched to the length of a whole regiment. That's just counting the main branch; the other branches scattered across neighboring communes and districts added up to a division of male descendants.

Other families in the village and district envied the magnificent Nguyen Dinh family ancestral temple, with its soaring curved roof reaching up to the clouds. The entrance gate to the temple area was painted in vibrant green and red, as imposing as a village gate. It also featured dragons, unicorns, tortoises, and phoenixes; dragons flanking the moon—all perfectly depicted.

The ancestral hall is painted in red and gold; the pillars, rafters, and bracing are all made of precious wood, coated with a glossy PU paint. The existence of such a large and beautiful ancestral hall is thanks to the blessings of our ancestors, who have protected and supported their descendants, enabling them to prosper and advance in their careers. During the renovation of the ancestral hall, officials from the province and district came to help.

One child offered to pay for the entire gate construction, another volunteered to pay for the paving stones in the courtyard, and yet another donated a set of Laotian teak wood doors... But the most impressive of all was the grandson of a wealthy business owner, already in his fifties, who, according to family hierarchy, should call him "young grandfather." It's said he's the "backyard" of some powerful figure, but when he meets Mr. [name], he's just a junior, addressing him respectfully.

Fortunately, he was devoted to his ancestors. On the day the construction began, he drove his gleaming car back to the village, stopping abruptly in front of the church. Getting out of the car, he quietly went inside, respectfully handing the old man a large envelope, then excused himself from the meeting and left. The old man summoned all the members of the family council to witness the event before daring to open the enormous envelope, counting out ten thousand US dollars, all in pristine new bills.

Those were the happiest years of his life, the head of the clan with the authority of a king, loved and respected by his relatives. But now, perhaps, that is just a memory. He feels unhappy, he feels guilty towards his ancestors and his clan.

He went into the side building to wash himself thoroughly, changed into a brown robe, then went into the ancestral hall and respectfully lit five incense sticks at each altar. He knelt down, his head pressed to the ground, and mumbled a prayer: "I bow to my great-great-grandfathers and great-grandmothers, my brothers, uncles, aunts, and cousins... I am Nguyen Dinh Than, the head of the Nguyen Dinh clan... I beg forgiveness from my ancestors and my family..."

***

What a humiliation! I've never been so humiliated in my life. I don't know which despicable person secretly filmed this clip and uploaded it online. People jumped in to comment, saying I was "confronting a mistress," but who was I supposed to be confronting? A bearded Western guy!

Getting into a fight over a woman would be less humiliating. But she called him gay, saying he was fighting over a young man. It's so embarrassing, I'd want to disappear into the ground. If his relatives in the Nguyen Dinh family saw the online profile and realized that the young man was actually his son, Cuong, what would he say?!

He looked back at his family for three generations, the "hope for a son" gene clinging to him like a sticky stain. His grandfather married and had five children, but only his father was a boy. His father's generation was the same, with four daughters in quick succession. Fearing the in-laws would die out, his father's first wife had to arrange a marriage between his mother and his father, resulting in his birth. By his generation, the government only allowed two children, enough to have both a boy and a girl; who would have thought that his "straight" son, Cuong, would turn gay at some point?

"Straightforward" was a term used when he was a child, but when he reached puberty, he started showing unusual behaviors, though his father didn't pay attention to him. The neighbors jokingly nicknamed him "Effeminate Cuong." And it was true, his gait was effeminate. He resembled his father in that way, but his father was still 100% "manly."

Then she changed her style of dress. After school uniforms were over, she happily donned a tight-fitting white shirt that exposed her flat, pale chest, as white as a girl's skin. Her pants were equally tight, and she deliberately rolled up the hems to reveal her slender, white calves. In class, she didn't have a single male friend, only a group of four or five girls. They chatted and giggled like a sisterhood.

Mr. Than was devastated when his eldest daughter whispered in his ear, "Cuong is gay, Dad. He keeps stealing my cosmetics. One day, I caught him taking my new dress, hanging it in the closet, trying it on, all dressed up in flashy makeup, and posing suggestively in front of the mirror..."

Damn it! It's a shame the family line ends up being broken! He read the newspapers and saw how confusing their explanations for homosexuality were. They attributed it to biology, psychology, education , and so on and so forth... He didn't care what caused Cuong's homosexuality; he had given birth to a perfectly healthy boy. Now that he's gay, he'll straighten him out, that's all!

From that day on, Cuong was placed under special surveillance. He drove him to school; he picked him up after school; he hid the tight-fitting clothes Cuong secretly bought. He also strictly forbade any girls from associating with him.

Cuong was very upset; he didn't want to lose his freedom like that. He rebelled by skipping school, staying holed up in his room, and refusing to eat even meals. His father was helpless, not knowing what to do. His wife, from morning till evening, was engrossed in the folk dance club, dancing and singing with the retired women in the neighborhood, completely neglecting the family.

When he told her about Cuong, she clicked her tongue and casually remarked, "Don't overreact, he might get so upset he commits suicide, and then we'll lose our son!" Hearing this, he became worried and loosened his grip, no longer picking him up and dropping him off, but he still had someone keep a close eye on him.

He informed him that Cuong had now openly declared himself gay. That is, he no longer hid or concealed his true identity. He joined the online LGBT community, posted photos of himself wearing an eight-colored rainbow shirt as his avatar, and openly acknowledged being gay.

No wonder, he noticed a rainbow-colored headband that Cuong had left on the table; when he entered the room, Cuong quickly grabbed it and hid it… But that information wasn't as shocking as the news that Cuong had a "boyfriend," a gay American man.

Cuong's girlfriend is a teacher at an English language center in Vietnam. This young man rented a room at a hotel for an extended period. Every lunchtime, Cuong would visit the hotel and only return late in the evening. That's why the man rushed to the hotel to bring Cuong back, was filmed, and became a laughingstock on social media.

***

On the taxi ride back to his hometown, he kept thinking about how different happiness is for each person. For his wife, happiness was simply socializing, dancing, and singing with friends at the club, carefree and without worries about family matters.

For his daughter, happiness was exploring new lands, spending all her earnings on booking tours and tickets. As for Cuong, of course, he only felt true happiness when he lived authentically!

There was a time when he wondered: What about his own happiness? If this question had been asked a few years ago, he would have answered without hesitation: His happiness lies in the pride he feels in the Nguyen Dinh family lineage, which for three generations, from his grandfather, to his father, and then to himself, has held the position of clan leader.

But now, everything has changed! How could that "mixed fuel" Cuong possibly replace him? He feels life is so empty and meaningless! Since learning the harsh truth about Cuong, he has always felt lonely and bored, even in his own home.

He recalled a story from his grandfather, which he had heard when he was very young. The story was not official, so it wasn't included in the Nguyen Dinh family genealogy. It also had no relevance to the survival of his family now, but somehow, when he thought about his grandfather's legacy as a "child born after a longing," it haunted him, and he couldn't forget the story: His Nguyen Dinh family was originally of royal lineage.

After the king was overthrown, the entire family had to change their surnames and live in hiding to avoid a brutal extermination campaign to prevent future trouble; among them, the ancestor of his family wandered to Quynh Phung, changed his surname to Nguyen Dinh, established a hamlet and village, and made a living from farming and animal husbandry. Over the centuries, the Nguyen Dinh family has continued to develop until today...

In this day and age, the Nguyen Dinh family no longer has to worry about changing their surname or facing the risk of extinction like in the old days, but he still feels sad. It's time to learn to let go and find peace of mind.

He consoled himself, thinking that since there was no heir to continue the family lineage, he would gladly yield the position to someone else. After all, wasn't that old Hao, ever since he discovered the shady accounting practices of the clan, always jealous and wanting to oust him to seize the position of clan head of Nguyen Dinh? Well, let him have his way...

The incense had burned out, the prayer confessing his filial impiety to his ancestors had long since been recited, but he still knelt before the ancestral hall. A voice outside the gate called loudly: “Uncle Than, are you inside the ancestral hall? The scent of incense is so fragrant…” Mr. Than awoke, but did not answer. He brewed a pot of tea, sipped it alone, and felt more peaceful and relieved. He thought about tomorrow, when he would convene a family council meeting to announce and hand over the position of head of the Nguyen Dinh clan to old Hao.

***

“Dad, please! Let me live as my true gender. Everyone has the right to love and be happy! I love Ja-son and I’m determined to live with him…” Cường said, his voice choked with emotion, to Mr. Thân after the scandal and the leak of his image on social media.

"You're a pervert, a sick person! Nature created men and women as two halves of a whole, not two men who can bring happiness! Get out of my house, don't let me be ashamed of you. I disown you, I consider you not my son...", Mr. Than angrily shouted.

That was two years ago. He said those things in anger, but as a father, having given birth to him, nurtured him, and raised him day by day, how could he just say goodbye? He missed Cuong terribly, but he kept his feelings hidden in his heart.

Cuong still keeps in contact with his sister. Knowing her father wasn't being indifferent, his daughter subtly hinted to Mr. Than about Cuong's situation. A year ago, Cuong and Jason moved to the US and entered into a same-sex marriage under US law. Cuong is the "Bot" (meaning wife), and Jason is the "Top" (meaning husband). Because they haven't yet adapted to life in America, only Jason works, while Cuong stays home as a househusband.

Well, I'm happy for him! Mr. Than is starting to have more open-minded views about homosexuals. The law doesn't yet allow it, but society is now more open and no longer discriminates against homosexuals as before. Science also explains that it's a sexual orientation, not a disease or perversion. There are still successful gay people, talented architects, and famous singers who contribute to society...

Today, Mr. Than was very happy. Actually, his whole family was happy. For the first time, he, his wife, and their daughter were packing for a long trip together, at the invitation and sponsorship of Ja-son and his wife. Cuong and Ja-son had just had a healthy baby boy through artificial insemination using donated eggs and surrogacy, so they decided to invite Mr. Than's entire family to America to celebrate when the baby turned one month old.

Through his sister, who acted as an informant, Cuong learned that Mr. Than loved and missed him very much; he had also changed his mind about the relationship between Cuong and Ja-son. Cuong himself missed his parents and sister very much; therefore, Cuong and Ja-son agreed to invite Mr. and Mrs. Than and his sister to visit.

In Cường and his wife's cozy villa in America, the living room is decorated with wallpaper in a variety of vibrant colors, corresponding to the shades of the rainbow. Mr. Thân is no longer averse to these garish colors as he once was. What matters to him is witnessing and feeling the happiness of Cường and Ja-son with their newborn son.

Source: https://giaoducthoidai.vn/truyen-ngan-cau-vong-sau-bao-post778011.html