Short story: The happiest thing

MH: VO VAN

( Quang Ngai Newspaper) Baby Sony has been sleeping for a long time. Lying on the bed, his lips are pursed, looking extremely adorable. No matter when I return home, day or night, rain or shine, I am always greeted by Vy's gentle smile and warm arms, with Sony's hearty laughter and joy: "Ah, mom, dad Minh is back!".

I hugged mother and child. All fatigue disappeared. All worries seemed to be washed away at the door...

I once asked Vy:
- Hey! What is the happiest thing in your life?
Vy pondered for a long time. She must have been pondering over the things that came to her mind and then choosing which one was the “happiest thing” to respond to me. And then Vy looked at me, her voice as sweet as I had heard it nearly ten years ago, on the first day we met:
- It's you. It's baby Sony. It's our home.
- Anything else? - I asked again.
I shook my head.
- No, you and Sony are the greatest happiness in my life.
I kissed her forehead. Sony sat next to her and giggled.

***

But sometimes I make her sad. Even though Quan said I was not to blame. "Brother-in-law always takes care of my second sister" - Quan said and then looked at me with admiration. "When you get married, you will also be a good man who takes care of the family like your second brother!". I was quite embarrassed by her compliment but still secretly hoped that she would not have to follow the same path as I had.

Vy is a tolerant, forgiving and self-sacrificing woman. The day I married Vy, she was one of the most beautiful girls in the village. Before I brought her to the city, Vy's mother placed her thin hand on mine and told me to hold it tightly. "Take care of Vy for me, love Vy for the rest of my life, okay?" I nodded. My mother's eyes were filled with tears. She stood behind the bamboo hedge watching us until the car disappeared into the dust of the village road. After all these years, Vy still retained her beauty from the past, but her eyes had lost the innocence of the past. Instead, they were the eyes of a woman who always put her husband and children first. After giving birth to Sony, Vy quit her job at the office, even though at that time she was about to be promoted and had many opportunities for development. Sometimes, I remember the image of Vy wearing a work dress, rushing early in the morning to water the flowers, make coffee for me, cook breakfast quickly, and then we drove to work together. I asked Vy:
- You were working, now you are off work and hanging around at home, do you feel sad?
Vy shook her head:
- If I go to work, who will take care of Sony and you? I still want every time you come home, the food is ready on the table, the house is clean, little Sony has finished her homework and is sitting somewhere in her small garden reading a book that I carefully selected for her...

I silently thanked Vy for her sacrifice. Yet there were times when I left Vy to go far away, not just once but many trips, sometimes within the country, sometimes even abroad. I called Vy, through the screen, I saw Vy and her child sitting in the living room filled with her paintings, waiting for me; suddenly I wanted to fly back to Vy immediately. There were things I didn't realize when I was with Vy, such as the sacrifice and boundless love she had for me. Until I went on a business trip, far away from her, far away from Sony, thinking of the scene of mother and child huddled in the house, my heart ached again.

But I still went. I still had a lot of dreams in my heart. My colleagues said I was a workaholic. I smiled faintly: "A man must have a stable position and a smooth job to ensure a life for his family, wife and children." My colleagues did not object, because from a certain perspective, the "philosophy" I put forth was quite accurate. But then the dream of being promoted at work, having a more comfortable income so that I could take Sony and her mother wherever Vy wanted, pulled me further and further away from Vy and Sony every day. In a month, the number of times I visited home gradually decreased, instead I slept in a strange place hundreds of kilometers away from my city. Then the calls to Vy also gradually decreased, instead there were meetings where I attended and enthusiastically presented my cherished project in front of many people. At times like that, Vy certainly felt sad and little Sony could not help but miss me terribly. Vy said that while in his sleep, Sony talked in his sleep: "Ba Minh... Ba Minh!". Vy's eyes were filled with tears.

***

Quan was keeping baby Sony in the living room while Vy cooked and made me a cake herself like always. It was getting dark, and I still hadn’t come home. The meeting at the provincial branch nearly 200 kilometers away from the city ended late, so I lingered for a while and then got in the car to return home quickly to celebrate the new year with Vy. Quan was impatient and texted: “Is brother-in-law back yet? Sister-in-law has finished preparing everything, she’s just waiting for you!”. I didn’t reply to the text because I was half asleep. Quan texted again: “Where are you? Sony has been reminding me for a while now.” I was startled and replied to Quan: “I’m on my way home to you and your mother. It’s quite a distance from the province to the city, and the road is dark. But I’ll make the most of it.”

The army returned late at night. Outside, there were only street lights shining on the road and a few cleaning ladies taking advantage of the opportunity to clean up the trash and rustling dry leaves. My heart was pounding in my chest. I opened my contact list. The number I named “Beloved Wife” always appeared first. It rang once but she didn’t pick up. I called again, still no answer. I thought: Vy must be really angry with me!
The car still sped through the night. Fast as the wind. I fell into a deep sleep. The meetings had drained my energy.

When the car arrived in the city, it suddenly started to rain. The driver knew I was in a hurry so he quickly took me home. My house is on a road lined with brown acacia trees. This season, the acacia flowers fall off their stems, spin in the air, and fall all over the road. The rain makes the flower bodies stick together, making it difficult for the cleaning lady, although in the sun they are no less romantic. I stood in front of the house with a white gate, in a small garden where she planted many kinds of flowers, blooming brilliantly every morning. The living room was still lit. I walked slowly across the yard, pushed the door open and entered. Vy had fallen asleep on the sofa waiting for me, on the table was the cake she made with two candles to represent my 36th birthday, along with the dishes that had been laid out but had gone cold without me knowing. I guessed that she had waited for me from the time the sun set over the bustling city until the late night when the city was as quiet as the countryside. Tears welled up in my eyes. Suddenly I felt guilty. I have kept Vy and Sony waiting for me, not just today but countless times.
I sat down beside her. My breathing woke her up.
- Older brother!
Not letting Vy say anything more, I hugged Vy tightly.
- Vy! I'm sorry!
Vy held my face with both hands. Wrinkles were starting to appear on my face, and my skin was no longer as smooth as when I was a girl. Vy smiled. Still that gentle smile. She said:
- It's not my fault. I just want you and your child to be warm, well-fed, and not to be at a disadvantage to anyone.
Then Vy also burst into tears.

Little Sony had gone to bed early to go to school the next day. In the house at that time, there were only me and her. We sat next to each other. She leaned her head on my shoulder. We watched the rain through the glass door. She lit candles, I prayed. We sang “Happy Birthday” together and cut into the cake that tasted of Vy’s love, sacrifice, sympathy and understanding. Having gone through a long time, having tasted the bitterness and sweetness of life, having been angry and resentful and then feeling more in love and need for each other than ever, we truly lived the most worth-living days of our lives.
I said to Vy:
- Vy, I won't make you wait like this anymore. I promise!

Vy smiled gently. We held hands tightly. Vy sang softly, a subtle line from the song “White Summer” by musician Trinh Cong Son - a genre of music that Vy loved and often sang in her free time: “Let’s have each other in life, forever, the sun doesn’t call for sadness. Even though the old shirt is wrinkled, let’s still call each other’s names when our hair turns white...”.
The candlelight was still flickering. Outside, the rain had stopped...

HOANG KHANH DUY

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