Let's go home, we've been through enough!

Báo Sài Gòn Giải phóng•15/01/2024

A gentle drizzle slowly descends, carrying with it a chill that permeates every corner, causing plants and trees to huddle together in the final days of the cold winter.

A corner of the porch awaits the footsteps of those who have gone far away.

The days gradually close, leaving behind worries, hustle, and bustle on the remaining pages of the old year's calendar. Tet is just around the corner, time is rushing by, drawing hearts into a poignant longing, affection, and anticipation for the familiar footsteps of those who have left their hometowns.

On the fertile alluvial soil of the Bo River, heads ache with longing, waiting for news of their children far from home. Their own houses, their walls covered in moss, are crumbling. The towering rows of mangrove trees await someone to return and prune them in anticipation of spring. The gardens lack the strong hands needed to carry buckets of fertilizer to the pomelo trees for the next season's sweet, delicious fruit…

My dear, the scent of spring will soon fill the air, why haven't you decided to return yet?

The neighbor's child, far from home, announced they were coming back soon, their laughter echoing through the house. Another young couple, busy making a living abroad, were also preparing to return home for Tet… Yet, we waited and waited, and still hadn't received a single message from him. Zalo and Facebook were overflowing with messages urging each other to come home.

These past few days, Dad has been drinking more than usual. His pensive posture at the table in the corner of the cupboard, the sound of wine being poured into the glass, the sip followed by a sigh—it all sounds incredibly heartbreaking. Perhaps he's missing his eldest son terribly, who's been away for a year. That son, who once made him so proud, and who, after a tragic fall in life, is now struggling in a foreign land.

Men are very good at hiding their longing and pain deep within their hearts, while women gently release their emotions through tears. My mother's eyes have reddened so many times whenever she mentions him… This Tet holiday, she'll be busy pickling him in a jar of shallots and salting him in a barrel of pickled mustard greens – her beloved son's favorite dish.

Looking at my mother's hair, grayed by time, beside her basket of pickled onions and basin of pickled vegetables, my heart aches. How much time do we have left to hesitate? Time waits for no one, so why miss this opportunity?

Come home, my love, come back to your family! Father's persistent cough needs your gentle massage, Mother's trembling hands need your strong hands to hold and comfort them with love. The yard, the garden, the porch, the tiled roof need your familiar presence to paint and repair them…

Come home, my dear, let's celebrate Tet together! Come home so that the family meal, a day of reunion, will be filled with everyone's faces. Even if it's just pickles and fish sauce, the rice will still taste delicious, and Tet will still be full of the warmth of family love. Serving each other bowls of rice, endlessly asking about the hardships of the past, our hearts will ache, our eyes will well up with tears, realizing how precious these moments of togetherness truly are!

Come home, my dear, to breathe in the spring air of our familiar and warm homeland. There's no place as comfortable as home, no place more beloved than our hometown. The village gate will be covered in colorful flowers, the village roads and alleys will be neatly swept, just waiting for the footsteps of the children who have been away from home to return.

Go home, honey, go home so you can buy your little one a new dress and some flowery shoes. Your daughter is so cute and adorable. Looking at her photos on Facebook and talking to each other through mobile screens will never fully express your love.

Go home, hold your child in your arms, kiss their hair, caress their cheeks, and listen to their loving whispers—you'll see how worthwhile and lovely life is! Gently release the waves of worry and sadness that have been swirling in your heart into the world of your child's soul, so that love can soothe the wounds and scratches that have been festering, waiting to sting…

Home is a place to return to, not just a place to cherish memories and love. Home is a place to return to after months of tiring travels to recharge and rejuvenate, not a place to make and break promises. Dress a little less, spend a little less, and make time to return home during these last few days of the year.

You've traveled far enough, it's time to go home! The distance between Ho Chi Minh City and Hue isn't so great that you have to hesitate and be indecisive. Pack your bags, head to the bus station, hop on a bus, and head back to your loved ones!

YOUTH

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