Chapter 26

At night, the temperature is getting lower and lower. Thac wears gloves and wraps a thick scarf around his neck to cycle home. On both sides of the road, the shops are still open, and a few are placing some panels for sale. Leaves have fallen all over the road, and the sound of them being crushed under the rolling wheels resonant with the chilling winds.

When Thac arrives home, he sees his mother waiting in the living room. He greets his mother and is about to go upstairs when his mom calls him.

"Are you hungry? I'll cook some instant noodles for you."

Thac initially has no appetite, but when his mother mentions noodles that makes his stomach growl. Thac nods. 

His mother does not do much but mixes a packet of noodles with soft-boiled eggs and puts some pickled cabbage in a bowl as a side dish. A simple dinner suddenly becomes strangely delicious. Van Thac opens the lid of the bowl and digs in to eat. The sound of him eating noodles rustling in the quiet space.

In just a few minutes, Thac finishes his late dinner. He voluntarily washes dishes. After washing, he returns to the table and sits opposite his mother.

"Mom…" Thac starts the conversation.

"Do you feel better?"

Thac nods. Today is indeed a long day for him. Many things have happened, too many to know in just one day. His heart is heavy. For a moment, he feels incompetent and useless in this vast and complicated world.

Seeing that her son remains silent, the mother strikes his hair.

"Today, your Dad and I went to see you perform. You did play the trumpet very well! Mr Woods also praised you have been making unexpectedly fast progress."

Thac never thinks his mother would say that. All his pent-up emotions are like a valve being completely opened.

"No,… it's…Mom.... I…"

Thac cannot hold back anymore. He bows his head and cries. Thac feels that it's not very reasonable for a son to cry in front of his mother when he's big. But the more he tries to refrain, the more tears fall. His mother still gently comforts him.

After crying for a while, his heart feels lighter. He uses a tissue to wipe all the tears and drivel on his face.

"Mom," Thac's voice is still a bit muffled and shaking after crying, "Can I ask you this?"

"Okay, say it."

"Mom, is the reason I cannot join the Orchestra … because you told Mr Woods to do so?"

The mother smiles and nods with a "You're right." confirming the question in his heart.

Van Thac was accidentally discovered by Luyen and Thuyen when the two were being chased by a villager whose guavas had been stolen by those naughty boys. At that time, he was only eight years old, and he and his family were on a trip to visit his parent's hometown in the summer. He was unlucky to be pulled in by two mischievous kids, who were roaming around to play tricks and cause trouble everywhere in the village. Thac was hanging out on the road, and he didn't have any idea about the situation. He ran because he noticed Luyen and Thuyen running toward him. After a while, realizing that no one was chasing him, he turned around and saw the house owner who had his guavas robbed, pinching the ears of two boys about his age and complaining to their families. The two boys' parents had to go out to apologize and force them to return the stolen guavas. The two were then scolded by their parents. When they were so upset, they happened to see the kid who had run with them. The two immediately started a fight. The three of them argued for a long time, and then Thuyen noticed that the strange guy not only ran further than them and cursed at them harder, but his face also showed no tiredness. Luyen quickly gave his clarinet to Thac and told him to give it a try. Discovering that Thac's breath was incredibly strong, Luyen dragged him into the house and immediately introduced him to the old man who was drinking tea with his parents.

It turned out that Luyen and Thuyen were not from the same hometown as Thac. The two of them followed their families here because the two groups of parents were once students of a retired teacher who was living in his hometown. The old man also saw Thac's ability, so he asked about his family and then went with him to his grandparents' house, which was only a few doors apart. In the countryside, everyone knows each other. Thac's relatives all came out to greet the old man. The man mentioned sending him to some lecturers at the Conservatory of Music.

"Originally, I didn't want you to pursue art, but the old man lived in the same neighbourhood as your grandparents and was also an acquaintance. Seeing his enthusiasm, I agreed with him to let you learn music, but I thought of it as entertaining after class." The mother reminisces.

So, according to the old man's recommendation, Mr Woods agreed to give Thac a few trial lessons. During that time, he started to gradually get acquainted with the instruments and make friends with Luyen and Thuyen. Seeing that Thac had the ability to play brass and woodwinds, Mr Woods suggested his family let him go to the Conservatory and study with his elementary school friends there. However, Thac's father did not want to. After all, his father was working in the art world, and he had known many things in the dark that not everyone knew. The couple discussed together and then refused the proposal, as they wanted for their son to be old enough. Mr Woods understood their concern and suggested that he would teach Thac after school and wait until he was 16 years old before being accepted into the Orchestra. Faced with the teacher's enthusiasm, Thac's father replied that he would let his son decide for himself.

But that plan was broken when Thac was ten when the accident of Ngoc Lam happened. Although his mother did not understand the story in detail, she, as a businesswoman, who had interacted with all kinds of people and experienced all kinds of things, could imagine the dirty truths hiding behind that luxurious stage curtain.

"Your father knows more about Ngoc Lam than me. He said that even a genius like that is being pushed to the limit, so how can our family protect you when something goes wrong? Dad only works as a freelancer, and I work in business, and you don't have a background to support you at that Conservatory. The two children, Luyen and Thuyen, were prepared by their parents, but no one dared to say that if someone more powerful than them tried to bully them, they could still be at peace. What should we do if our child encounters the same thing as Ngoc Lam does?

"I understand."

"We know, we can't protect you forever. There will come a time when you have to experience it yourself. At least we still want our children to have a peaceful childhood, staying away from the gossip of adults. We desire to wait until you are strong so that no matter what will happen in the future, your spirit is mature enough to withstand it. Ngoc Lam encountered problems when she was very young. That's how life is that people never care how old you are or how much your parents love you."

"Mom, I didn't know anything. I was so stubborn about Ngoc Lam. I didn't pay attention to your advice. I was wrong." Thac confesses to his mother.

"I know you have good intentions. But Thac, there are many things in this life that kindness alone is not enough. If you want to help others, you must be competent yourself. You must cultivate yourself first. Do you understand what I mean?"

"Yes."

Seeing that her son seems to have understood, the mother continues.

"Do you still want to help Ngoc Lam?"

Looking at her son's hesitation to say his thoughts, the mother smiles affectionately.

"I want to wait until you're really grown up, but if you want to walk on your own path and have considered it carefully, we will support your decision."

After a few days off, the school became crowded again. Ngoc Lam is still on time, as usual, arriving at class 15 minutes before. She stayed alone in the room. The hallway is quiet without the noisy classmates with his trumpet.

When there are only five minutes left, the students have already filed into the classroom, and Van Thac is still nowhere to be seen.

The bell rings, and the class is crowded again. Thuy is the first person to whisper in Ngoc Lam's ear, "Why hasn't Thac come to class yet?"

Ngoc Lam follows Thuy's words and turns to see that Thac's seat is empty.

The homeroom teacher enters the classroom, interrupting her thoughts. She congratulates the whole class on the amazing results of the recent Teachers' Day event. Those who participated and won high prizes will have their achievements recorded on their school transcripts. They will also receive scholarships and commendations at the flag salute session next Monday.

After that, she tells the class monitor to change the number of students, for Van Thac is now studying abroad.

The news is so sudden that all the students cannot digest it. Everyone gasp. A student speaking up, "So, is he studying in some foreign country?" pulls other classmates' consciousness back. The class is loud enough to wake the dead when discussing Thac's abrupt journey.

Ngoc Lam is sitting motionless without a word.