Following is part 2 of chapter 4 "Tinh yeu" (Love) from the children novel "Open the window, eyes closed" by Nguyen Ngoc Thuan presented in both English and Vietnamese only published on Tuoitrenews:
The English translation is provided by Tre publishing house.
We hope you would have an enjoyable experience reading this lovely piece of writing.
Remember to frequently visit Tuoitrenews to follow the next chapters.
|
Uncle Hung gave me a tight embrace and shouted, “Wow, how I love Aunt Hồng! But why is Aunt Hồng’s head so bald?”
We burst out laughing. He threw the blanket over me and then he started to eat my feet. I said, “If you tell Aunt Hồng you love her, she won’t be angry with you.” “Really?” Uncle Hung asked. “Yes. I told her myself.” “Told her what?” “I told her I loved her very much. She even gave me some candy. She said she loved me too. Mom said, when you love somebody you must let them know, so they can be happy. Aunt Hồng will be very happy if you tell her you love her!” “OK. I will confess my love to Hồng!” I jumped up, putting my arms around his neck. He carried me to the tea table. I said, “And I love you too!” “Yes, I love you.” “How funny. I love you, you love Aunt Hồng, Aunt Hồng loves my mother, my mother loves my father, and then my father loves me.” Uncle Hung nodded, “Yes, love goes round and round, like a roundabout.”
“I love Old Tư also.” “So do I.” Three months later, Uncle Hung and Aunt Hồng got married. Standing by Aunt Hồng, Uncle Hung’s face was still very black, only with happiness. He held me up for a photo. He asked, “Who am I posing with for a photo?” I said, “I’m Aunt Hồng.” He patted me on the head, “I love Aunt Hồng very much, OK?” My Dad gave Uncle Hung a cow as a wedding present. He led the cow on a rope to the wedding stage. There was even a red bow across the cow’s horns. Uncle Hung said to my Dad, “How generous of you!” Dad laughed happily. I’d never seen Dad so happy. He talked and talked. He even picked at his beard while he talked. Old Tư saw me and shouted, “Where are my hands?” That took everybody by surprise - all eyes were on the two of us. Before they could figure out what was going on I shouted even louder, “Here we are. We are the hands. The hands are honored to serve Your Majesty.” Now that they knew what was going on, they all laughed. I came and whispered to Old Tư’s ear, “Why did you tell them? It’s a secret between you and me!” Old Tư blushed with joy. He said, “No problem son, if a secret’s such a happy one, why not share it with others?” I nodded, “But why didn’t you tell me? I want to share the secret myself.” He nodded, “OK. I just forgot. I owe you a secret then.” The wedding party went on till evening. I hung around in Uncle Hung’s house - I just didn’t want to go home. Dad came and called me home for the second time but I still hesitated. He asked, “What’s the matter with you?” I kept quiet. I wondered if Uncle Hung would drop in and wake me up the next morning. When I got home I jumped into the bed and swore to myself I wouldn’t get up again until Uncle Hung came and saw me. I’d lie there until I froze. But Uncle Hung was already held prisoner - by Aunt Hồng, of course. |
Chú Hùng ôm chặt lấy tôi, hét lớn:
Chú Hùng gật đầu:
Ba tháng sau, chú Hùng và cô Hồng làm đám cưới. Đứng bên cô Hồng, mặt chú vẫn đen xì, nhưng trông hiền lắm. Chú ẵm tôi lên chụp hình. Khi chụp hình, chú hỏi:
Mọi người hiểu ra chợt cười ồ. Tôi chạy đến ghé sát vào tai ông Tư:
Ông gật đầu:
Tôi im lặng. Tôi không biết ngày mai chú Hùng có gọi tôi dậy nữa không. Về đến nhà, tôi nhảy lên giường của mình nằm, tự hứa, chú Hùng mà không sang gọi, tôi sẽ nằm mãi. Tôi sẽ nằm cho đến lúc người tôi tê cứng mới thôi. |
Next chapter: chapter 5: Open the window, eyes closed
My family had a very large garden. Dad grew a lot of flowers. When he was home from the fields in the afternoon, Dad would take me to the garden to help him with the watering. He’d made me a small watering can out of a used paint pot, which I found very handy. He even made a shower head from another tin can.
Dad would tell me to close my eyes before he placed my hands on every flower. Then he’d ask, “What flower is this?”
Print
