Chapter 25 — Appointment Under the Stars

At exactly 7:30 p.m., Mr. Dat stepped onto the small stage, held the microphone, and welcomed all the guests with a bright smile. "Welcome to parents, teachers, and all of you who took the time to attend the Perseids meteor shower observation event organized by the Astronomy Club of Binh Minh High School tonight," the teacher said, his warm voice echoing throughout the full-seated terrace area.

Applause erupted from the audience, mixed with sparkling string lights strung throughout the space, creating a scene that was both solemn and cozy. Ngoc Han stood backstage, watching every moment through the gap in the temporary curtain, clearly feeling the suspense rising in her chest.

At that moment, the phone in her pocket vibrated. She pulled it out and looked, her heart pounding when she saw the name displayed - it was dad. She hesitated for a second before picking up the phone, walking to a hidden corner behind the stage so she could hear more clearly amid the noise of the crowd.

"Dad," she said softly, her voice both surprised and a little worried. "Dad, are you calling at this hour? The event is about to start."

"I know, I won't keep you for long," her father said, his voice urgent but full of excitement, different from the sadness of the previous calls. "I just want to tell you some news - I've made arrangements with the telecommunications technical team on the rig, they've agreed to lend me the satellite link for about half an hour tonight. I won't be able to come home, but I'll video call you, right during the event, so I can look up at that sky with you, even if only through the phone screen."

Those words made Ngoc Han stunned, an indescribable feeling mixed between surprise and a small hope that she did not dare to let herself completely believe. "Dad... can you really arrange it?" she asked, her voice shaking.

"I've been begging the technical team for a week now," her father smiled, his voice full of pride and emotion. "I know I can't be there in person, but I don't want you to have to look up at the sky alone that night, not this time. I'll call you as soon as the meteor shower starts, remember to keep your phone nearby."

Ngoc Han's tears suddenly flowed out, but this time they were tears of happiness and deep emotion, different from the pain that had enveloped her all those days before. "Thank you, Dad," she said, her voice choked up. "This means more to you than I could imagine."

"I'm the one who should thank you, for not giving up your faith in me, no matter how many times I've disappointed you," her father said, his voice choked up. "Let's go, get ready to go on stage, don't keep everyone waiting. I'll call you back later, I promise."

The call ended, Ngoc Han stood silently for a moment, holding the phone in her hand, letting the last tears roll down before wiping them dry, taking a deep breath to regain composure. She knew, this wasn't a perfect promise, her dad still wouldn't be able to stand next to her, couldn't hug her in this important moment, but the effort he put in, the sincerity in every word, was enough touch her heart in a way that no previous empty promise had ever done.

"Are you okay?" Nhat Quang, having just finished the opening introduction, ran to find her as soon as he realized she had left her position for a moment. Seeing her teary eyes, he panicked. "What's up?"

"No, it's not a bad thing," Ngoc Han quickly reassured, smiling through her tears. "My dad just called. He couldn't come home, but he arranged to video call me right during the meteor shower. He wanted to look up at the sky with me tonight, even if only through the phone screen."

Nhat Quang breathed a sigh of relief, then smiled warmly and gently hugged her for a moment. "See, things are getting better. Are you ready for your share?"

Ngoc Han nodded, her eyes filled with new determination. "Ready," she replied, her voice more certain than ever. "Nothing can stop me now."

She held Nhat Quang's hand tightly for a moment, feeling the warmth and stability radiating from that grip, then walked out with him backstage, towards the small stage where the lights were waiting.

Before stepping onto the stage, she stopped by the family seating area, where her mother was sitting with Mr. Sau, both of whom looked at her with encouraging eyes. "You can do it," Ms. Lan moved her lips wordlessly, giving her a thumbs up in encouragement. Ngoc Han smiled in response, feeling a warm stream of energy that added strength to her next steps.

Teacher Dat, after an overview of the scientific and cultural significance of the Perseids meteor shower, invited Nhat Quang to share a few words as the club's president. Nhat Quang stepped up, his confident voice echoed throughout the rooftop area, recounting the journey the club had gone through, from the risk of dissolution today, when it was possible to stand in front of hundreds of people sharing the same passion.

"Before the meteor shower officially begins," Nhat Quang said, his eyes looking to Ngoc Han who was waiting in the wings, "I want to invite a special friend to share a story, the story of the journey from fear of the dark to finding one's own light under the night sky."

Applause rang out when Ngoc Han stepped onto the stage, the light shining directly on her made her heart beat faster than ever. She looked around the crowd, found the encouraging eyes of her mother, Mr. Sau, Yen Nhi standing in the front row, and finally the confident eyes of Nhat Quang standing quietly behind the scenes.

She took the microphone, took a deep breath, and began, her voice was a little shaky at first but quickly became more steady with each word spoken, as if everything she had prepared and experienced was now naturally flowing into the truest words from the bottom of her heart.

"Two years ago, if someone had told me that one day I would be standing here, in front of hundreds of people, to talk about my love for the night sky, I probably wouldn't have believed it," she begins, her voice ringing clearly through the speaker system. "Because for a long time, I hated the night sky more than anything else."

The crowd listened silently, all eyes turned to the girl standing in the middle of the spotlight, recounting every memory of the nights waiting on the rooftop, of the repeated disappointments, and of the journey of reluctantly entering the Astronomy Club for only an initial utilitarian purpose.

"But then, little by little, my friends here taught me to look at the night sky in a different light," she continued, her voice gradually becoming more confident and full of emotion. "They taught me that the light of the stars we see today sometimes takes thousands of years to reach us. And perhaps, love is the same — sometimes it needs time, it needs distance, to come at the right time, in the right way."

She looked towards the family seating area, where her mother was quietly wiping away tears, before continuing to share about her healing moment with her own pain, about how she learned that happiness does not need to wait for perfection from others to be complete. Each of her words was like an invisible string connecting to the heart of everyone listening, making many audiences tear up at her sincere story.

"And tonight," she said, her voice dropping with emotion as she mentioned the last part of the sharing, "my dad, who is working offshore, couldn't be here in person. But he found every way to be able to look up at the sky with me tonight, even through a short video call. And I think, that's the biggest lesson this journey has taught me - love is not always perfect, not always what we expect. But if we are tolerant enough to see even the smallest efforts, we will find light, even in the darkest nights."

She ended her sharing with a bright smile, bowing her head to thank the audience. Applause echoed like thunder throughout the rooftop area, mixed with enthusiastic cheers from the club members. Ngoc Han walked down the stage in bursts of happiness, and was immediately welcomed by Nhat Quang with a tight hug. They both smiled amid endless applause, as the night sky above their heads gradually turned darker, ready for the magical moment that was about to happen.