Chapter 26 — Late Table Lady

Khang gave up halfway through on the hottest day. He put down the hammer, looked at the progress chart and said: "I won't do it anymore."

Huy was painting the board and dropped his brush when he heard that. Mai looked up from the camera. Like standing in front of a duty schedule. An didn't ask right away because he saw the tired look in Khang's eyes.

“Do you want to take a day off today or withdraw from the project?” she asked.

"Withdraw."

“Because of the contract?”

“For everything.”

Khang stayed up many nights editing drawings, working at the shop and handling contracts. He didn't complain, but small errors began to increase: wrong pipes, misaligned shelves, late material delivery schedules. When An asked, he usually said okay. Now the sentence "don't do it anymore" falls like a screw slipping out of a machine.

“I don't want people to look at the project and only see my name,” Khang said. "The shop has signed a contract with your father's company. I become proof that everything is arranged. If I continue, people will say I hold the role because of you."

I heard it all. She wanted to say he was wrong, but knew that denying it immediately would push him away even more.

“Do you want someone else to do the technical part?”

Khang looked at her. “Yes. I will hand it over.”

“Do you want to take a week off and then decide again?”

“I have decided.”

Khang put away his tools and removed the name tag from the group's shirt. Huy is not joking. Mai put down the camera. As if asking what he needed to hand over, his voice remained calm.

An did not stop. She just said: "I respect your decision. But I don't respect the fact that you took it all on yourself and then disappeared without giving the group time to prepare."

Khang paused. He nodded and arranged to hand over the next afternoon.

All day long, the backyard lacked the sound of wrenches and dry answers. The group tried to continue but everything was slow. Huy painted the wrong color, Mai installed the shelves in the wrong direction, Nhu had to call the environmental team three times. An looked at the void left by Khang and realized that the absence of someone was more than just missing hands; it's a lack of perspective.

In the evening, An went to the shop. Khang was fixing the car and didn't look up.

“I didn't come to drag you back,” An said.

"Good."

“I came to ask what you need for the handover.”

“Tool list, drawings, maintenance schedule.”

“What else makes you want to withdraw?”

Khang tightened the wrench. "I'm tired of always having to prove I'm not being helped. I'm tired because when I receive an opportunity, people say it comes from you. I'm tired of you caring, but every time you care, I have to check to see if I still have the right to decide."

An stood still. “I'm sorry.”

“I don't need your apology.”

"But I need to say it. I thought just asking first would be enough. Turns out I still have to accept a no answer."

Khang looked up.

"I want to help you because I love you. But you don't give me the right to make what you do my lesson. If you want to withdraw, I will let you withdraw. If you want to come back, your role must be chosen by you, not because the group cannot do without you."

Khang looked out the door. On the street, car lights swept past old signs.

“You like me?”

An blushed. “That's not the focus.”

“I know. But I want to hear.”

"Have."

"Okay."

“What does it mean?”

“I like you too.”

I thought the radio sound was muffled. She stood too close to the repair table, her foot touching a box of screws.

“You talk like you're quoting a price.”

“I'm trying not to screw up.”

An smiled, then exhaled. No big confessions, no background music. There is only one car repair shop, one wrench and two people admit what they tried to hide behind reasonable statements.

Khang still did not come back immediately. He handed over the drawing and instructed Mai and a 10th grade classmate how to install the pipe. He retains the right to advise when asked, not to be the team leader. An respects that.

The next day, the team encountered a major error: the rain garden overflowed during testing. Khang stood outside, not interfering. An looked at him, then asked: "Can you give me a suggestion?"

Khang replied: "Okay."

“Is the trough higher or the trough wider?”

“Neither is correct.”

“You're making it difficult.”

“I want you to see where the water stops.”

An looked at the water and realized the channel was clogged with leaves. She called the cleaning team and added a screen. Khang does not touch the tools. When the water flowed right, he nodded.

“You can do it.”

“I know, but I still need to ask.”

“It's good to ask.”

Huy heard it and said: "I also want to ask. Has anyone seen my cookies?"

Mai pointed to the trash can. Huy went to check with a miserable look.

At the end of the week, Khang officially handed over his technical position, but still came to the field during inspection sessions. You're no longer the only one who knows how to fix it. That makes the project a little slower, but much more durable.

An asked his father about the contract. His father said the company had signed a new version and would not use Khang or the store's image to advertise. They also agreed to support free vocational training for students, but the program was separate from the project.

“Are you doing the right thing or are you trying to make me happy?” An asked.

“Both could be right.”

“I've learned how to answer.”

“I have a difficult daughter.”

At night, An and Khang stood in the backyard, checking the lights. Khang still called her "lady" when she stepped into the puddle. An called him "little old man" when he reminded him to wear a helmet.

Khang asked: “After this year, will you go home?”

"I'll come back to eat. But I'm not sure I'll come back to live."

“So you chose?”

“I'm choosing each part.”

Khang nodded. “Don't choose hastily.”

An looked at him. "You too."

In the distance, Huy turned on the loudspeaker and read the rules in a sleepy voice. As if scolded, Mai laughed. Khang grabbed An's wrist and pulled her away from a bucket. The grip only lasted a second, but no one pretended not to notice.

Khang gave up halfway, but did not disappear. An understands that there are people who need to step back to return to the position they really want. A good project does not hold people back by feeling indebted; it holds them by the right to choose.

On the handover day, Khang brought three files and a toolbox. He clearly pointed out which wrench was for pipes, which was for shelves, and which couldn't be used because it was worn out. Mai recorded each step, but asked Khang before turning to face him. Khang agreed, then said that if he said something wrong, he would delete it.

An sat next to him, not interrupting. She wrote down questions from 10th graders. One student asked what to do if she didn't know how to fix it. Khang replied: "Don't try to do it alone. Report it to the person in charge."

“What if the person in charge doesn't know?”

“Call a professional.”

An add this line to the document. She used to think doing everything herself was strong; Now she understands her own limitations and is the only way to protect others.

In the afternoon, Khang received a message from the hotel about the delivery schedule. He asked An if he wanted to see it. An shook his head, saying it was the business data of the store and the company, he only needed to report the part that affected the yard. Khang nodded, then filtered the information himself.

In the evening, An made a small sign for Khang: "Thank you for teaching me how to fix things, even when no longer at the top.” Khang looked at it and said the board was too sentimental. An said he could keep it in a drawer. You really kept it.

Huy read it and said he also wanted a pound. Mai told him to do the job first. Huy took over the next morning shift and arrived on time for the first time.

An watched Khang leave the field, then returned with the new group. She didn't chase him, just let him have a path without having to turn around because of the feeling of indebtedness.

Khang puts the board in a drawer. He hadn't returned to his old position, but for the first time he left it without feeling like he was abandoning anyone.

When the new group started the first shift, Khang stood outside the gate and watched for a while. An asked if he wanted to come in. Khang said not yet, then made an appointment next week. She didn't pull his hand, just nodded. A date doesn't need to turn into a big commitment.

An locked the gate, checked the lights and messaged the new group that they could ask tomorrow if they weren't sure. She doesn't want them to be afraid of doing wrong.

The next morning, Ms. Dung placed a new notebook on the end table. The first page has three columns: "What you know", "What you need to ask" and "Who can help". Looking at the neat lines of writing, An suddenly realized that the project was no longer a test for four people. It has become a common habit where a question is not considered evidence of weakness.

Khang stopped by before class. He didn't carry a toolbox, just two pieces of bread he bought at the alley. An looked at the paper bag and asked if there was a consulting fee. Khang said it was a waste for her to listen to everything he had to say without arguing. An divided the cake in half, the fee was too cheap. Khang replied that next time he would add a cup of soy milk.

Huy heard this and immediately suggested making a price list for every conversation in the group. Like holding a pen and tapping on the table, saying whoever collects the money will have to report. Mai recorded the scene for an internal newsletter, but asked everyone before posting. Khang nodded, An also nodded. That small nod made her feel like they had truly learned the most important thing: no one would be turned into a story without their consent.

At the end of class, a 10th grader gave Khang a drawing of a self-made drainage ditch. The drawing is still uneven, the measurements are written in pencil, but the idea is clear. Khang did not correct it immediately. He asks if you want to hear comments or just want to save the drawing. She said she wanted to listen. Khang points out two points that need to be checked and praises the water flow observation part. An looked at his friend, understanding that Khang was not leaving the project; he just changed the way he stood in it.