Chapter 17 — Makeup Artist for the Final Journey

An Nhiên returned to Tân Khê on a Monday morning, her heart still carrying the warm echoes of the trip back home. The wooden box her father had made was carefully placed in her bag, not opened yet, just letting it lie there as a promise that she would face it when she was completely ready. As soon as she entered Vĩnh An, she met Mr. Nghi standing in the lobby, his face seemed more serious than usual.

"I just got back just in time. There's a new case, quite complicated," he said, leading her into the small office to discuss details. "A forty-one year old woman, had a traffic accident on the highway, a passenger car collided with a truck. The family just brought the body in this morning."

Hearing the words "traffic accident" and "national highway", a familiar, almost reflexive feeling arose in An Nhiên's heart — not fear, but a deep sympathy that suddenly rushed back, as if her body remembered this pain even more clearly than her mind.

"What is the extent of the damage?" She asked, trying to keep her voice professional.

"Quite heavy, especially on the face," Mr. Nghi replied in a low voice. "The family is very heartbroken, especially with a sixteen-year-old niece, her daughter. Her husband, Mr. Dương Bá Khiêm, is in the waiting room, mentally not very stable." An Nhiên nodded, clearly feeling the coincidence of the details gradually appearing before her eyes - a mother, died in a traffic accident, leaving behind a sixteen-year-old daughter. She was silent for a moment, trying to stay calm, separating her own story from the work shift that was waiting ahead.

"I will take over this shift, teacher," she said, her voice was firm even though she was a little stirred inside.

"Are you sure?" Mr. Nghi looked at her, his eyes full of concern. "I can take over this case if you feel uncomfortable, my child. I understand, this situation is quite similar to..."

"I know what you're thinking, teacher." An Nhiên interrupted, her voice gentle but determined. "Because of that, I want to do this job myself even more. I think this could be an opportunity for me to do for another family what my family didn't have." Mr. Nghi looked at her for a long time, then nodded without stopping her further. "Okay, I believe in you. If you need my help at any time, just call me," Before An Nhiên left the office, he called out, his voice still a little worried. "Remember, if you feel overwhelmed in the middle, it's okay, I'll take over right away. Don't push yourself too hard for any reason, even because you want to prove something to yourself."

"I understand teacher. I won't hide it if I need help." An Nhiên replied, nodded, then walked into the hallway leading to the waiting room, where her family was waiting.

On the way, she stopped by the preparation room in advance, looked through the medical records attached by the hospital, and briefly described the extent of the damage — the right cheekbone and lower jaw were the worst affected by the frontal collision, along with some scratches on the forehead and temple. She read each line carefully, envisioning the steps that needed to be taken in advance, trying to keep her mind focused on the technical aspects to avoid being swept away by the personal emotions that were about to overflow.

*

In the waiting room, An Nhiên met Dương Bá Khiêm, a man in his forties, his face haggard from insomnia and pain, sitting as still as a statue, his hands clasped together on his knees. Next to him was a little girl, Dương Gia Hân, sixteen years old, sitting huddled in a large coat, eyes swollen, looking at the floor, not saying a word since An Nhiên walked in.

"Hello, hello. I'm An Nhiên, I'll be in charge of taking care of you." An Nhiên said, her voice gentle, sitting down opposite the father and son.

Dương Bá Khiêm looked up at her, his eyes red. "Can... can you please help my wife? That accident... her face..." He didn't finish his sentence, his voice choked up, he raised his hand to cover his face.

"I understand, please rest assured." An Nhiên replied, her voice steady even though an indescribable emotion was rising in her heart. "I will try my best, with everything I have learned throughout many years of working."

Gia Hân, who had been silent from the beginning, suddenly looked up at An Nhiên, her eyes full of confusion and fear of a child who had just been given a huge shock by life. "Sister..." The girl spoke, her voice trembling. "Can I see my mother's face? I heard people say, the accident was so bad, I probably won't be able to see it, right?"

That question, from a sixteen-year-old girl, her voice trembling with fear, made An Nhiên's chest tighten to the point of almost physical pain. That was exactly the question she had been carrying in her heart for the past thirteen years, a question she had never had the chance to have anyone answer with certainty.

An Nhiên took a deep breath, knelt down to the girl's eye level, looked straight into those puffy eyes, her voice was slow but full of determination. "I promise you, I will do my best, with all the skills I have, so that you can see your mother, in the most peaceful image possible. I can't promise everything will be as perfect as before the accident, but I promise, you will see your mother's face, not a closed door."

Gia Hân looked at her, her eyes filled with tears, then burst into tears, resting her head on her father's shoulder. Dương Bá Khiêm hugged his daughter tightly, both father and daughter cried in each other's arms, in the middle of Vĩnh An's quiet waiting room.

An Nhiên stood up, took a few steps back, to let father and son have their own space, but in her heart, an unprecedentedly strong determination was welling up - determination not only because of professional responsibility, but because of something deeper than that, something associated with the story of her life.

She asked Mr. Khiem a few more details necessary for the job - the characteristics Ms. Đoàn Diệu Hiền still kept, the habits of appearance the family wanted to keep. He said, his voice was still shaking but he tried to calm down to help his wife get the most attentive care. "My wife often has thin bangs, likes light makeup, rarely uses dark lipstick. She works as an elementary school teacher, always neat and simple."

"Has your wife been teaching for a long time?" An Nhiên asked, trying to understand more about Diệu Hiền as a person, not just through the numbers on the profile.

"Eighteen years ago. Her students are many, many of whom are grown up now and still visit her every holiday," Mr. Khiem replied, his voice suddenly mixed with a bit of pride and pain. "She's a wonderful mother and wife, ma'am. I don't know how to say it all." An Nhiên nodded, remembering every detail, feeling more clearly about the woman she was about to take care of - not just a traffic accident victim, but a mother, a wife, a teacher loved by many generations of students, a complete person with a whole life behind her, now waiting for her hand to return her in the most complete image possible.

She stood up, bowed to father and daughter before returning to the preparation room, walking slowly but firmly, carrying the promise she had just given to Gia Hân as a guideline for all the actions she was about to perform in the coming hours.

In the preparation room, Nguyên Khang was waiting and had heard Mr. Nghi briefly tell about this case. He watched An Nhiên enter, his eyes full of worry. "Are you okay? I know this case must not be easy for you."

"I'm fine bro." An Nhiên replied, trying to keep her voice steady, even though her hands were shaking slightly when she started arranging the tools. "You just need to concentrate on your work, don't think about anything else." Nguyên Khang nodded, did not say more, just stood quietly for a moment, helping her prepare the necessary tools - a tray for shaping wax, a variety of background colors, specialized medical glues, everything was neatly arranged as a preparation for the most important battle of her career.

"If you need anything, just call me, even in the middle of the night," he said, before leaving the room so she could focus on her work. "I'll be nearby."

"Thank you." An Nhiên replied, smiling slightly, feeling a certain peace of mind from his silent but steady presence.

She stood in front of the operating table, looked at Ms. Đoàn Diệu Hiền's body placed in front of her, took a deep breath, tried to put aside all personal associations so she could look at this case with the most alert, professional eyes. But deep down in her heart, she knew that this time, the work she was about to do had a meaning far beyond the scope of a normal shift, and she would put into it everything she had learned, accumulated, through each shift that had passed during her five years of working.