Chapter 31 — Medals Are Not For You

“I gave you the gold medal that day, sorry.” “The person you need to apologize to is not me.” She looked over at me. "Besides, I wore that gold medal once and it was enough. My neck hurt for several days." This joke sounds very forced. No one laughed. Tong Han left first. In the hallway, there were only me and Luc Thua Da left. He received the black box from his assistant. “This is for you.” The box opened, the gold medal nestled inside. The ribbon has been folded neatly. “I didn't give it to you in front of the press today.” he said. "It's not to make up for the documentary. You accompanied me for three years, according to our original promise, it should have belonged to you." I don't accept. “Thua Da, the gold medal belongs to the athlete.” “I want it for you.” "That day I also volunteered to give it to Tong Han." His hand suddenly stiffened. “I know it's changed.” He placed the box on the bench next to it. “But I can't think of anything else I can give you.” “Divorce agreement.” Luc Thua Da closed his eyes. “Do I have to talk about this every time?” “We promised that you could go through the procedure yourself.” “The doctor said the brace can be removed next week.” “Then next week.” He sat down on the couch. The gold medal box lay between the two of us. “Kieu Tranh, lately I've been dreaming about the first time I got out of bed.” "Yes." "You stood ten meters away, refusing to help me. At that time, I felt you were cruel." “You've already reached your destination.” "From now on, every time I'm in pain, I think as long as you're there, I'll definitely be okay in the end." He bowed his head and looked at his left foot. "The day of the tourney, you weren't there. I knew I should have withdrawn, but I still wanted to finish the race. It was as if if I just ran across the finish line, you would appear again like before." “I went to the hospital.” “But I won't stay.” “Tong Han can take care of you.” “She's gone too.” I looked at him. “Why did she leave, you know.” Luc Thua Da nodded. "In the past, I always thought that the person next to me could not leave the team, could not leave the opportunity. Tong Han was still young, if she was suspended from work once, she might not be able to raise her head for several years. But she still submitted the report." “She is defending her professional boundaries.” "Me too." At the end of the hallway someone called his name. It's time for a re-examination. Luc Thua Da stood up with his cane. The gold medal box still lies on the chair. The assistant was about to take it, but he immediately shook his head. “Just leave it there.” We walked back and forth out of the club building. The cleaning staff cleaning the rows of seats picked up the box and immediately ran out to ask whose it was. Luc Thua Da stopped walking. I walked out the door. Finally he turned around and received the gold medal. That's what he spent his entire career in exchange for. Finally, it no longer needs to be hung around any woman's neck to prove whose work you remember. ### 12 One week later, Luc Thua Da removed the brace. He still cannot exercise normally. He no longer needs a cane to walk. He just takes smaller steps than before. When his left foot touches the ground, he will unconsciously avoid bearing the weight completely. On the day of the divorce procedure, he arrived half an hour early. He was wearing a dark gray shirt, the same shirt when we went to register our marriage. The collar is frayed and the color has faded a lot. The staff checked the records and asked if we had any property disputes. "Do not have." Both he and I answered in unison. She raised her head and looked at us, then asked: "Children?" "Do not have." “Both sides volunteer?” Luc Thua Da did not answer immediately. The staff stopped writing. I tilted my head to look at him. He put the divorce agreement on the table. “Voluntarily.”