Chapter 20 — Puppets Under the Lights

On Monday morning, the news that the factory sale contract was officially signed spread throughout the family like a gloomy cloud covering everything. Minh Long's father, after a long call with the broker, informed that the buyer wanted to receive the premises within three weeks, faster than initially expected because they planned to build immediately after completing the procedures.

"Three weeks," Minh Long repeated, his voice hollow as he heard the news, feeling like the ground beneath his feet was crumbling faster than he could prepare himself mentally to face it. Three weeks is also the remaining time before the district cultural festival, where the club needs him the most, but now, his mind is completely occupied by the worry of having to clean up the wood workshop, having to witness the last place that holds his memory disappear forever from his life.

He didn't go to school that day, claiming to be unwell, but in reality he just lay in his room all day, not wanting to see anyone, not wanting to talk to anyone, immersed in a state of emotional paralysis that he had never experienced since the first days after his grandfather's death.

Diem My's text message came in the afternoon, asking why he was absent, but Minh Long didn't have the strength to answer, just watching the phone screen light up and then turn off, the feeling of guilt and helplessness mixed together to form a heavy mass pressing on his chest.

At school, the club's situation is no better. The practice session that afternoon took place in a disjointed, lifeless atmosphere, when even Diem My, who was always full of energy and determination, could not hide the fatigue and anxiety weighing heavily on her shoulders.

"Maybe we should shorten the performance program at the district festival," a veteran member suggested in a short meeting after practice, his voice full of regret but reality. "Without Minh Long's guidance, it would be difficult for us to complete the performance of the Four Spirits Gathering as originally planned."

Diem My was silent for a long time, a feeling of disappointment welling up in her heart, not only because of the club's situation, but also because of the prolonged silence from Minh Long, the person she tried her best to understand and wait for. "Okay," she finally agreed, her voice choked with frustration. "We will adjust the program, only keeping the performances that we can definitely complete well."

That decision, although a necessary compromise, still left the group feeling disappointed, as if all the efforts and hopes they had built over the past several weeks were slowly disappearing before their eyes. Teacher Phuc, witnessing the entire development, could not hide his concern, but he understood that this was not the time to push further, when it was clear that something serious was happening with Minh Long and no one in the club, including Diem My, really knew the whole story.

That night, Diem My came home in a heavy mood, sat alone in the room, looking out the window where the streetlights cast faint streaks of light. She took out her phone, looked back at the entire conversation with Minh Long over the past two weeks, from the warm and intimate messages to the current cold silence, and felt a deep sadness creeping throughout her heart.

She wondered if she had done something wrong, if she should have been more patient, more understanding, instead of letting the pressure from the club cause her to accidentally hurt someone who was suffering much greater pain than she could have imagined. But at the same time, a part of her also felt hurt and confused, not knowing what to do anymore when the person she cared about kept closing the door of her heart, not giving her the opportunity to truly be by his side and share the burden with him.

She wrote a long message, recounting the club's situation, expressing her sincere concern for him, but then deleted it, feeling that perhaps now wasn't the right time to say anything else that could be misunderstood as adding more pressure. In the end, she just sent a short message: "I still think about you. Take care of yourself." Then put down the phone, turned off the lights, and fell into a not-so-peaceful sleep.

As for Minh Long, that night was no better. He lay on the bed, looking up at the ceiling, his mind spinning between the image of the empty wood workshop, the cardboard boxes piled up in the corner of the yard, and the disappointed face that he imagined Diem My was carrying in her heart because of his absence and prolonged silence. He feels like he's standing between two losses at once — losing the last place that holds his grandfather's memories, and at risk of losing his precious budding relationship with the girl who helped him find himself.

He looked at the small carp puppet on the bookshelf, which now seemed to be tinged with sadness in the dim nightlight. He wondered what he, if he were still alive, would say to this situation - would he blame him for letting the pain control him to the point of pushing away those who cared about him, or would he understand and sympathize with that very human weakness.

He couldn't find an answer, he only knew that, as the night grew deeper and deeper, the feeling of loneliness and helplessness in his heart grew bigger and bigger, as if all the light he had worked so hard to find over the past two months was gradually fading away, leaving him once again in the dark, not knowing if he still had the strength to find his way back out. Part IV ends in that gloom, a real bottom point where both his wood workshop and the club's future, along with the relationship between Minh Long and Diem My, are hanging in the balance, not knowing where they will go.

The next morning, when Minh Long finally forced himself to go to school, he realized that all eyes in the class were somewhat cautiously looking towards him, as if everyone sensed that something was wrong with him. Tuan Anh, sitting next to him during class, didn't say much, just quietly pushed a small bar of chocolate, a simple gesture but enough to make Minh Long feel somewhat warm in the midst of these dark days.

At recess, Minh Long stood alone in the corner of the yard, looking towards the lake area, where he knew the club was present to further discuss adjusting the performance program. He saw Diem My standing there, among the members, trying to keep the group's morale up even though she was clearly exhausted herself. He wanted to walk over, wanted to apologize, wanted to explain everything, but his legs felt like they were stuck in place, unable to lift them up.

He remembered what Tuan Anh said the other day, about how there are things that if left too long, it will be difficult to mend, and the feeling of fear welled up in his heart again - fear that he had let things go too far, fear that the gap between him and Diem My had become too big to be narrowed like before.

In the afternoon, when he returned home, Minh Long saw his father sitting alone in the living room, holding a cold cup of tea, his eyes looking thoughtfully at the front yard. This was the first time Minh Long saw his father in such a tired and helpless state, a completely different image from the man who always appeared steadfast and strong that he was familiar with.

"I don't want to do that either, Long," his father said, without raising his head, his voice low and tired. "If there was any other way, dad would never have chosen to sell his factory. But he's been trying everything for the past few months, and there's no other option that's really viable."

Minh Long stood silently at the living room door, seeing for the first time some of the burden that his father was silently enduring, a burden that perhaps he was too absorbed in his own pain to realize. He didn't say anything, just quietly walked over, sat down next to his father, the two of them silently looked out at the front yard in the gradually falling sunset, no one said another word, but that silence, for the first time in many weeks, no longer carried the same tension and anger as before, but only a common sadness, a pain that both father and son, in different ways, are having to learn to face and overcome.

Before going to his room, Minh Long stopped and placed his hand on his father's shoulder for a moment, a small gesture but containing many things he did not have the courage to say out loud. His father looked up, his eyes briefly surprised, then softened, nodding slightly as a silent response. Minh Long walked up the stairs, his heart still heavy, but at least, he felt that the distance between him and his father had narrowed a bit, although the distance between him and Diem My, along with the fate of the club, was still a big question hanging in front of him, with no answer.