Chapter 22 — Second Floor Library Girl

Phuc received the scholarship email during his lunch break, but he didn't open it right away.

Ngoc saw him holding the phone, looked at the screen and locked it. She didn't ask. Bao asked instead.

“Have you heard from your lover?”

"Are not."

"Bank?"

"Are not."

"Police?"

Phuc looked at him. “Can you have a quiet lunch?”

“I'm helping sort.”

After class, Phuc asked Ms. Hanh to leave early. Ngoc was about to ask, but he spoke first:

“I need to open my email where Bao is not.”

Bao objected out of honor. Ngoc let Phuc go.

Late in the afternoon, Phuc texted the group that he had been invited to interview for a bicycle and mechanical engineering scholarship. The scholarship covers tuition but requires him to participate in a weekend practice program in another city.

Bao sent a series of fireworks symbols. Lam asked for the schedule. Minh Chau asked if it would affect the library.

Response: "Maybe. I will have to miss some shifts."

Ngoc read the message and felt both happy and worried. She knew this was the opportunity he needed, but she also knew that the reading room was depending on him for many technical tasks.

“What do you want me to do?” she asked privately.

"Congratulations."

“I already wished.”

“So don't do more.”

“I just asked.”

“I don't know if I will accept it or not.”

“Because you're afraid of leaving the library?”

Phuc took a while to answer: "Because the scholarship is not just about studying. I have to travel, cover expenses and be able to reduce my hours at the counter."

Ngoc wanted to ask her father for travel money, but stopped. She asked what accounts he had calculated. Phuc sent the table: tuition, bus, tools, reduced working hours.

“Did you ask the organizers for more support?”

"Not yet."

“Should ask.”

“I don't want to seem demanding.”

“Ask for conditions, not demands.”

Phuc sent a question mark. Ngoc said that was what he once said to her.

On the day of the interview, Phuc wore a shirt ironed by his grandmother. Ngoc looked at him at the school gate and asked if he needed to practice. He said no, then asked if she could look at the file to help check spelling errors.

Ngoc read it and discovered that he wrote "maintenance" as "bao chinh".

“You got one word wrong.”

“I was trying to make an impression.”

“The interviewer will remember.”

“That's good.”

“Fix it.”

Phuc corrected. Ngoc did not edit the answer, just suggested that he clearly write down what he did at the shop. He asked if we should talk about the library. Ngoc said if it is related to skills, say; Don't turn it into a story about saving the world.

Interview took place in the computer room. Phuc went in alone. Ngoc and Bao sat in the hallway. He told me to bring a cake, but because he was nervous, he ate half of it.

“You are eating anxiety,” Ngoc said.

“I am providing emotional support with energy.”

Phuc came out after more than an hour. He didn't know the results, but said they asked about ways to repair cars for students and community projects.

“How do you answer?” Bao asked.

“I said not everything old should be thrown away.”

Ngoc looked at him. “Are you talking about the car or the library?”

"Both."

A week later, Phuc received the scholarship. The conditions are that he is allowed to adjust his schedule, has a travel allowance, and must share his skills with school students every month. He read the document carefully, asked three questions before signing.

Bao opened the party with a sandwich with eggs. Lam said it was a minimalist party. Ngoc congratulated Phuc, not mentioning the difficulties behind.

Phuc said: "I still have to reduce library shifts."

“We will make a new schedule,” Minh Chau replied.

“The technical part needs replacement.”

Phuc offered to teach a 10th grader how to check shelves and electrical outlets. Uncle don't want to be the only one who knows how to fix it.

Ngoc looked at him, seeing that accepting the opportunity did not mean leaving the group behind. It means building systems for others to continue.

That evening, Phuc texted Ngoc: "Thank you for not offering money."

Ngoc: “I thought about it.”

Phuc: “I know.”

“How do you know?”

“You were silent for an unusually long time.”

Ngoc smiled. “I'm learning not to save people with my wallet.”

“I don't need to be saved.”

“I know.”

“You said that as revenge.”

"A little bit."

Phuc sent a photo of the repaired bike with reflective lights added. Ngoc asked if he did it himself. He said it was given to him by a friend in the program. Ngoc sent a congratulatory message again.

At school, the new duty schedule makes some students worried. Phuc is no longer present every afternoon, but leaves instructions with pictures. Bao took over checking the registration sheet. Lam took on the job of reading diligently. A 10th grade student learns how to use a screwdriver under the supervision of Ms. Hanh.

On Phuc's first day of weekend school in another city, Ngoc opened the library door without him. She held the key, slightly trembling. Minh Chau stood next to him and asked:

“Are you sure?”

"Are not."

“Then let's check together.”

They opened the door. Fan running. Standing shelves. The loan book is in the right place. A 10th grade student asked to borrow a book, Ngoc followed the exact procedure that Phuc wrote down.

“She will know we can do it,” Bao said.

“Don't turn this into something to prove to Phuc.”

“I'm talking to prove it to myself.”

Ngoc nodded. So does she.

At the end of the day, Phuc sent a text message asking how the reading room was. Ngoc replied with a data table and a photo of the inspected shelf. She did not send photos of herself.

Phuc: “You are doing well.”

Ngoc: “I know.”

Phuc: “So confident.”

Ngoc: “Learn from you.”

Phuc: "I never said I did well."

Ngoc: "You don't need to say it. I see."

The message stops there. Ngoc looked at the screen and felt a new distance between them: not farther, but wider so that each person could grow up.

Phuc starts a new class schedule on Saturday. He sent the group instructions on how to test the wheel, then apologized for not being able to stand next to everyone while they practiced. A 10th grader asked via text message, Phuc responded with step-by-step photos. Ngoc saw that he was no longer trying to be omnipresent; he built a way for others to do it themselves.

In the library, Ngoc accepted a group of students who wanted to open a vocational reading club. They have books on mechanics, cooking, childcare and design. She suggested that they make their own schedule, but they must present their goals and the person in charge. The group hesitated because they were afraid of the procedure. Ngoc gave a short form, containing only the necessary sentences.

“You have learned how to do short paperwork,” Minh Chau said.

“I learn from people who don't have time to read for a long time.”

Phuc heard that sentence on the call and said: "I'm a little proud."

Ngoc asked: "Just a little?"

“I'm saving.”

On the weekend, Phuc called from another city. He said the scholarship required group assignments with better students. At first he was afraid to ask, then realized that everyone didn't know.

“Have you asked?” Ngoc asked.

"Already."

“Do you feel weak?”

“Yes. But the work is better.”

Ngoc smiled. They were silent for a few seconds, hearing the sound of fans in two different places. The gap doesn't disappear, but it does have a calling schedule and clear questions to go through.

Phuc started studying at night at a vocational center nearly an hour away from school. His duty schedule changed, some days he had to return before Ngoc finished school. Ngoc wanted to help by taking on all of his work, but Phuc did not agree. He said help should not be a reason for a person to give up their opportunity.

They divided the work. Phuc is in charge of instructing on bicycle repairs and checking low shelves; Minh Chau manages the portfolio; Ngoc works with the school; Bao is in charge of the bulletin board. If someone is absent, the replacement person will only follow the written procedure and will not arbitrarily change it. Ngoc finds this system makes her worry less, but also forces her to believe that not everything she does is better than others.

A group of 10th grade students proposed opening a career club on the second floor. They want to invite real professionals to talk, but don't know who to find. Phuc introduced an electrician, Ms. Mai introduced a former student as an editor, and Ngoc asked her father if there was anyone in An Nhien who wanted to share about the publishing profession. Father agreed but reminded her not to turn the conversation into disguised recruitment.

Ngoc wrote the rules: no fees, no application requirements, no product advertising, all recording sessions require permission. After reading it, it said too many rules. Ngoc said that if it is clear from the beginning, participants will not have to guess what they are being persuaded about. Phuc texted a sign of approval, then sent his new class schedule.

The first session took place on Saturday afternoon. The electrician carried a box of tools, the former student carried a thick manuscript. Students ask questions that are not in the introduction: is the job tiring, what was the first failure, how long did it take to pay the rent? Adults don't dodge. Some answers made the whole room laugh, some made the room silent for a while.

Ngoc sat at the end of the table, recording repeated questions. She doesn't need to appear in every activity. When the talk ended, a friend asked her if the club would continue. Ngoc said that if you guys are willing to work on the same schedule and keep the same rules, the reading room can always try another session.

That evening, Phuc called from the bus station. He asked if the program was okay. Ngoc talked about the question of rent. Phuc laughed, saying those questions were more practical than any slogans. The call was disconnected because the car arrived, but before turning off the phone, he said: "I'll still be on duty for an hour tomorrow."