Chapter 24 — Summer After the Rain

Minh was summoned by the police because the theater's projector equipment was reported missing. An old machine was found in his warehouse, with the mark of the Bo Nam Company engraved on the bottom of the machine. Minh said he borrowed it to fix it, but without a receipt, a small mistake has now become a big excuse.

Linh was angry at him for hiding the fact that she borrowed the phone, even though she knew he had no bad intentions in his heart. Minh said he planned to pay it back when it was fixed, but he just hadn't told anyone yet. Hau said this was the time not to argue about the morality of people with screwdrivers, an ill-timed joke that made them both laugh even though they were frustrated.

Phuc sent a complaint, saying Minh stole the equipment, a serious accusation that the group immediately knew was intentional. The lawyer proved that the machine was broken and was loaned before Phuc bought the theater, based on old records. But Minh was still detained for clarification, a long night for all those waiting for news outside.

Minh was detained because he was seen near the file warehouse when a copy of the film was reported missing. No one hit him, but they asked the same question over and over again until he forgot how he answered, a familiar tactic that makes the person being asked gradually lose confidence in his own memory. Linh waited outside the station all night, holding the phone so tightly that her knuckles ached. She wanted to call Mai, the press, her mother, but everyone told her to wait, let the correct process be done.

All that night, Linh sat on a cold stone bench in front of the station's door, the night wind blowing coldly through her thin coat. Her mother brought a coat and a pot of hot tea, sat down next to her daughter without saying much, only occasionally gently rubbing her back whenever she saw Linh shivering from the cold or from worry. Hau ran back and forth between the nearby water shop and the bench, bringing cups of hot tea to everyone, trying to appear busy so as not to have to face her own fear.

Near morning, Linh texted Mai even though she knew she was sleeping, just to feel like she wasn't completely helpless. Mai called back immediately, her voice surprisingly calm even though it was only midnight, instructing Linh on each step to take when Minh was released: don't ask too many questions, don't force him to tell you right away, just stay by his side. Linh wrote down every word Mai said on a piece of crumpled paper. Her hands were shaking so much that the writing was crooked, but she still tried to write down everything, as if if she just did each small step correctly, everything would be fine.

When it was just dawn, a policeman came out to announce that he was about to be released, thanks to the repair book that an old neighbor brought. Linh heard the news and felt like her legs were about to buckle with relief, but she still stood firm, tightly squeezing her mother's hand that was holding hers. The group sat for nearly another hour in silence, waiting, the morning sunlight gradually filtering through the trees in front of the fort's yard, before the door finally opened.

Linh went to the station and met an older woman who introduced herself as an old neighbor of Minh's family, who had witnessed Linh's father handing over the phone to him. She gave her the old repair book, which had Linh's father's signature. Father clearly stated that the machine was loaned to restore the film, a small line but strong enough to remove doubts.

Minh walked out of the station after a long night, not joking, nor thanking anyone. His face was haggard, his eyes were dark from lack of sleep. He just said sorry for making Linh worry. She replied that she was worried because he was stupid, not because he was pitiful. Her voice was both angry and relieved to the point of shaking.

The two argued at the theater stairs as soon as they arrived. Minh thinks he should go get a copy himself because everyone else has taken enough risks. Linh said he must not turn protecting people into the right to decide whether he can be arrested or not.

“I can fix things by myself,” Minh said.

“But you have no right to even correct my fear.”

The words made him silent, his jaw clenched as if he was swallowing something. Hau stood in the middle holding two cups of tea, not knowing who to give them to while they were both tense. In the end, he drank both glasses, then was scolded by Mrs. Nam because the tea was hot, causing the tense atmosphere to suddenly break into tired laughter.

The film is returned in a carefully sealed envelope. Mai requested to check the frame, compare traces and document the preservation chain according to the correct procedure. Linh followed each step correctly even though she really wanted to open it right away. She understands that the truth only has power when no one can say it has been distorted or interfered with.

That night, Minh wrote an apology in the group's general procedure book: "Don't meet strangers on your own, don't keep a unique copy, don't say 'I'm fine' when you're not fine." Linh read it and said the last item was the most important. He asked her if she wanted to add a “don't drop the projector” section. She said it was a vital principle, there was no need to write it down because everyone already understood it.

From that day on, the group divided the documents into three separate storage places, no one was allowed to keep all of them alone. Phuc hits the weakest people around the theater, but they begin to learn how to stand together without dragging anyone into danger alone, a lesson they pay for with a sleepless night of anxiety.

The day Minh returned to work, he was given a shirt with the words "Not willingly a hero". Hau put the words so big, customers seeing it from the street thought it was a new movie advertising slogan. Minh tried it on and said the shirt was a bit tight for his self-esteem. Linh said that was just right, the whole group laughed in the middle of the theater lobby.

Mai organized a short safety training session for the entire volunteer group. Witnesses have the right to refuse to answer at any time, documents are locked carefully, and emergency phone numbers are posted on every door. Mrs. Nam asked what if someone pretended to be a witness to eat popcorn. Mai said we still had to check and not doubt people unfoundedly, even though Ms. Nam's question sounded silly.

A woman who had recanted her testimony returned to the theater on a rainy afternoon. She said she lied because her son worked as a worker for the South Coast, but now he wants to quit and is afraid of retaliation if his mother speaks out. Linh did not force her to re-sign immediately. She just invited her to listen to a screening and decide at her own pace.

After the movie, the woman put her hand on chair 13, her voice trembled, and said she sat there on the night of the flood. She will tell, but needs someone to protect her child first. Mai carefully recorded that condition in the minutes. Minh looked at Linh and said they were learning a type of repair that was much more difficult than machine repair.

Linh replied that at least this type of repair does not require screws falling into the drain. Hau said from afar that he heard it, causing both of them to turn around and look at him with helpless eyes.

The woman signed her statement again the next morning, her hands were still shaking but her eyes were steadier. She asked for a copy for her son, so he knew he wasn't being dragged behind without knowing anything. Mai agreed immediately. Linh realizes that protecting someone is not about making decisions for them, but allowing them to have enough information to decide for themselves.

Her son arrived at the theater that afternoon and stood outside the gate for a long time before daring to enter. He said he wouldn't testify, but wanted to know what his mother said. Mai let him read the version with carefully hidden private information. He left without signing, but before leaving, he asked for next week's show schedule, a small question but enough for Linh to understand that the door was still open for him to come back when he was ready.

That evening, after everyone had gone home, Linh and Minh sat on the steps of the theater, the streetlights casting long shadows of the two people on the cement yard. Minh told more about the night he was detained at the station, his voice still shaking slightly as he recalled the feeling of being asked the same question for hours until he was no longer sure of anything he said. He said what scared him the most was not being detained, but the moment he realized he was starting to doubt his own memory, just like how many witnesses in the flood had to live for eighteen years.

Linh held his hand and said nothing for a long time. She thought about how her family, and now Minh, had all experienced the same weapon: doubt planted in one's belief in oneself. She told him that from now on, every time anyone is interrogated or questioned related to the theater, they will always have someone with them, taking notes of every question, so that no one has to face that fear alone anymore. Minh nodded, leaned his head on her shoulder, and for the first time since being released, he let himself breathe out a long breath, as if he had just laid down a burden he had carried all day long.