Chapter 22 — The Arrow That Missed the Mark

That night, after dinner, Thanh Van asked the whole family to sit in the living room and talk, using the simple excuse that "the whole family hasn't sat down and chatted together for a long time." Her parents, although a bit surprised by this proposal, still happily agreed, not knowing that this was the moment Thanh Tam had mentally prepared all afternoon to carry out.

"I have something to tell my parents," Thanh Tam began, her voice trembling slightly but she tried to hold it steady, her hands clasped tightly together in her lap. Thanh Van sat next to her, gently holding her hand discreetly to give her more courage.

"What's going on?" the mother asked, her eyes full of worry, perhaps having guessed some of the upcoming content after weeks of witnessing her daughter's changes.

"I want to talk about... I always feel pressured when compared to Ms. Van," Thanh Tam said, trying to keep her voice calm even though her heart was pounding. "I know you don't mean it, I know you just want to encourage me. But over the years, every time you mention Van, even if it's just a small compliment, I feel like I'm being weighed in the balance, and I always feel like I'm not good enough."

Her parents were silent, both of their faces showing genuine shock, as if for the first time they realized the profound impact their seemingly harmless words had had on their youngest daughter over the years.

"We... didn't know you felt that way," Dad said, his voice low, full of guilt. "We just want to encourage you, want you to know that we believe you can do great things like your sister."

"I know," Thanh Tam replied, her voice softening. "But maybe my parents don't realize that every comparison, even if it's a compliment, unintentionally makes the person being compared feel that they are only valuable when they achieve something similar to the other person. I spent many years trying to become a different version of Ms. Van, instead of finding my own path, just because I thought that was the only way to be recognized."

Her mother raised her hand to cover her mouth, her eyes red. “I'm sorry,” she said, her voice choked up. "I never intended to put that pressure on you. I just... I'm proud of you both, and maybe I didn't know how to show it without accidentally comparing you two."

"I don't blame my parents," Thanh Tam quickly said, seeing her mother so moved. "I just want my parents to understand how I feel, so that in the future, if possible, they will praise me for what I have done, without having to mention Ms. Van anymore. I think I will feel much more truly recognized."

"I understand," Dad said, nodding firmly. "From now on, Mom and Dad will try to pay more attention. My daughter is good in her own way, no need to be like anyone else."

Thanh Van, who sat listening throughout the conversation, also contributed at this time, her voice full of sincerity. "I think this is also the time for me to tell my parents the truth," she said, making the whole family turn to look at her with curious eyes. "I also felt a lot of pressure from being considered a 'role model' in the house. I always had to try to be perfect to set an example for my younger sister, and sometimes that made me just as tired as Tam is now."

The parents looked at Thanh Van, both of their faces showed surprise mixed with heartache when they realized that not only one but both of their daughters had been silently carrying psychological burdens that they had never realized for many years.

"We're really sorry to both of you," Mom said, her voice choked up, reaching out to hold both sisters' hands. "We only want the best for our children, but perhaps we were wrong in the way we expressed that. From now on, we will try to learn how to love our children as they are, without comparing or placing the standards of one child on the other."

The whole family sat in silence for a while, the living room atmosphere filled with a mixture of heaviness and relief, as if a thick layer of ice that had existed silently for many years had finally begun to melt. Thanh Tam felt a warmth spread in her heart, different from the fake warmth she had tried to show before whenever she received compliments that brought comparisons.

"What about the picture of Ms. Van hanging in the living room?" Thanh Tam suddenly asked, her voice a bit hesitant, remembering the picture of her sister standing on the podium receiving a medal that she had passed by countless times in her life, each time carrying a familiar feeling of half admiration and half heaviness.

The parents looked at each other, then looked at the photo hanging solemnly on the wall. "Do you want us to take it away?" Mom asked, her voice a bit confused.

"No," Thanh Tam shook his head, smiling slightly. "I think that photo should still be there, because it is Ms. Van's real achievement, she deserves to be proud of it. I just think, maybe in the future, if I also achieve something, no matter how small, I hope my parents will hang it up, not to compare which photo is better, but simply to acknowledge each person's journey."

“That's a great idea,” Dad said, nodding, his eyes shining with emotion. "Mom and dad promise to do that."

Thanh Van laughed lightly, breaking the solemn atmosphere that covered the living room. "So I guess I'll have to leave more space on the wall. Maybe in the future I'll even have a picture of Tam standing on the podium receiving the provincial award."

That joke made the whole family laugh, the initial tense atmosphere gradually disappeared, giving way to a warmth and closeness that Thanh Tam felt she had longed for a long time without even knowing it. She looked around the living room, looked at her smiling parents, looked at her sister sitting next to her with warm eyes, and felt a rare completeness that she had never felt during many years of living under the invisible shadow of comparison.

That night, before going to bed, Thanh Tam sat alone in her room, took out the notebook that had been forgotten for many weeks, and for the first time since the bad competition day, she held a pen to write down words full of hope. "Today I talked frankly with my parents and Ms. Van, something I had been postponing for so many years out of fear. I realized that the pressure I was carrying came not only from others, but also from the way I interpreted their words. Now, when everything has been said, I feel a lot more relieved. I think it's time for me to face the rest — the Club, and especially Mr. Khanh."

She closed the notebook, looked at the bow still lying on the corner of the table, and for the first time in many weeks, she reached out touch it, lightly brushing off the dust that had clung to the bow's body, a small but meaningful gesture that symbolized the new determination that was gradually forming in her heart.

The next morning, before Thanh Van had to return to the city to work, the two sisters sat down to eat breakfast together for the last time on this short trip home. The atmosphere between them was now much lighter and more comfortable, without any remaining awkwardness from the past stressful weeks.

"I hope that next time I come home, I will hear you talk about your happy training sessions again," Thanh Van said, eating and looking at her sister with affectionate eyes. "Besides, I hope you've resolved that shaky matter with that captain that time."

"Don't mention that again," Thanh Tam smiled, gently pushing her shoulder, but inside, it couldn't be denied that reminder aroused a new excitement mixed with determination, motivating her to think about the next step she needed to take.

Seeing Thanh Van off at the bus station, Thanh Tam hugged her tightly, feeling a deeper bond than ever between the two sisters, a bond that was no longer obscured by invisible expectations and comparisons. "Thank you for coming home, and for telling me the truth about everything," she whispered into her sister's shoulder.

"Thank you for being brave enough to say how you feel," Thanh Van replied, patting her sister's head like she did when she was a child. "I believe you'll be fine, Tam. You're much stronger than you think."

Watching the bus carrying her sister disappear at the end of the street, Thanh Tam stood there for a long time, filled with a new feeling of determination, gentle but certain. She knew that the next step on the journey to repair what she had broken would not be easy — facing the club, teacher Kien, and especially Nam Khanh, the person she had treated the worst in her own panic. But for the first time in weeks, she felt ready to try.