Chapter 5 — The Finish Line of Years Gone By

After the regional tournament, the Vọng Hải athletics team suddenly became a small pride of the whole school. The photo of Son reaching the finish line with a red ribbon around his neck was enlarged and pasted by Mr. Khuong on the bulletin board, with the neat words below: "New record - 1500 meters men's - 4 minutes 15 seconds". Students in other classes, who previously hardly knew the track and field team existed, now began to pay attention every time Son passed by the hallway.

But for Son, the most obvious change was not that attention, but the way he began to wait every afternoon after school, when Khue stayed a bit to walk with him to the school gate before she got in the car to go home. Those short fifteen minutes gradually became the time he looked forward to most during the day, more than the training sessions that he had always considered his number one priority.

"What are you thinking, keep staring at me?" One afternoon at the end of the month, Khue asked, glancing over as she walked, she saw Son absent-mindedly not focusing on the story she was telling.

"Nothing." Son turned away, his ears felt hot. "Go ahead and tell me what Mr. Khuong said to your father."

"Ah, Mr. Khuong told my dad that next year if there is funding, the school will ask to install a rubber track, so the team can practice better," Khue continued the unfinished story, but her eyes still did not leave Son's face, which was trying to keep a calm look. "My dad said he would consider it and consider it a contribution to the locality."

"Is your dad that good?" Son asked, a bit genuinely surprised.

"Your father wasn't always the boss of a corporation." Khue smiled, her voice mixed with pride and affection. "When I was young, my father was very poor and self-educated, so he often told me to be grateful when I have better conditions than others, not to take it for granted." Son was silent and nodded, feeling a vague sense of relief that he couldn't explain. Perhaps part of him had always been afraid that Khue's family's wealth would become an invisible wall, even though that wall had not appeared so far.

They walked near the school gate, where there was a row of ancient almond trees providing shade, and as usual, stopped there for a few minutes before saying goodbye. But today, Son did not leave immediately like usual. He stood there, hands in his pockets, eyes looking down at the ground, then looking up, as if he had decided on something after many days of hesitation.

"Khue, I have something to say," he spoke, his voice shaking slightly, different from his usual calmness on the run.

"What's up?" Khue stopped walking, looked at him, feeling the unusual seriousness in his voice.

"Since you transferred to school, things have been a lot different for me," Son said, trying to arrange each sentence even though his mind was confused. "I'm not good at talking about these things, but I think... I like you. Not like normal friends."

Khue stood still, her cheeks were pink, but she did not avoid his eyes. "Me too," she replied, her voice small but firm. "Ever since the morning I picked up that watch, I've noticed something different about you. Not because you run fast, but because of the way you looked at the watch at that moment — as if it was more important than the wound in your knee." Son laughed, the tension in his chest suddenly disappeared. "So that means..."

"It means you don't have to ask any more questions." Khue smiled, reached out and held his hand - a simple gesture but enough for both of them to understand that from today, everything was different.

They stood there under the shade of the almond tree, not saying anything, simply enjoying the moment they both knew they would remember forever, until the familiar horn of Khue's driver rang out in the distance, signaling that it was time for her to go home.

***

The news spread quickly within the team, of course through Huan - who couldn't keep it a secret for more than a day.

"The whole school has rumored that Son and Khue love each other!" Huan shouted loudly in the middle of the practice field, causing the whole team to turn their heads to look at Son who was blushing.

"Can you please keep your voice down?" Son raised his voice, but did not deny it.

"There's nothing to hide; we're happy for you." Huan grinned and patted his shoulder. "That girl is really good, not the type to pretend. You're lucky, Son."

Ky, standing nearby, also contributed, her voice a bit more serious than Huan's. "I'm just saying one thing. Khue is a real person; she truly likes whoever she likes, not the type of rich kid who plays for fun and then leaves. If you do anything wrong to her, I won't leave her alone."

"I know," Son replied, his voice equally serious. "I'm not the type of person who just talks about it for fun."

That evening, when Son returned home, he decided to tell his parents, even though he was still a little worried about their reaction. Mr. Hồ Bá Đảnh had just returned from work, was sitting on the porch taking off his work boots covered in cement dust. After listening to his son's story, he was silent for a long time, then asked a single question.

"That girl, does she look down on my family?"

"No dad," Son replied firmly. "She never said anything that made me feel disrespected." Mr. Danh nodded, his expression still maintaining the familiar pensiveness. "Then I don't have any opinion. I only tell you one thing - whether you're from a rich family or a poor family, you have to live properly, don't let anyone say you're clinging to someone else's skirt to get ahead. Whoever you want to be with, you have to stand on your own two feet first."

"I understand dad," Son replied, feeling a deep respect for his father, who despite his poverty still maintained his dignity and clear principles of life.

Mrs. Nhu, who was clearing the dinner tray, also contributed, her voice less reserved than the first time she heard her son mention Khue. "I just hope you don't let your love life affect your studies and practice. You have a whole future ahead of you, don't let it distract you."

"I promise," Son replied, then sat down at the dinner table with his parents, feeling relieved because he did not have to face harsh opposition like he had feared.

On the other side, in a spacious villa located in the middle of a new urban area, Khue was also telling her father about Son. At dinner, there were only father and daughter because her mother was on a business trip.

Mr. Đường Khắc Vinh finished listening, put down his chopsticks, looked at his daughter with questioning eyes but did not seem to object. "Is that the builder at dad's construction site?"

"Dad, do you know?" Khue was surprised.

"I heard the construction site manager mention Mr. Hồ Bá Đảnh a few times, saying he was a hard-working, careful person who never made any major mistakes," Mr. Vinh said, his voice calm. "His son, if he's the one you're talking about, probably isn't the promiscuous type."

"Son is very good, dad, he just broke the school track and field record." Khue excitedly told the story, forgetting his initial hesitation.

Mr. Vinh nodded, was silent for a moment, then spoke, his voice serious but not harsh. "I don't forbid you from meeting anyone, as long as that person lives a decent life and has the will to progress. I only hope you remember one thing - love at your young age will be challenging at times. At that time, don't just look at temporary feelings and forget to respect each other as two equal people, no matter how different their family backgrounds are."

"I remember, dad," Khue replied, secretly grateful for her father's unexpected understanding, whom she always thought would object vehemently like in the TV dramas she had seen, but turned out to choose to trust and respect her daughter's decision.

Before going to bed, Khue also called Ky and recounted the entire conversation with her father, still sounding a little surprised because everything went smoother than she thought.

"I thought my dad would ask dozens of questions about the Son family's background, but unexpectedly he only told me one sentence about respecting each other," Khue said, her voice still light.

"Uncle Vinh is a visionary; I heard my mother say that," Ky replied, her voice less teasing than usual. "I'm not the type of person who judges people by their wallets. But don't be naïve because of that, Khue. Just because your dad is nice doesn't mean the whole world around you is nice too."

"What do you mean?" Khue asked, frowning slightly.

"I mean, our school is small, everyone knows everyone. Then there will be people who speak out, like the young lady who loves the poor family's son, or vice versa, the poor boy who follows the young lady to change his life," Ky spoke frankly, without sugarcoating it. "I'm not saying that to scare you, I just want you to be mentally prepared. Don't be afraid of rumors about true feelings, but you have to know in advance to avoid being surprised."

Khue was silent for a moment, nodding even though Ky couldn't see it through the phone. "I understand. Thank you for speaking frankly."

"So we're close friends." Ky laughed, her voice returning to its familiar cheerfulness. "Let's go to sleep, tomorrow we have to wake up early to go to the field to record books for your team."

Hanging up the phone, Khue lay looking up at the ceiling, thinking about Ky's warning. She knew her friend was right — but right now, amid the fresh joy of a budding love affair, she didn't have the strength to worry about things that hadn't happened yet. She just wanted to hold on to this warm feeling a little longer, before having to face anything more difficult.

That night, lying in bed, Khue texted Son through the old brick phone he still shared with his mother — just a few short lines, but enough for both of them to know that, at least at this point, there was no family wall big enough to stop what they were starting. The road ahead, although still full of unknowns, was opening with the same promise as the highway that Vọng Hải school would one day have.