Chapter 12 — The Language of Hands

The appointment with Mr. Dung, Vice Principal in charge of facilities and extracurricular activities, was scheduled for mid-morning recess on Tuesday. Gia Bach and Ms. Xuan were the two main people presenting the proposal, but Thao Nguyen also asked for permission to be present, bringing with her a thick file containing a detailed plan, a list of units willing to support, and a few photos from two exchange sessions at Lang Coffee to illustrate the feasibility of the project.

Mr. Dung's office is compact and tidy, with a tall stack of documents on the desk. When the three walked in, the teacher just glanced up through his glasses, nodded to signal to sit down, and kept signing another stack of papers.

"Let's make a brief presentation, I still have a lot to deal with," the teacher said, his voice monotonous, not very enthusiastic.

Gia Bach presented the plan coherently, from the goals of the event, the expected scale, to the specific activities that will take place. He emphasized the educational value and community significance of the project, citing positive feedback from previous small exchanges.

Teacher Dung listened, occasionally nodding, but his eyes still did not completely leave the stack of files on the table. When Gia Bach finished presenting, he put down his pen and sighed. "The idea is good," the teacher said, "but I have to be honest, this is not the right time. At the end of the semester, the school is focusing on the 12th grade's mock graduation exam, and also preparing for a cultural performance to celebrate Vietnamese Teachers' Day. The school yard is fully booked."

"Teacher, we don't need the whole schoolyard for many days, just one weekend afternoon, it won't affect the regular class schedule," Gia Bach explained, trying to keep his voice calm even though his eyes were slightly impatient.

"The problem is not just the schedule," Mr. Dung continued, his voice still calm. "There's also the issue of funding. The school doesn't have any budget items specifically for this type of activity. If you want to invite guests from outside to the school, you also have to consider security, insurance, and whether or not the parents agree."

Ms. Xuan spoke up, her voice calm but determined. "Teacher, this is not a simple entertainment event, but has great inclusive educational value. Many schools in other cities have successfully organized similar activities, helping students develop empathy and understanding of the disabled community."

"Miss Xuan, I do not deny the value of the idea," Mr. Dung replied, his voice more tired than harsh. "But I also have to consider the reality of the school's resources. If every club proposes to organize a large-scale event like this, where will the school get the funds and human resources to meet them all?"

The meeting lasted another fifteen minutes, but in the end, Mr. Dung only agreed to reconsider the proposal "at a more suitable time", did not make any specific commitments, and emphasized that if the organization or club had to take care of all the funding, the school could only support borrowing a small corner of the campus, not the entire school yard as originally proposed.

Stepping out of the office, all three were silent for a long time. Thao Nguyen felt a heavy disappointment pressing on her chest, completely different from the excitement she felt when entering.

"So it's considered not approved?" she asked, her voice dropping.

"Not really," Gia Bach replied, although his voice could not hide the fatigue. "The teacher did not refuse outright, he just proposed a lot of difficult conditions. The space is smaller, there is no financial support, you have to take care of security and insurance yourself. In other words, the school will not stop you, but you will not help either."

"This is not the first time the teacher reacted like that," Ms. Xuan added, her voice a bit bitter. "I understand, Mr. Dung is not a bad person, it's just that for him, activities related to people with disabilities are often classified as 'not urgent', easily pushed aside when having to balance limited resources. It's a form of unintentional indifference, but it's still just as hurtful as direct opposition."

That sentence made Thao Nguyen pensive. She remembered Binh An's excited eyes when hearing the news about the painting exhibition corner, and remembered Mr. Phuc's serious instructions about doing things kindly and not letting the community feel taken advantage of. Now, even whether it can be organized or not is still a big question mark, all efforts are at risk of going down the drain before even starting.

"So what should I do now?" she asked, trying to keep her voice calm even though she was confused inside.

Gia Bach stopped in the middle of the hallway, turned to look at her and Ms. Xuan, his eyes were a bit tired but still shone with an unwavering determination. "I'm not giving up," he said firmly. "If the school does not support funding, I will find a way to raise funds. If the space is limited, I will adjust the scale but still maintain the spirit. We just need to prove to Mr. Dung that this is not an unrealistic idea, but a club project that can stand on its own."

Those words were like a breath of new life blowing into Thao Nguyen's heart, dispelling some of the discouragement that had just risen. "So where do we start?" she asked, her eyes regaining some determination.

"From having a meeting with the entire club, announcing the real situation, and then working together to come up with a plan B," Gia Bach replied. "I believe, if everyone agrees, we can still make the No Distance Festival a reality, even though it may not be as grand as I originally dreamed."

Ms. Xuan nodded in agreement, placed her hands on both students' shoulders, her eyes were warm but serious. "I will find ways to provide additional support in terms of procedures and paperwork. But for the rest, we must rely on your perseverance."

That afternoon, Gia Bach sent a text message convening an emergency meeting of the club during weekend activities. When the whole group gathered, he frankly announced the results of the meeting with Mr. Dung, without hiding the difficulties, causing the atmosphere in the classroom to completely weaken.

"So the project is considered dead?" A male friend in the logistics group spoke up, sounding somewhat frustrated.

"No," Gia Bach replied decisively, standing straight in front of the board. "We just have to change our approach. The school agreed to lend a small corner of the yard behind the gymnasium, without providing financial support. Then we will raise funds ourselves, design a more compact program but still retain the original spirit."

He wrote on the board three possible ways to raise funds: selling handmade goods and cakes during recess, calling for small donations from shops near the school, and opening a community fundraising campaign on social networks. Thao Nguyen volunteered to be in charge of the social network campaign, combined with the media role she had previously accepted, while Minh Thu and a few other friends took on the task of making handmade items to sell to raise funds.

"It will be much more difficult than originally expected," Gia Bach told the group, his voice sincere, "but I believe if we unite, we can still do something meaningful, even if the scale is smaller. The important thing is that the spirit of connection is still intact."

The whole group nodded in agreement, the initial atmosphere of discouragement was gradually replaced by a new determination, although everyone clearly understood that the workload ahead would be much heavier.

On the way home, Thao Nguyen texted Hai Yen the news. The tone of the message could not hide her boredom. Hai Yen encouraged her a few words, then asked if she needed any help and was ready to mobilize a few other friends to help if she needed to raise funds.

That night, when she got home, Thao Nguyen was not in a hurry to tell Binh An about the difficulty she had just encountered, for fear of disappointing her. But when he saw her enter the room with an unusually thoughtful expression, Binh An still realized something was wrong and gestured to ask. In the end, Thao Nguyen had to tell the whole story, trying to keep the tone as optimistic as possible so as not to worry her too much.

After hearing this, Binh An was silent for a moment, then made a sign. Although his tone was somewhat disappointed, he still tried to appear firm: "It's okay, you and Gia Bach try your best. I believe everyone will find a way." That short word of encouragement from him, even though it was just a few simple words, gave Thao Nguyen an unexpected source of strength, making her tell herself that, no matter how bumpy the road ahead was, she would not let her little brother's little dream go up in smoke. She sat down next to her sister, opened her notebook, began sketching the first lines for the fundraising plan, while writing and silently repeating her promise to herself: this time, difficulties will not be a reason to give up, but something for her to prove that she has truly changed.