Chapter 15 — The Language of Hands

Two weeks later, when the fundraising amount had far exceeded the initial goal and the detailed plan had been completed with full plans for security, insurance, and a list of accompanying sponsors, Gia Bach and Ms. Xuan once again met with Mr. Dung to present the final plan.

This time, Thao Nguyen was also invited to participate in the presentation, because she is the person directly in charge of communications and fundraising. She prepared carefully, bringing with her a report full of data, along with photos from the exchanges, and a short video recorded by Binh An, personally gesturing to introduce the meaning of the painting he was about to bring to the exhibition.

When the three entered the office, Mr. Dung still maintained his usual calm attitude, but this time, when Thao Nguyen opened his laptop to show Binh An's video, his eyes were much more attentive than the previous meeting. The video is short, just over a minute, but enough to fully convey the sincere excitement of a young boy who wishes to see his work reach more people.

"This is my younger brother, also one of the biggest reasons why I joined this project," Thao Nguyen said, her voice much more certain than the first time she sat in this office. "I don't want this event to be grand, I just hope it really takes place, so that students like my brother have the opportunity to be seen and heard, even if only on the small campus of our school."

Mr. Dung was silent for a moment, looked through the fundraising data report, then looked up at all three people. "Have you taken care of all the expenses yourself?" the teacher asked, sounding somewhat surprised.

"Yes, and there is still a small amount left over for contingency," Gia Bach replied, providing a detailed financial report.

Teacher Dung glanced at the numbers and nodded. "I have to admit, you guys take your work more seriously than I thought," he said, his voice softening somewhat compared to the last time we met. "Okay, I will present to the Board of Directors for official approval for you to use the backyard area of the gymnasium on the last Saturday afternoon of November. I will also propose to support a small amount of electricity and water costs, as recognition of your efforts."

Those words made all three unable to hide their joy. Thao Nguyen had to suppress herself to not scream right in the office. Ms. Xuan smiled and thanked Mr. Dung, while Gia Bach clenched his hands into small fists under the table, a discreet gesture of celebration that only Thao Nguyen sitting next to him could notice.

Stepping out of the office, the three couldn't help but hug each other in the middle of the hallway, forgetting their usual decorum. "We did it!" Thao Nguyen shouted, her eyes filled with tears from emotion.

"Thanks to everyone's efforts," Gia Bach replied, his eyes looking at her were filled with both respect and something warmer than that.

The good news quickly spread throughout the club. The meeting that afternoon turned into a small celebration, everyone brought candy, and worked together to make detailed plans for the final weeks before the official event. An excited atmosphere enveloped the small classroom, everyone was full of enthusiasm when thinking about the prospect of the No Distance Festival about to come true.

Duc Anh stood up and announced the list of confirmed booths - a booth teaching the finger alphabet to visitors, a booth displaying documentary photos about the history of the Vietnamese Deaf community collected by Ms. Xuan, a small stage to perform art performances using signs, and of course, a painting exhibition corner that Binh An and several other Deaf young people will participate in. Minh Thu shows off carefully designed invitation templates, printed with bilingual text and symbol illustrations to ensure that Deaf guests can easily access information.

"Only three weeks left," Gia Bach told the group, his voice both excited and serious. "Everyone, try to keep on schedule, don't wait until the last step to jump. Next week I will have the first rehearsal for the stage show."

The whole group chanted in unison, an excited atmosphere spread throughout the room, mixed with laughter and chatter as everyone shared bad and funny stories during the fundraising process over the past few weeks - the story of Duc Anh being haggled back and forth by a grocery store owner for a donation, the story of Minh Thu accidentally spilling an entire tray of cookies right before the busiest recess time.

After the meeting, when everyone gradually left, Gia Bach kept Thao Nguyen for a while. “I want to thank you again,” he said, his voice sincere. "Not just because of work, but because of everything you've done over the past few months. I think, if it weren't for you, I probably would have given up after meeting Mr. Dung for the first time."

"You will never give up," Thao Nguyen smiled, shaking her head. "I know you. You're the most persistent person I've ever met."

"Maybe so," Gia Bach laughed, then his eyes became a little more serious. "But honestly, having you around makes everything a lot easier. Not just work, but also... I feel like I'm not alone anymore."

Those words made the atmosphere between the two become silent for a moment, only the eyes they exchanged were full of unspoken things. Thao Nguyen felt a strong urge to take one more step, to clearly express the emotions swirling in her heart, but the vague fear of messing up the current relationship, of the hectic busyness of the coming weeks before the event, made her hesitate, just smile and nod slightly.

"Me too," she replied, her voice was soft, leaving the story hanging between the two of them, neither of them had the courage to step over the final boundary.

On the way home, Thao Nguyen's heart was still throbbing with both the good news and the vague feelings for Gia Bach, but when she entered the house, she suddenly stopped when she saw Binh An sitting alone in the living room, looking somewhat sad, completely different from the usual excitement recently.

"What's wrong?" she asked, sitting down next to her, showing concern.

Binh An looked at her for a moment, then gestured, her tone a bit sulky: "You've been so busy these past few weeks, you haven't talked to me much. I have something to tell you, but you're always in a hurry."

Those words made Thao Nguyen suddenly pause, realizing that amidst the busy schedule of fundraising, meetings, and long conversations with Gia Bach, she had unintentionally spent less time with her younger brother - the person who was the reason that started all of this journey. "I'm sorry," she said immediately, feeling a little nervousness creep into her heart. "What do you want to tell me?"

Binh An hesitated for a moment, then shook his head and signaled: "It's okay, it's okay later. If you're busy, just take care of the club first." He stood up and was about to go back to his room, but Thao Nguyen quickly grabbed her hand and held him back.

"No, I want to hear it now," she said, gesturing slowly, trying to show her seriousness. "Club matters can wait, but I don't want you to think I don't have time for you."

Binh An sat down again, somewhat surprised by her resolute attitude, then slowly told - it turned out that his school had just announced a city-level painting competition for disabled students, the deadline for submitting the work fell on the week of the No Distance Festival, making him wonder which painting he should prioritize completing first.

"I think you should do both," Thao Nguyen said after hearing the whole story, trying to give the most practical advice possible even though she felt guilty for almost missing out on such an important thing. "But if you feel overwhelmed, I will arrange time to help you prepare your exam documents, okay?"

Binh An nodded, his face relaxed somewhat, although his eyes were still a little cautious, as if he did not completely believe that the promise would be kept fully amid her upcoming busy schedule. He went back to his room, leaving Thao Nguyen sitting there with a vague feeling of insecurity, a small but worrying sign that she had not yet realized would grow larger in the following weeks, as the event approached and the work cycle took her further and further away from the most important things.

That night, before going to sleep, she jotted down a reminder to herself in her notebook, boldly underlining the bottom of the page: "Don't let a big project make you forget the most important person who made it all start for you." She read that line twice before turning off the light, promising herself that she would better balance her responsibilities to the club and her younger brother in the coming weeks, even though in her heart she still could not fully imagine the true challenge that lay ahead.