Chapter 3 — The Mother Who Stole Her Dream

03

In the afternoon of practice, I skipped two beats. The lecturer frowned.

“Khuong Le, your condition is not good today.”

I stood in front of the mirror, sweat dripping from my chin to my collarbone.

“I'm sorry.”

The lecturer looked at me and didn't blame me in front of everyone.

“Rest for five minutes.”

I went to the wall and sat down. Duong Duong brought water and put it in my hand.

“Drink.”

I screwed the cap on the bottle. The water is still warm. She is still angry. All afternoon, she didn't scold Dinh Mai any more. The more she stays silent, the more it proves how angry she is. I said:

“Thank you for the photo.”

Duong Duong smiled coldly.

“Don't thank me. Now I just want to slap myself.”

“Why?”

“I thought I was helping you.”

She looked at me.

“In the end, you exposed your mother's face to everyone, and she turned on you and bit you back.”

I took a sip of water.

“She's always been like that.”

Duong Duong's eyes immediately softened.

“Khuong Le, you can't live like this forever.”

I looked at myself in the mirror. The face is very thin. Dark blue eye circles. The ankle is wrapped in an old bandage. But when I stood up, my back was still straight.

“It won't always be like that.”

Duong Duong was about to ask when the lecturer clapped his hands.

“Continue.”

Music sounds. I'm back at the top of the lineup. This dance is called "The Way Back". To start, you have to kneel down, stand up, turn around, and finally balance on one foot. When the knee touched the floor, sharp pain spread out. But I don't stop. I need this show. The main dancer will have a video. The video was posted to the academy's website. Will also be sent to selected teachers of the City Dance Troupe. Dinh Mai doesn't know those things. She only knows that dancing lessons cost money. She also did not know that I had received the qualification to participate in the preliminary round of the City Dance Troupe. In the registration form, in the guardian's comments section, I did not enter her name. I fill in another line. Emergency contact person: Ha Minh Triet. That's the name my grandmother left me before she passed away. It's also a phone number that I have never called for many years. After the photo was forwarded, I received a text message from an unknown number. Only six words: See you at the school gate tomorrow. No sender name. But the last four numbers are exactly the same as the phone number in my grandmother's old notebook. I delete the message. Not out of fear. But because I don't want Dinh Mai to know in advance. In the evening, returning to the dormitory, Duong Duong brought me porridge. This time I accept. She sat on the chair, watching me eat.

“You looked at your phone five times this afternoon.”

I stopped.

“Is it okay?”

“Yes.”

She stared at me.

“Are you hiding something from me?”

I put down my spoon.

“Tomorrow you will come with me to the school gate.”

Duong Duong immediately sat up straight.

“Who was looking for you?”

“One person.”

“Male or female?”

“Male.”

Her face changed.

“Khuong Le, don't do nonsense.”

Looking at her tense appearance, I suddenly wanted to laugh.

“It's not what you're thinking.”

“So what kind?”

I did not answer. At that moment, the phone rang. Not a message. It's Dinh Mai's call. When Duong Duong saw the caller's name, his face immediately darkened.

“Don't listen.”

I turned on the speakerphone. Dinh Mai's voice immediately rang out.

“Khuong Le, Are you good now?”

"You encouraged your classmate to take a photo and post it to the group, right?"

I replied:

“No.”

“You still dare to argue!”

She exhaled.

“Mom told you, don't go out and pretend to be pitiful.”

“Next year your younger brother takes the transfer exam, every penny in the family must be spent in the right place.”

“If you really can't survive, then quit school and come back here.”

“Mom asked someone to find you a job as a receptionist at the dance center, three thousand a month, enough to eat.”

Duong Duong was so angry that he stood up. I raised my hand to stop her.

“Mom.”

The other end of the line was silent for a second. I rarely call her that.

“I'm the main dancer in the performance, I need to pay six hundred yuan.”

Dinh Mai immediately shouted.

“No!”

I looked at the bowl of porridge on the table.

“Okay then.”

“What is it?”

“I'll figure it out myself.”

Dinh Mai felt like she had been poked in a sore spot.

“How do you solve it?”

“Khuong Le, don't do embarrassing things!”

I hung up the phone. Duong Duong looked at me.

“Are you really not acting?”

“Yes.”

“Where is the money?”

I put the phone on the table.

“Someone will bring it tomorrow.”

The next morning, there were many people in front of the school gate. Duong Duong and I stood under the camphor tree. Exactly eight o'clock, a black car stopped in front of the gate. The car door opens. The person who got off the bus first was a middle-aged man wearing a suit. In his hand he held a bag of documents. Seeing me, his steps stopped. Then he walked towards me. Duong Duong squeezed my hand.

“Khuong Le, who is he?”

The man stopped in front of me, his voice was very deep.

"Miss Khuong, my name is Ha."

He gave me the file bag.

“The things your grandmother left you, it's time to hand them over to you.”