Chapter 16 — The owner of the car shop behind the school gate

The school set a six-week deadline to decide the fate of the parking lot.

The notice posted on the bulletin board on Monday morning was so short that it was annoying: "The area behind the school gate will be evaluated for renovation according to safety and aesthetic standards. Stakeholders submit proposals before the 28th." There is no word "destroy" and no word "retain".

Students read and then guess. He said he would build a showroom. People said the school board had sold the land. Another asked if the club would be banned.

Ms. Van called the group into the meeting room. Next to her is Mr. Phuc in charge of facilities and a representative of the parents' association. They published three criteria: safety, accessibility and operating costs. Aesthetics is only the fourth criterion, not placed on the path or the need for use.

Vy exhaled. Khoa still frowned. “Who measures the path?”

Mr. Phuc said the survey unit would arrive next week. Faculty ask who chooses the unit, who checks the data, and who gets to see the report. The question made the parent association representative a bit uncomfortable, but Ms. Van answered clearly: the survey contract will be made public, and the student group will be able to attend the acceptance meeting.

Huy asked for a work schedule. He drew six columns on the board: survey, plan, estimate, get opinions, edit, decide. Quynh Chi added a small column next to: "published documents".

After the meeting, the group went to measure the garage with a tape measure. The distance between the two rows of cars was only seventy-five centimeters at the narrowest point. The entrance slope is cracked, rainwater stagnates near the electrical outlet. Ms. Man said that in the afternoon there are usually twelve to fifteen students parking at the same time.

Khoa also recorded the things he couldn't see: an adult blocking the way with a car, a long car lock blocking the wheel, a low steel pole causing a lower classmate to hit his shoulder. Vy suggests asking users directly instead of just looking at the premises.

Huy smiled: “I can make beautiful surveys, choose colors and charts.”

“But don't make your answer prettier than the truth,” Quynh Chi said.

They split up at different time frames. Vy asked pedestrians, cyclists, cleaning ladies, security guards and delivery people. Some people want to keep the garage because it's close to class. Some people want to move out because of the smell of oil. A parent requested more parking for electric cars but did not want the charging noise during class time.

A tenth grader said he didn't dare park his bike in a dark corner because the light had gone out. Another friend said that if the car repair area closes, the family will have to pay twice as much to replace the valve at a far away shop.

Vy wrote everything, including the opinions contrary to her desire to keep the garage. She realized that she had considered "keep" as the correct answer before, while the user needed a safer place, not necessarily the old corrugated iron roof.

At the end of the day, the group sat on the steps. Khoa gave Vy a dumpling sent by Mrs. Man. “Did you even write down a complaint about the smell of oil?”

"Yes. If we hide it, tomorrow people will use it to tell us we are only protecting our own interests."

“So what if the best solution is to move my mother's shop?”

Vy looked at him. “Then we have to figure out where to move, who pays the cost, how long the move will take, and whether your mother agrees.”

Khoa nodded, but his eyes darkened. "Yes. It's just that listening to you is still difficult."

Vy wanted to comfort her, then realized that comfort could not replace a solution. She gave him the questionnaire. "You add Mrs. Man's condition here. Don't let me guess for you."

Khoa holds a pen. He wrote: "No loss of revenue during the transition period; no narrowing of repair spaces; rights decisions regarding equipment; Do not use the name Mrs. Man in advertising without consent."

Huy read, adding: "And there is a maintenance budget for the first two years, not just money for new construction."

Ms. Van sent an email reminding the proposal submission deadline. Vy went home and opened Van Hung's sketch. In the picture, the garage has turned into a large yard with a clear glass roof and the cars are lined up straight. There is no place for the repairman to sit, no puddles, no children to squeeze through. It's beautiful because there are no humans.

Vy closed the phone. She wrote in her notebook: “The plan must withstand rainy days, after-school hours, and a person in a hurry. If it's only beautiful when no one uses it, it's an advertising photo."

Six weeks is not long. But for once, the group isn't racing to keep a name. They race to prove that the user can be seen in the drawing.

They set up a six-week calendar on the back wall. The first week collects data, the second week checks documents, the third week makes plans, the fourth week collects opinions, the fifth week edits, and the sixth week presents. Each box has a person in charge and an updated date. Vy started by asking the group what would happen if they didn't make it in time.

Huy said he would remove the decorations. Quynh Chi said she would shorten the presentation. Khoa said safety checks should not be skipped. Vy wrote "don't cut user protection". That sentence makes the calendar look more difficult, but clearer.

A week later, the first data was missing. The morning shift has fewer people recording because students rush to class. Huy wants to use the afternoon number to estimate. Quynh Chi objected, asking to write "not enough samples". They returned to survey, distributed shorter ballots and placed a suggestion box at the gate.

Someone put in the box a piece of paper with only two words: "Don't break it." Vy doesn't know if the writer wants to keep the garage or just opposes all changes. She recorded it verbatim, without paraphrasing.

Teacher Phuc showed the group the invoice for repairing the old foundation. There were three times to replace the same section, because the previous time only treated the surface. Khoa uses that information to ask the contractor to clearly state the cause, not just the item. Huy added life cycle costs to the estimate.

A parent asked why the student was shown the contract. Ms. Van said students do not sign, but they have the right to understand what affects them. Vy sees that as a reasonable boundary: participating does not mean deciding to replace responsible people.

In the middle of the third week, Vy's father sent a new plan, reducing the display area. She did not immediately comment. The group looked at the data and placed it next to the Open Garage option. Khoa pointed out that the sloping area in the company's village is still narrower than the standard that Ms. Hanh needs. Huy recalculates costs if expanding.

Vy sent questions through the school channel. No personal calls, no thanks to dad. She found things slower, but her heart felt lighter.

At the end of the week, the group held a map test session with new students. One child went in the wrong direction because the arrow was the same color as the car's markings. They changed the color immediately, then wrote an error. Vy looked at the six-week calendar and saw that one small thing had made the design better.

Khoa asked her if she regretted the beautiful parts being left out. Vy said yes. He said regret is normal, just don't let regret become a reason to return to the old design.

Six weeks isn't long, but it's enough for them to learn how to submit a proposal that doesn't include "everything will be fine." Instead there are lines: “if it rains, do this; If funds are lacking, report this; If the user objects, come back and ask.”

On the weekend night, Vy looked at the six-week calendar and saw three cells remain blank. They don't have anyone responsible for checking the handrails, haven't finalized how to move the shop, and don't know where the maintenance fund will come from. Huy wants to enter a temporary name so the presentation looks complete. Quynh Chi said a blank box is more honest than an unapproved name.

Khoa called the garage to ask if Uncle Tu could help move the table. I agree but need to know the day before. Mrs. Man said there was no need to promise that one day would not be certain. They write "confirming" and then set a deadline to respond.

Vy sent a short survey to people who have never used a garage. A friend said I was walking so I thought I was unrelated. Ms. Van explains that access, noise and budget all affect everything. She sent back a question about the end of school time. The group added an appendix.

Huy read and said that if the question was too broad, it would never be finished. Vy replied that there was no need to ask everything, just don't pretend to have asked enough. Khoa gave her a paperclip and said the remaining questions must be kept in a visible place.

The next morning, the group hung an "undecided" sign at the gate. Some students laughed because they thought the project was big but still lacking. Ms. Van said that is the reason why it should be hung: to let passersby know they still have the right to comment.

Vy looked at the empty boxes, no longer seeing them as a sign of failure. They are doors that remain open, as long as someone remembers to come back.

Faculty recommend that each blank box has a retest date. Huy asked if there was still no answer by the day. Vy said then you have to write down the reason and the person you need to ask next. Ms. Van agreed, telling the group not to turn the deadline into a fake promise.

The calendar is divided by color: green is confirmed, yellow is inquiring, red is at risk. A new student looked at it and asked what black was. Quynh Chi's answer is not yet in black, because not knowing must also be clearly stated, and should not turn into silence.

Vy took a photo of the board and saved the photo in a public folder. She knew six weeks would pass quickly, but a question that was received still had a chance of finding an answer.