Chapter 25 — The owner of the car shop behind the school gate

The testimonies are not as pretty as the ads, but they are more difficult to refute.

The group held an open hearing in the backyard. No stage, no backdrop, just six chairs and a tape recorder in the middle of the table. Those who don't want to talk can write on paper. Ms. Van reminded everyone not to interrupt.

The first person is the security guard. He said that during the rainy season, water overflowed into electrical outlets, and he had to stand all day to remind students not to touch wet hands. I want a new roof, but I don't want automatic rolling doors because if the power goes out, I won't be able to open it.

A 10th grader said he failed because of the oil background. I was not seriously injured, but since then I have been afraid to go to the car repair area. Mrs. Man apologized even though it was not her own fault, then suggested adding an oil tray and cleaning schedule.

Ms. Hanh talked about wheelchair access. She doesn't want a steep road "for free". She wanted the slope to be wide enough, with handrails on both sides and not blocked by bicycles. A parent asked who would test. She replied: “Users, once a month.”

Students on the basketball team protested the narrowing of the field. They said the garage currently occupies a space, but admitted that balls often fly into the repair area, causing danger. Khoa suggested building a screen and a time frame for using the yard, instead of pushing the problem to another area.

A teacher said that her old bicycle was repaired for free by the shop when she first entered the school. If the store moves, she worries that poor students will no longer have a place to ask. A junior student said he didn't know how to change a valve stem, but wanted to learn because his father didn't have time to take him to get it repaired.

Huy also recorded comments that did not support the club. When someone asked why the group didn't hold a vote right away, Quynh Chi explained that the decision to build needed more data than a vote. Having a large number of people does not mean being heard enough.

Representative Van Hung also came, this time without a model. Ms. Lan said the company is willing to sponsor the roof and slope, but wants to know the number of beneficiaries. Quynh Chi provided an anonymized data copy, with counting methods. Ms. Lan asked if she could quote a sentence from Ms. Hanh. Ms. Hanh refuses if the sentence is taken out of context.

Vy did not feel uncomfortable. She realized both sides were learning the same thing: doing the right thing doesn't always mean being allowed to do everything you want.

The listening session lasted until dark. The last person was a student who lost his car. He said cameras might not be able to save him, but bright lights and rules for who goes in and out will make it more difficult for thieves. He suggested having an emergency contact number without logging into the app.

Khoa asked him if he wanted to sign up. He shook his head. The group still records content, not identity.

After the meeting, Vy read the pieces of paper again. There is a contradictory saying: keep the shop but reduce the smell of oil; widen the path but do not lose parking spaces; Adding a charging socket does not increase the risk. She used to think that conflicts were a sign that people didn't know what they wanted. Now she understands that it is a sign that a space is having to serve many people at the same time.

Huy said Mr. Lam needed to finalize the data in two days. Khoa recommends submitting all outstanding testimony, not just the supporting portion. Quynh Chi agreed and added the column "conditions for agreeing".

Vy called her father and asked if Van Hung could sponsor a lighting system without a sign. He said yes, but needed the company board's approval. She did not ask him to do it quickly. She only asked for a commitment if she was selected.

Father asked: “Do you think this plan is good enough?”

Vy replied: "It's not enough. But it knows I'm not enough." Where is enough?

That night, the group sat around the table, each holding a piece of paper. Khoa placed Hanh's piece in the middle, Huy placed the football team's piece next to it. Vy connects with colored pencil lines: slopes, nets, cleaning schedules, inspectors.

A design emerges not from the best person, but from requirements that are not deleted just because they are difficult to put together.

The group arranges testimonies by topic, not by emotional level. Safety, access, cost, operations, privacy and usage history. A piece of paper was written in red ink because it was written in a hurry, but the content about the electrical outlet was placed next to the technical report and was not considered emotional.

Huy wants to choose the three best sentences to present. Quynh Chi said to keep the whole sentence awkward, because people who are not good at expressing themselves also have real needs. Vy agreed, noting the context instead of correcting the speaker's voice.

Ms. Hanh looked at the summary and pointed out that one of her sentences was interpreted as a request to build slopes at every entrance. She wants the main slope to be standard enough, and the other paths need to be unblocked. The team fixed it immediately, then sent her another confirmation.

Mrs. Man saw that the store's name appeared on four pages and suggested reducing it to two. She doesn't want all arguments to revolve around her. Khoa looked at his mother, then said yes. Vy understands that just because someone tells a story doesn't mean that story can be used indefinitely.

The basketball team sends more data about the balloons into the repair area. They recommended low netting, but engineers said low netting could cause pedestrians to trip. The group tested three heights using temporary ropes. A junior classmate passed by and pointed out the lowest wire at eye level. They chose the higher option and added warning signs.

Huy calculated net maintenance, then discovered it needed checking after high winds. He added a schedule similar to the roof inspection schedule. One parent said that was too much work for the school. Ms. Van replied that if there is no one to do it, a good design will become a failure.

Father Vy sent a commitment to sponsor, but did not ask the group to include testimony in the report. Vy read it and passed it to Quynh Chi to check. Quynh Chi discovered that the sentence "accessibility" does not clearly state the standards. They sent the question back. Van Hung added requirements for compliance with national standards and independent inspection.

Huy admitted that in the past he only cared about the project looking convincing. Now you care about someone who can call when the lights go out. Khoa says that's when an idea begins to become a service.

In the last listening session, one child did not say anything, just put a piece of white paper in the box. Vy suggested not to ignore it. Quynh Chi saying the paper is blank might mean she doesn't want to share. They write down the number of blank papers, without interpretation.

Khoa placed the drawing in the middle of the table and asked everyone to point to a place they still didn't believe. There are eleven red dots. The group is not happy because the version is not perfect, but they know that the red marks give the next meeting something to ask about.

Vy looked at the pieces of paper and saw a plan that grew from the fact that no one was forced to tell the truth the way others did. It's not the prettiest story, but it's a testable one.

The group invites those who have spoken to return to watch the final summary. The security guard changed the delivery time, the janitor added another cleaning day, and the football team asked to clearly state the responsibility of picking up the ball. Ms. Hanh changed two words in the ramp to avoid misunderstanding.

Faculty asked if they needed to record the edit history. Quynh Chi said yes, but only wrote the version and reason, not who "won" in the picture essay. Vy likes it that way. A good idea doesn't need a winner, it just needs the next version to be more usable than the previous version.

Huy made a table of requirements that were not fully met. Some items require more money, some items need more time, some items depend on school regulations. He proposed to announce the table right before the decision. The parent association representative was worried that readers would think the project was not ready. Ms. Van said being ready does not mean there is no work left.

Ms. Man agreed to use the photo of the welding table in the report, but asked to clearly state the date the photo was taken. Vy wrote. A student asked why there was a need for a desk. Quynh Chi explains the context to help readers know whether the photo is before or after renovation.

Father Vy read the testimony and wanted to add a paragraph about Van Hung's contribution. Vy passed the suggestion to the whole group. Huy said it's okay, as long as it's in the right place and doesn't make readers think it's the company's decision. They added a support resources section, next to community resources.

Khoa held the last copy and asked Vy if she was afraid of being rejected. Vy said yes, because the solution is not a miracle. He said that if they are rejected, they will know where they are missing, they won't have to guess.

Before leaving the room, they leave a printout on the table for the next person to come. Not locked, not hidden. A gust of wind turned the page, Vy put on a wrench. Questions and tools sit side by side, like two indispensable parts of a place that is always in need of repair.

Khoa went back to get the printed copy, but then left it untouched. He said the person who comes later must be allowed to correct the original version. Vy added a pen and the line "write date when editing". A student wrote a question about maintenance costs, his handwriting still shaky. Quynh Chi marked to answer during the meeting.

Design is no longer a one-dimensional piece of paper. It becomes a long conversation, with people writing, people editing, people not agreeing, and white spaces waiting for data.

Vy took a photo of the copy with the pen mark, but did not send it out. The public version only holds the confirmed version; The working version is saved so that future users understand each change. The two types of documents have different purposes and should not be mixed.