Chapter 19 — Want the house to be named after your father? So You Pay The Money

He looked up and looked at me very seriously

“Are you… happy now?”

I paused for a second, then burst out laughing.

“Pretty happy.”

“Do you have a boyfriend?”

He asked, his voice not probing, just a bit of normal curiosity. I shook my head

"But I have a job I really like, a rented house in my name, a few friends I can call in the middle of the night and cry. Sometimes I'm lonely, but most of the time... I really enjoy my current life."

He nodded

“So that's good.”

I asked again. He thought for a moment

"Now I live alone in a small apartment in the suburbs, about forty square meters. The rent is not expensive, there is a delicious fried noodle shop downstairs. I ride the tram to work every day, and sometimes visit my parents."

“Do you still visit them?”

I was a bit surprised.

“At first my mother didn't let me.”

He smiled faintly

"When I say I see you, I think of you. Later, when she got older and her health wasn't good, I still came over from time to time. We didn't talk about the past, nor did we talk about you. We only talked about vegetable prices and the weather."

“That's good.”

He replied softly

“Now I no longer expect them to become the people I once expected.”

He looked at me, his eyes a bit cautious.

“I came today… not to hold on to anything.”

He speaks slowly

"I know we can't do it anymore. I just want to see with my own eyes... are you really better off without me."

“So now you see.”

I spread my arms

“What do you think?”

He looked at me, then suddenly smiled. That smile, still somewhat like before... but no longer immature.

“Better then.”

“Back then, I was always as tense as a string.”

“What about now?”

He thought for a moment

"It's like I've removed that string. I'm no longer always preparing an umbrella for others."

I also laughed.

“That's good.”

“I have to go.”

He looked at his watch

"The company is still waiting for you to come back and help move things."

“Be careful on the road.”

I said, politely. He nodded, took half a step back, then suddenly stopped.

“Mi Nguyet.”

He seemed to gather all his courage

“If one day you need any help… even if it's just carrying things, fixing light bulbs… you can text me.”

“I won't.”

I answered very directly. He paused for a second, then smiled, relieved.

“I know.”

“Now I… can do everything myself.”

“It's not about whether it can be done or not.”

I shook my head

“It's just that having relationships... staying in memories is more beautiful than being dragged back to reality.”

He looked at me for a long time, as if he wanted to engrave this image into his memory.

"Goodbye."

he said.

"Goodbye."

He turned around and walked into the crowd, quickly being swallowed up among the colorful exhibition panels and the shadows of people passing by. I looked at that back... until I could no longer distinguish it. There are no ripples in my heart, no waves. Only left... a very soft sigh. That sigh was not regret, but a relief after finally letting go of everything. That night, after the exhibition ended, I walked alone along the beach in Lo Dao. The sea breeze was a bit cold, blowing past, causing me to slightly shrink my neck. Street lights running along the beach, one after another, lit up. On the side of the road, there were couples sitting close together on benches, there were a few children riding scooters rushing back and forth, clear laughter. rang out and then disappeared into the wind. I stopped next to a cliff, looking into the distance. The horizon was cut into thin streaks of light by the lights of ships offshore. Over the years, I have been to many places and seen many seas. From the cold waters of the North to the warm waters of the South, each place has its own color, its own breathing. But no matter which sea it is, there is one thing in common. They never stopped for anyone. The same goes for humans. I sat down on the beach bench, took out my phone, and opened the photo album. Inside are countless moments. The living room was empty when the house had just been painted, the smiles of the mountain girls in the library were wide-eyed, I was wearing a hard hat standing in the middle of a coastal construction site, my friends were rolling around laughing on the floor of my house. I scrolled through each photo, then suddenly stopped. It's a photo from many years ago. The first night I moved into a house in my name. The living room was empty at that time, I sat on the floor, wearing a loose T-shirt, holding a bowl of instant noodles, behind a white wall. My eyes in that photo... there was something very complicated. There is a bit of emptiness, a bit of very light sadness, and even a quiet pride. I laughed looking at that photo. That bowl of instant noodles was probably the most celebratory meal of my life. I turned off the phone screen, raised my head and looked into the distance. In the darkness, the sea surface was shredded into sparkling silver pieces by the light, like a field of coins scattered by someone. I suddenly remembered what Trieu Truong Lam said the other day.

“If you can take care of yourself.”

I looked out at the sea and said a very light sentence: That sound was immediately blown away by the wind. But I know it has stayed in my heart. Many years later, if anyone asks me, was there a moment in my life that made me think "luckily I didn't give in at that time"... I will definitely remember that day, in the trading room, when I gritted my teeth and said the half-joke, half-truth:

“Uncle, nine million three… did you swipe the card or transfer money?”

That sentence is like a key. It opened a door for me. On the other side of the door, is a life completely different from what I ever imagined. A life without a wedding house, no wedding ceremony, and no such thing as "getting married properly". But in that life, I learned how to buy my own house, learned how to say "no", learned how to write my name on things that truly belong to me. Later, maybe I will meet someone else. Maybe I'll choose never to share my home with anyone again. Those possibilities all exist, and there's no need to rush to get an answer right now. The important thing is, I had enough confidence to choose. The wind blows from the sea, bringing with it a bit of salty moisture. I stood up and lightly brushed the sand off my clothes. The way to the hotel was not far, I decided to walk. The streetlight stretched my shadow behind me. It quietly followed me, no longer crushed and torn into pieces by someone else's shadow like before. I know, the road ahead is still long, there will still be bumpy parts. But no matter what, I am no longer the girl standing in the house sales room that day, forced to sign without even being able to say a complete protest. I have my home. I have my own path. I take each step, carrying the wounds with me healthy, carrying the alertness of the present, moving towards an unnamed future. That future may not be brilliant. But definitely… mine. So, that's enough.