On the morning of the last day of the year, I was enjoying the game with eight cards dealt to me, brightened with the triple “General – Soldier – Elephant” hand when my Dad came in and handed me a present wrapped in red paper. He said, “Now that you’re already a grown – up, you yourself go and offer this present to your teacher. Nothing, just a pair of “bánh chưng” (square glutinous rice cake) and a kilo of sugar to show our gratitude toward him.”
I nodded but trembled with fear. I was born a shy boy, never going to anybody’s house by myself, let alone my teacher’s, who was well – known as a severe one. As a consequence, I ignored all entertaining games on the way there.
Paintings of chick-en, pig, beautiful girl, spring swing; kids playing football; pig bladders, dried and inflated, exerting a bouncing force when touched. I didn’t pay any bit attention.
I tried to walk slowly but at last came to the teacher’s gate. For a long time, I held my arm up to knock at the gate but drew it back. I wish somebody would come and open the gate, I would get rid of the parcel and run off. I waited in vain for that somebody. The only choice I had was to come back.
I wouldn’t care, let things happen their own ways. On my way back, I counted every step of mine. I came straight to Elderly Ngải’s stall, the older woman living alone from time immemorial.
Oh, a real good thing to do.
I stopped in and placed the Tet present on her trembling hand, “my Dad and Mom...”
She was, for a moment, speechless. Then her toothless mouth slightly moved, “Thanks to your parents...”
After that, I walked home and though I comforted myself that “Teacher has lots of gifts” I still felt distraught. The feeling of someone who did and didn’t commit something wrong knowing nothing about it, my Dad was really satisfied when he saw me back, “Good boy! Offered a present to teacher by yourself!” The more he praised me, the guiltier and the more afraid I felt. The first day of the new year, nothing happened.
Thank God!
The second day, maybe nothing, my God, Lucky me! But…
Just after dawn, Elderly Woman Ngải suddenly rushed in saying, “I humbly wish you prosperity, five times, ten times as prosperous as last year…”
I ran into my room, with my heart tightened.
“Please, don’t say anything about it.”
“…and I’d like to offer my sincere thanks to you for your gift. The pair of square glutinous rice cake you gave this poor woman is not of rice of meat, but of gold!”
Frozen to death, I couldn’t help but sit down waiting for the flogging. As expected, after the old woman had left, my Dad looked at me, seriously asking, “So, what happened?”
I, at once, thought of a retort, “Yes, Teacher received it and then told me to give it to her.”
“Is it true?”
“Yes, Dad.”
“Alright, let me check!”
My dad hated lies. He always did exactly what he said. I only wished he would forget to meet my teacher about it. And he did! Maybe he was too busy cleaning worshipping articles.
While working he cited humorous poems to make all the household laugh. I felt reassured.
There were greetings in the yard. I was startled and turned pale. It was my teacher. Oh my God, how come he did come here at this moment?
I leapt into my room, trembling much more than I had done in the morning. My teacher said, “I would like to present you this box of jam, and to thank you for your gift this morning. The cake well–cooked, tight–packed and pretty–looking…”
I couldn’t believe my ears, sneaked out and ran off to Elderly Ngải. On the wooden altar was the pair of cake I gave her plus a box of jam exact- ly like that my teacher had given my parents. She said before I could have done anything, “Son, you gave me the cake but forgot a letter attached in the parcel. I had someone read it for me and knew it was your parents’ present to the teacher. I soon took it to him and I gave him a dozen oranges, thanking him for teaching his students to have pity for the poor. He received the gift and gave me some jam. How noble!” I had never known there was a letter in the parcel. What I knew now was that teacher had read the letter, known everything and tried to save me. Or I would have gotten a real flogging on the first days of the new year, which would surely bring bad things to me all the whole year, sometimes, all my life, who knows?
- Nguyễn Khoa Đăng