My father called me back urgently, and as soon as I saw my mother and the baby, I cried and turned my head and said…
I’m a man, a third-year university student. Since his mother died five years ago, his father has lived alone in the countryside. I thought he’d be alone forever, never to walk again. But late that afternoon, the phone rang.
“Nam, let’s go home this weekend, I have something important.” Dad’s voice was deep and decisive.
I was nervous to the core. Important? Dad was frugal and rarely called except to ask questions. All that night, I tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
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On Saturday morning, I dived and took a car back to my hometown. The familiar road, every row of trees, every old tiled roof, suddenly made me feel strange. I quickly walked into the field. The door of the house opened…
Dad was standing there. Beside her was a woman. I was stunned for a moment. Then my eyes slid downward… Her belly—round, large—seemed to hide an undeniable secret. I stammered, my heart pounding:
“No… impossible…”
The woman looked up. And I was stunned. It was Lan. Lan—an old classmate. Lan—the girl I secretly loved during my high school years and remembered, but never dared to say it once.
My legs froze, my mind was spinning. The scene before me seemed to tear me to pieces. Dad was about to step forward, his mouth stammering:
“I… Let my father speak…”
But I couldn’t hear him. Tears welled up in my eyes, I turned my head, and ran away, despite my father’s heartbreaking call behind me.
I ran straight to the riverbank where I used to fly kites as a child, and sat with my mother in the cool afternoons. Sitting with my hands clasped over my head, I cried out in vain. Why Lan? The person I had vaguely thought of all my youth was now standing beside my father, wearing a drop of his blood.
Good heavens, Dad found me. He sat down with a sigh.
“Nam, I know you’re shocked. But I don’t want to hide from you. Godfather is… Living alone for many years, very lonely.” Dad met Lan by chance, and the two relied on each other. Lan loved her father and… I love you too.
I stood up, looked my father in the eyes, and said bitterly, “But do you know… Did you ever love her? I thought of her all my youth! Today, she’s my father’s wife… Do you understand how you feel?!”
Dad was stunned. His eyes were red, but he was unwavering:
“I don’t know. If you know… Maybe Dad thought otherwise. But Nam, you have to understand… The feeling of youth is just a memory. For now, Lan and her baby need a home.”
I laughed bitterly. His words were like a knife swirling through his heart.
The next day, Lan came to see me. She looked at me, her eyes hesitant, her voice trembling:
“Nam… Sorry. I know you had feelings, but we’re both too young. I loved you too, but I never thought we’d be together. Life pushes us… In the end, I was with my father. I don’t want to hurt you.”
I gasped, my hands clenched:
“I said I didn’t want to, but I chose my father. Do you know how much that hurts?”
Lan burst into tears, clutching her pregnant belly as if to protect the child. Watching this scene, I suddenly found myself both hateful and sad, angry and helpless.
That night, I rummaged through the old drawer where my mother’s letter had been kept. The familiar handwriting appeared: “Nam, I just hope you live well, love people, and cherish your family.” If you ever start walking again, please forgive him, don’t leave him alone.
My tears flowed across the page. My heart was both broken and saved.
On the wedding day, I stood outside the door, looking at my father in a simple suit, Lan in a white robe, and gently rubbing her pregnant belly. My heart began to move. I wanted to rush out, I wanted to shout “No!” But his feet seemed to be nailed to the ground.
In the end, I just discreetly left an envelope:
“I can’t bless you, but I can’t hate you either. I’m leaving. I hope you are happy.”
I turned my back and walked away. The wedding music echoed behind me, and every step I took seemed to be walking on my own heart.
My youth, my family, everything was shattered in that moment.
