Bending the sprout

The smoke fizzled out, just when it was windy, the fire flared up and spread very quickly, in the ‘blink of an eye’ one corner of Phuc Xuan street turned into a ‘sea of ​​fire’. The cry of ‘fire …’, screams, footsteps, screams, and then the siren of the fire truck created a mess and panic noise. Towers watering from the red cars began to pour into burning houses.

– My children, my kids … – There was a woman rushing to the gate of a burning house, screaming lost her voice and then collapsed.

The three-storey house, with a fairly solid door system, right now, smoke and fire are gushing out from the windows.

Suddenly a young man slipped past everyone, quickly climbed the fence, broke into a 3-storey house, neighbors looked up at the encouragement: “Mommy … fighting …”. Fire smoke is still hazy, the taps are still pouring. Germs see fire burning in the face, dark smoke. Regardless, Mam still aggressively ran up the stairs. When she reached the third floor, she kicked the door of the room where she was crying, rushing in.

She was about 7 or 8 years old, shaking, crying, rubbing her eyes with her hand. Quickly cut, Germ ran back, grabbed her tightly, then turned down the fire and smoke. While running, because of the haze, Mam accidentally bumped into an iron door that was heated by the fire, and her flesh burned. When she got outside, just put her down, she fell down and lost consciousness.

The person who took Mam to the hospital was Vuong, the police of the Phuc Xuan street area. Seeing Mam lying motionless on the emergency bed, her flesh smudged with smoke, the burns were red, and the skin that was wrinkled looked pitiful. Mam’s chest rose and fell, sometimes light and irregular, he must be having a hard time breathing, suddenly in Vuong a surge of pity. For Vuong, acting bravely, despite the danger of rushing into the fire to save people is a great surprise. Vuong could not explain, a person who was always taciturn like M was committed like that.

Illustrated by: Le Tri Dung

The woman who was the mother of the child who had just been rescued by Mam went into the emergency room, she knelt at her feet, trembling:

– My mother and daughter have been grateful for a lifetime.

At the same time, Mr. Man’s father Man panicked and ran into:

– Baby … Are you okay …

Vuong comforted Mr. Man:

– Probably okay, man.

At this time, Vuong’s heart was filled with mixed thoughts. The image of Sam more than half a year ago when he arrived at the ward police station to submit the papers to the re-education camp appeared once again in front of Vuong’s eyes …

*

Germ said, not speaking but pleading:

– I will do it again … Yes, I promise I will do it again … just ask for one thing … don’t tell anyone I was in jail, especially my dad …

Vuong, the area police of Phuc Xuan street, looked at Mam with serious eyes:

– We believe in your promise for the time being, and will not inform who you have to go to prison yet … But anyway I have to tell you, you just came back from darkness, then live so that you don’t get smeared. . Be an honest person.

Saying that, but in fact Vuong couldn’t believe it. Many people who make mistakes when they get out of prison have promised to become kind people, but among them, many “horse used to the old way” broke the law. But anyway, he refused to say that it was acceptable for him to go to jail. Maybe he feels ashamed, and ashamed for his mistakes. Maybe letting no one know his guilt will make him live better. The point is to watch closely, and if there is anything to help him pay his salary, he must be ready to do it.

Leaving the ward police headquarters, Mam waited until the street lights along Phuc Xuan street came on and went home. Mr. Man opened his mouth, rolled his eyes, when he saw that his son had been missing for more than three years, now suddenly present in front of him. His body was shaking, his hands and feet were worn out, and it took him a long time before he could speak:

– Germ … is it Germ?

Drowsiness and motionlessness. Only tears flowed faintly on his face. At night during the dinner, Mam told her father:

– Your story for the past few years is long and not good, so you should never ask me, where did you go in the past few years, what did you do. – Then Frightened: – If only once, I ask about it, I will leave again, but this time I went.

Mr. Man stammered:

– Yeah! … I didn’t ask … I never asked.

Mr. Man sighed. I heard the sigh of my father, but my heart felt iron.

In the 12th grade, she often dropped out of school, dunked into the bar, smoked cigarettes, drank alcohol, then became addicted to gambling, especially football betting … She kept slipping down the path that had no way out. .

Everyday, Mr. Man pushes the pedicab away from early morning. He went to the station to stop at Song market, whoever rented something would carry it. Just struggling, sunny days as well as rainy days, not much income. Mr. Man was reserved, worked hard, and could do whatever money he could to nurture and take care of Mam. I am asking for money for school, asking for money to contribute to the school, class, or other miscellaneous, Mr. Man has all responded. He did not expect that these amounts, Sam were burned into the restaurant, or betting football …

More and more the pleasures increasingly wrapped Mam. You must have money for whatever you play. She also knows that her father makes money by riding a pedicab so he doesn’t have much money. I always lie to ask for money until my father has money left! Want to play must have money. Want money to make money. At the right time, Binh, a friend in a gang, invited Mam to go to the border to work as a hired laborer. She did not think much, clicked her tongue, hid her father, and dropped out of school to follow Binh.

Three days, he did not see the son of Mr. Man as someone who lost his soul. Where does it go? With whom? What? Or where did it die in an accident. Where are you baby? I have only one child. The day the mother gives birth is also the day the child is orphaned. In front of the mother’s grave, I promised to stay there to raise my children … I have grown up, but my instinct tells me that I am not yet wise … One year, two years, three years … waiting for me, tears are gone. Mr. Man is like a shadow every day. On the occasion of the spring festival, when the New Year comes, when people are gathered together, tears are still flowing out of his eyes. He thought bitterly that, for him, with his house, there might never be spring.

He had intended to place the altar to worship it, but he thought he knew how to make it in detail, it couldn’t be helped.

Sam was introduced to another friend by Binh. This guy introduced Germ to his big brother. After watching his face, looking at his physical strength, that singer accepted Mam as a ten thousand.

The trips of smuggling goods from the other side of the border are both arduous and arduous and very adventurous and risky. Not only evading the strict supervision and inspection of the Border Guard, the Market Control force, but also have to deal with the thieves and robbers in border areas. However, it was more interesting to Sam, and more excited, he made quite a bit of money. With a lot of money, she was satisfied with her hobbies, alcohol, gambling. When she was a teenager, she added a game of fun with the children, increasing her excitement.

During a run and chase of the Border Guards, Mam used a support tool to fight back fiercely. In the end, Mam was knocked down and had to pay the price for the crime with a three-year prison sentence.

*

Phuc Xuan Street, the area in charge of Vuong, is an average neighborhood in terms of both area and population. Yet, there was a time when Phuc Xuan became a “hot spot” of the city. Drugs, theft, gambling are sneaky, fighting at each other, hiring and hiring, causing disorder and security publicity and often. Ward police have had many plans to restore order.

The best option, proposed by Captain Vuong, Phuc Xuan Street Area Police to Lieutenant Colonel Khang, the ward police chief, is to touch the subjects from their own families, to do so must be closely coordinated. close to political organizations of the neighborhood, such as Branches, Fronts, Women, Youth Union, and Veterans.

For many days, Vuong and Uncle Sanh, the Head of the Residential Division, Uncle Nam, the Secretary of the Street City, together review and classify the subjects, then go down the area, go into each house, from campaigning, to persuading. , combining both flexibility and toughness. Gradually order and security were positive.

Outstanding cases such as drugs, theft, gambling, rental debt collection, are gradually decreasing. With the subjects returning to their localities from prison, Vuong always closely followed and helped them mentally, stabilized their thoughts, mobilized the streets to create favorable conditions for them to do business, have income, and have no time. idle time to play bawdy and lame.

With Mầm, it is almost an exception. She wanted to keep her past hidden, even from her biological father. At first, Vuong intended to take the case of Mam to the street, for everyone to supervise. After many nights of thinking and consulting with Lieutenant Colonel Khang, Vuong finally decided to respect Mam’s opinions and aspirations, because Vuong thinks that people still think about their “dignity” when they think about their “dignity”.

In the early days, Mam once asked Vuong:

– Out of prison, no job, what do you know to do to live here?

To tell Vuong, that question of Mam was difficult. Know which job he is suitable for? Is it possible to make a supplement? How about loading and unloading? That day, Vuong abandoned the question without answering Mam. But a few days later, when consulting with the leader of the street group, he met Sam:

– Can you ride a motorbike taxi?

Concerned for a moment, then said:

– Yes! I can do it.

Vuong again said:

– The environment is complicated. Easy to stumble …

Vuong didn’t finish speaking, and Mam hurriedly said:

– Believe me.

– Yes! I believe you.

Vuong kept a close watch on him, and in addition to himself, Vuong asked many people to quietly observe him. Of course, for a year, Vuong never heard anyone complaining about Mam. Even the hands of “brothers and sisters” in the motorbike parking lot also said: “It does not fight, robs customers, does not force or threatens to make money, it even gives customers to us”. Once again, by chance Vuong met Mam in Ho May Xay. Seeing his expression getting better, Vuong asked:

– What’s that pho?

She boasted cheerfully:

– Today I drove two Western kids to Tam Coc, I worked as a tour guide.

Vuong was surprised:

– You know English?

– Yes! From the day I got back, I taught myself online, my hometown is a tourist destination, so English is very important. Now I work as a guide, Tay loves it, it gives me an extra 50 dollars.

Once, Vuong saw that a couple was very luxurious, took a car to the ward police office to meet him to ask about Mam. At first, Vuong was a bit hesitant, or was it that Mam was causing something. But all of Vuong’s concerns were immediately answered. It turned out that the couple came to find Mam’s house to thank and give thanks.

Not that that afternoon, on the bus ride, by accident, Mam discovered a student lying on the side of the road. Thought it was sunny, the boy came home from school and rested under a tree, and she had been driving for a long time, but it seemed like her instinct told him something was wrong. Germ immediately turned the car back. The boy lay unconscious, breathing heavily, and his skin was pale. The boy had a crush, and without hesitation, she asked someone to stop watching, picked him up, hugged him behind, and drove to the nearby clinic.

Then Mam stayed there, waiting for the boy to be resuscitated. When the boy’s parents go to Mam. The couple told Vuong that at first they were so frantic that they did not know who Mam was, and did not know that Mam was the one who took their children to the infirmary. Only after regaining consciousness, the nurses here said again, they knew it was a motorbike taxi driver. When they searched and asked for a long time, they found out that the person with the motorcycle’s name was Mam in Phuc Xuan street.

In mind, Vuong was very happy. Germ has escaped the darkness. He is slowly rebuilding his life step by step. But at no time Vuong is subjective, he is still every day every week, observing, caring about Sam as if he cared about a brother of his own.

Vuong realizes that, Mum gives up all the pleasures and pleasures that lead to the most extreme years of a person’s life. She told her father to buy a motorbike to practice motorbike taxi. Actually, Mam has made progress. He did not associate with bad guys, did not fight and undermined the security of the residential area. No one complained of people in the street, reflecting any negative of Mam.

*

At this time, after the fire on Phuc Xuan street, in the hospital watching the doctors treat the burns on her body, Vuong saw that she sometimes twitched, her limbs twitching, probably because of too much pain. . After more than an hour, the wound was bandaged. Vuong and some villagers in Phuc Xuan street took Mam to the patient’s room. Lying on a stretcher, Mam quietly asked Vuong:

– Is the baby burned?

Vuong told Mam to rest assured, she did not build anything. Hearing that, a smile suddenly appeared on Mam’s thick, dry lips. Happy and satisfied smile. As for Vuong, when looking at that smile, he suddenly realized that spring seemed to be returning to Mam. A happy ending for the Mam family and the whole society. The re-education camp has been the land to successfully bend a tree for life.