Forest banana flowers

You and I were born a year apart. All children of fathers who have been out of war for more than twenty years.
It is said that in the years 1976,1977, there are always pictures on the heavenly streets: Fathers are excited about magic with a doll that can close eyes, open eyes like a child, dangling on a backpack. The fathers were excited to return to their homeland with the mood that the war was over, there was no more division between the North and the South … We grew up together in a period of economic difficulties, the 80s of the 20th century. Whoever went through that period must remember, sleepy nights sitting in line to order books to buy rice, buy food. By the time I got a few pounds of rice or a few pieces of beans, it was already at noon the next day. But rice is not rice anymore. These are pounds of dried cassava, dried potatoes, worth three kilograms of cassava in one kilogram of rice … The daily meal is basically a basket of boiled water spinach, dipped in salt water cooked with dried banana leaves for the color of dipping sauce. a salty omelet for the whole family to eat.

Yet we kept growing up like blowing. Yet, we kept singing and singing, bringing with them our dreams of dedicating our youth to our homeland and the country. I came from Phu Tho hometown to Hanoi to study at a pedagogical college. He is from Hai Duong, an air defense army station, stationed on Yen Bai. Illustrations: QUANG CUONG. We met on a night train. Later he kept teasing me: “That train was a storm train, also a train of destiny”. Our daughters got up from Hanoi station, so they have decent seats. The more you went back and forth, the more crowded the ship was, because the ladies who were traveling in business loaded the goods with them. The wagon is packed with people and sacks like a mortar. Arriving at Huong Canh station, someone was seated on the roof of the train. He and his friend, two soldiers in blue, climbed through the window of the train, just as the train jerked, shifting gear. So the two of them fell right into our group of girls. All the beautiful and fresh mouths every day suddenly became twisted and screamed. He and his friends were in a panic, always saying “sorry, sorry”, hands and back turned around the swollen toad backpack. How sweet is it, his hand reaches my chest. I cowered, my face was as red as the flag color. He does not seem to know anything, asking permission to put his backpack under my seat and ask for permission to stand next to me, close to my knees. It was dark, and the light on the ceiling of the car was pale yellow, radiating an insufficient light out of the mesh surrounding it … The bumps, when strong when the train shook, sometimes lightly when the train shook, kept making my legs numb. Then the smell of a man, the smell that I have not known before, it lingers around my head around my chest. It smells of smoke, it smells of honey, it smells like a chick … I swallowed hard, turned to face the window of the train, mumbled idle songs … He asked me about my hometown, studying onions, brothers in the house … I kept answering like a machine. It even seemed like giving the lesson in an interview with the teacher of the subject “Teaching Method”. We broke up at Vu On station, I got off the train to return to my hometown, and he continued on to the unit. Back then, there were cell phones like now. Just keep in mind each other’s home address and inbox. Even though it is strange, everyone and even I used to tell the truth about where I came from when I first got acquainted. But somehow that day, I “confessed” to him. Is he a soldier like my father. The soldier is easy to make people believe! Then two years of correspondence and travel, I finished the program for three years and graduated. Thinking that the teacher loves the soldier, what’s the point? That is the model of the future family of many people desire. Especially when the lyrics of the song say: “… Fire you up on the high hill, hitting the American enemy’s head / the pulpit in the deep underground, you are also a soldier …” really touched our hearts. Even though the US and Vietnam have normalized their diplomatic relations two years ago when I graduated. But who expected, it was the character of the soldiers in a battle that almost broke us. My father, who was a senior officer in the military army, definitely did not marry a girl to someone that far away! That day going back from Phu Tho to Hai Duong was determined. Dad said, the bridge is so deep, it looks like you have lost your daughter? He gave birth to him, an officer commanding a commando company, with medals filled with drawers, fiercely demanding that he marry in his hometown, because he is the eldest son, and is the head of a large surname. Wives from the same hometown and farming can easily take care of the important affairs of the lineages and the family. He brought me back to the countryside under their cold glances. I brought him back to his hometown in consideration of the neighbors. Three years passed, we tried to persuade, but not shake the children. Sometimes we think that, if we just stay together, have a baby, then our grandparents and grandchildren will accept it. But that day, the story of unmarried but having a baby is a terrible incident. I am a teacher again! I teach in Viet Tri city. He seldom returns to his hometown. Every time he takes a vacation or takes time to take advantage of, he jumps the train from Yen Bai to school to visit me. Every time he comes back, he always has a few wild banana flowers on his backpack. The flowers were bright red as flag colors, arrogant. The banana flower is put in a jar of clean, fresh water for up to three or four weeks. Surely, he wanted to tell me about the iron, or the freshness of his love for me. When I received flowers, I kept thinking about the color of my face on the train when he got the right chest, so my face was always blushing like the color of the flag … The day I was at the pedagogical school in Hanoi, I saw my room decoration With wild banana flowers, many of the classmates kept laughing … The capital lacked anything beautiful, but played banana flowers, and the forest was there. I just laughed, the more he loved him to cherish and preserve flowers on those bustling ships! Seeing me frown because I’m worried about the future, my mother loves me very much. At one point, I overheard my mother say to my father: “I should relax with you, sometimes!”. Ba said sharply: “It cannot be! The soldier must be decisive. That is the way to win the enemy!”. Mother whispered: “Well, you should watch it again. In the past, you firmly fought the US, now the state has established a new relationship with America … But this is my daughter, is the enemy invading?” where?”. Three silently did not say anything more. At his house, his teacher insisted on not visiting my house, even though he pleaded five times seven times. Then it was the determination of his teacher that made my father feel narcissistic. He said to my mother: “You see, they have been together for five or six years, but their family doesn’t care about your children. If you leave your children in the house so contemptuously, will you be happy? ”Hearing Dad say that, I was happy silently, so he also had a certain change. On his side, he once threatened: – I do not agree to let us get married, I will go out to the army! – Huh, the soldier’s son, has soldier’s personality. You leave the army, you know what to do? – I wear you, I go to work abroad or I go to the South to do business. – Hmm, just take it slowly! As a soldier, you have to know how to calculate it later! He said, so he also somewhat went into the water! I believe you, even if you tell me to please, I still believe. My belief is still like the first day I met you on that stormy ship! The two former officers kept tense together like that, forcing new-era officers to have a righteous opinion. He also wore the rank of lieutenant. He told me very firmly but with a humorous voice: – Honey, we love each other for a long time, waiting for the two leaders of the two families to be less determined, we will miss our youth. The law of our country does not require two people to register their marriage with witnesses! There is also no rule that a married couple must have the full two surnames! We go to the People’s Committee of the ward where you teach and register your marriage. I asked the unit to go back to my school, we get married at school! Before organizing, we go back to our hometown to report to the heads, as it is already done! I agree with you! Of course I follow you. Holding the marriage registration form in hand, I went back to my hometown to go to my parents. My dad snickered, huffed for an hour, then turned to hissing at once at three pipe tobacco. Later, I heard the story of him, when he brought a marriage certificate back to his mother. His teacher tightened his mouth to hear everything he said, then uttered two words “you are good!”. Our wedding took place two weeks later. The skillful teachers have made the school hall bright. The young soldiers with words made the atmosphere of the wedding surprisingly youthful. My parents and his teacher also invited some family representatives to come to us. Looking at my young mother in an ao dai, standing next to the girls, the uncle was originally a retired school teacher and I almost didn’t recognize my mother. The most funny thing is that my mother kept saying to the uncles and aunts: “Well, God will not bear the earth, and the earth will suffer, grandparents!”. The two “heads” are our two fathers solemnly in white uniforms, with full trophies. Handshake hands, mouth to greet the guests, but when looking at each other, he is still afraid. Our wedding is definitely not like any wedding. That difference, perhaps only I have. These flowers are decorated from outside the school gate to the school, and are wild banana flowers. The young soldiers and his friends must have been doing a great job fetching flowers for the past few days. The jars, vases, the jars, the systems, the five flowers, the place where the flowers are, the place seven flowers … raced as if overflowing to welcome guests. The wild banana flowers were red like the colors of flags, red as if they were drawn from the trunk of the tree, but red. Leaning postures, straight postures … all exuding resilience and drasticness. The resilience and drasticness of the soldier in difficult places. And the flower color exuded the freshness and stability like a soldier’s soul and will. The flower body is sturdy, straightforward, but the petals spread out are both soft and tolerant … I was happy, thinking about the days to come, I will be attached to three soldiers who are tough, straightforward, and soft like the wild flowers burning in the color of flags, flying in front of me …