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by Nhat Ha The shadowy alley between rows of identical bedsits, each with two windows and one door, was so narrow that it was just enough for one motorbike to pass through. When a door or window of one room lay open, people in the opposite house could clearly see the furniture inside. That was why all the houses kept their doors and windows closed, day and night, as if nobody was home.
I stayed at one of these dorms when I was a first year student. After graduating, I got a job at a State-run company, but I remained living there because I felt greatly attached to it. Late in the afternoon I usually took a chair from my room to sit in a small space in front of the buildings to chat with my neighbours. This "courtyard" was sheltered under a canopy of coloured and thin-petaled flowers, red and white, and lit by a few rare rays of sunlight that pierced through the green foliage. Not until its residents came back home after work did this little hamlet bustle again with peals of laughter and the sound of music. Then at twilight it fell into silence again until the early following morning. Neighbours often met each other because of the simple fact that there were only two washrooms and two toilets for us all. * * * Usually, I returned to my place at ten when our residential area had already been submerged in darkness. Of course, no offices around here requested their staff to work that late and I was not stupid enough to torture myself in such a way either. As a clerical official, my job was really boring. I hated the repetition but I had no choice: such was life! Few people were satisfied with their work because they were unable to choose their favourite occupation for themselves and I was one of them. As an industrious public servant, I always went to work and came back home on time. After dinner I went to an evening class to study English and get a second degree. "Be careful, such a fair lady as you, all of a sudden, you might find yourself a spinster," some of my friends remarked sarcastically. Their comments seemed reasonable; but I still needed another chance to change my monotonous life to reward my diligence at school. My working day at home usually ended in the small hours in the morning. I would search the internet to learn more about the world. Most of my neighbours were students. The rest were State employees. In general they were all jovial and respected each other’s privacy. Perhaps that was why I had grown so fond of that place. Occasionally, the landlady also paid us a visit to see if everything was in order, were getting on well and security was tight. We called her "mum" for she had a very special gait: arms akimbo and very ladylike speech. When she said goodbye to us and left the alley, we burst out laughing because Kim, a female senior of the journalism faculty, would ape her very cleverly. * * * Then one summer afternoon, a newcomer came to stay with us. In fact, I didn’t know of her presence until I saw the room at the end of our row emitting a bright light through the window. "There’s a new border in our area, isn’t there?" I asked Nam, a male student who lived opposite my room. "Yes, elder sister! That girl settled here the day before yesterday." "How do you know that?" "Because I helped her carry most of her belongings into her room," he answered. "A lot of expensive and brand new things: a fridge, a colour TV set, and so on. What’s more, she’s very pretty," he added. "Beware of her, my kiddy," I said, nudging his forehead with my knuckles. "Set your heart at rest, sister! I’m no longer a foolish schoolboy," he replied, pouting his lips. I looked askance at him before retiring to my room. The next day, I met her for the first time as she was leading her motorbike out of her room. I had just returned home. "Good evening, Sister. I’m Nhi," she said. "Good evening, our pretty new co-border!" I replied. She shot away immediately on her brand new motorbike. She was good-looking and had a cheerful face and fashionable clothing. * * * Curiously enough, a few days after Nhi’s arrival, a stray tri-coloured female cat with smooth and glossy fur appeared in our hamlet. That afternoon, when I returned home after work, I found her lying and sunbathing in our so-called small courtyard. I stopped my motorbike and called her. Immediately, she ran to me, threw herself into my arms, rubbed her dainty neck on my hands and meowed, meowed. I played with her for a few moments then went into my room. She followed me without let-up. "You must be very hungry," I whispered and gave her some rice with some pieces of stewed fish. She ate the food up in a wink and curled up silently near the wall. After the meagre meal that day, she loitered here and there in our hamlet, going from house to house begging for food. Once she entered Nam’s room for food, but after finishing the dish, she began to ransack his belongings and as a result he punished her with a strong kick. As for him, he was of afraid the animal a little because he was allergic to cat fur. "Dear sister, help me to catch the mischievous cat, please," he implored. Time and again I tried to catch her, but finally I did not dare keep her for fear that some day I would get in trouble with her owner. Anyway, I was absent from home nearly all day; so I was afraid that I could not care for her properly. One day, coming back home I found Nhi caressing the cat in her arms. "Look at this cat, sister. How lovely she is!" she remarked. "My poor little thing, you must be very hungry!" she assuaged the cat. "Our neighbours have cared for her in turn, you see. I’m surprised you didn’t know." "Not until today when I found her, my dear. Perhaps, I’ve been too busy to pay attention to her," "You can keep her if you like." "Really? I might as well take care of her." By chance, I noticed that Nhi had some wild features like the cat. Every evening, she went out when I came home, only returning in the early hours of the morning. I knew this because I stayed awake all night to wait for her homecoming. Her lifestyle made me dubious. Gradually, several residents in our hamlet also became suspicious. Kim would tell me he often saw Nhi in a miniskirt accompanying a well-dressed man. So we consolidated our doubts. Soon, everybody started staring at Nhi with curious eyes and step by step, Nhi became aware of it and began to get cross with us. Even then, she was still compared to the wild cat. "She’s an image of her wild cat," observed one of our neighbours. Meanwhile, Nhi did not say a word. Worse still, she tried to evade us, saving her friendliness only for Nam. Sometimes, he lent her his hand: now igniting her motorbike, now changing the blown bulb in her room and so on. "Look out! You may be mesmerized by her beauty some day," I warned him. "Sister, your imagination has gone too far! Don’t worry," he answered, smiling broadly. * * * Nhi often played music too loudly and sang along. Her voice was quite nice, so few people objected to the volume though many still frowned on her. Meanwhile, the cat began leading a comfortable life with her in a cosy nest she made for it. Nhi even gave the cat a little bowtie. Day after day, the wild animal appeared very friendly with her mistress. Nhi’s working schedule changed a bit and her behaviour towards everybody became more amiable which could be recognised through her gracious smiles. Then one day, the cat disappeared. The whole hamlet was worried. Some people went in search of her in every corner; and others poked at the canopy in the hope of finding her still alive there. But all their efforts came to nothing. For many consecutive days, Nhi kept her door ajar, but the food left for the poor little pet remained intact. She took great pity on the unlucky animal. As for Nhi, she kept going out late at night and coming back home early the next morning in her smart clothes with a little make-up on her face. Unexpectedly, one evening a middle-age woman arrived at our hamlet to look for Nhi. She asked me where Nhi’s room was. At once, she walked to the end of the alley and knocked at her door loudly. Nhi had hardly opened the door when she rushed in, caught her hair and heaped abuses upon our poor neighbour. She accused Nhi of having seduced her husband. In the meantime, Nhi cried and tried to ask her to stop so that she might explain the truth to her. Notwithstanding, the woman became all the more ferocious. At last, everybody was compelled to intervene. After that Nam dragged the stranger out. "I warn you, damned bitch. Seducing another woman’s husband is wicked. If you keep doing so, I’ll tear you into pieces," she shouted furiously. What Nhi could do now was to cover her face, weep bitterly, run into her room and slam the door behind her. The woman went away while the onlookers retired to their flats. "It’s quite an unheard-of story!" or "Now, everything’s as clear as day!" or "What’s done by night appears by day!" some ill-disposed neighbours observed. Two days later, it looked like Nhi was leading a more reserved life. She looked gloomy with rueful eyes. She seemed to short of sleep. Strangely enough, the person whose attitude changed the most was Nam. He sat alone and silently in bewilderment. Whenever someone dealt with Nhi’s affair, he flew into a rage. "The matter isn’t as bad as you think," he advocated. They cast doubtful glances at him. * * * Then on an overcast afternoon Nhi moved out. The only man who came to help her pack the belongings and carry them out of her room was Nam; others just stayed inside and commented unfavourably. Nam looked dismal. When a removal van carried her furniture away, everybody heaved a sigh of relief. As for me, I felt rather unhappy. Soon, Nam also vanished. Two days later, the poor cat suddenly turned up beyond our expectation. She lay in front of Nhi’s old room and shrieked lamentably. "You’ve gone wild. So has your mistress!" Kim remarked sharply. "How can you say that?" I asked her. "You think I’m wrong, don’t you?" "Not quite wrong! Anyhow, you shouldn’t be so pungent," I reproached her. "Oh dear! How sentimental you are!" Kim exclaimed. Except for the cat, that started to lead a wandering life as before, life for the residents in the alley soon returned to normal. Nhi’s name soon fell into oblivion. Until one morning when Nam came back. "Where have you been?" I asked him. "I went to Nhi’s home to pay homage to her mother’s death." "How did you know that?" "You see, while Nhi was living here, her mother was in hospital because of her gastric cancer in the final stages." "What about the cruelly jealous woman? Who was she?" "That sharp-tongued lady is a mistress of Nhi’s father," Nam answered. "As for the man, that’s her dad. They often visited her mother; but Nhi stayed there with her during the night to look after her. The termagant woman of that day didn’t know that Nhi was only his stepdaughter, so she became jealous of Nhi and made a storm in a tea cup. When Nhi’s mother passed away, she also attended her funeral," Nam went on. "Why didn’t you make that fact public?" I asked Nam again. "Elder sister Nhi told me to keep it in the dark because she didn’t want everybody to know the naked truth about her complicated relationship." My heart was stung by what Nam had just disclosed. I felt utterly confused. From the bottom of my heart, I realised that I owed her an apology. All of a sudden, the cat miaowed and miaowed again somewhere nearby. At last, the pregnant animal came to me and rubbed her nice neck against my arm as if she wished to be dearly fondled. Immediately, I made up my mind to keep the pet as a sweet memory of my angel Nhi. Translated by Van Minh Nguồn: http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn/
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