Wrong choice

The whole room went on a trip for a few days, everyone had a chance to rest, swim, eat seafood, shop, Thuong invited me to take an evening walk along the beach.

When our legs were tired, we sat down, looked out to the vast ocean and felt the cool sea breeze blowing on our faces. I blurted out: "Is this the first time I've gone on a trip with my office?". Thuong nodded and said: "It's not like it's the first time, it's my fault, I made the wrong choice." Thuong confided in me about her family situation and the reason why she and her husband divorced at the beginning of the year.

Thuong's husband works in the construction industry, moving from one project to another. Every year, his office organizes a vacation for employees. Every time her husband invites her to go with him, Thuong hesitates and refuses with all sorts of excuses such as motion sickness, small children, not being able to rest assured leaving the children at home, having them come along would be a hassle to carry, and having to buy clothes, swimsuits, etc. Gradually, Thuong got used to it, she did not want to go anywhere with her husband, did not want to appear in crowded places. After giving birth to 3 children, taking care of them until they grew up and went to school, her youth was over. Thuong always thought that doing so was saving money for the family, taking care of her husband and children, sacrificing to preserve her home because each trip like that cost tens of millions of dong. If Thuong did not go, she would have saved some money to pay for her children's school fees.

Every day, Thuong works as a cook at the office, so she just goes to the market to buy food and then goes into the kitchen to prepare and cook. All she sees are pickles, fish sauce, the smell of grease, and food clinging to her body. Thuong doesn't even think about dressing nicely because cooking doesn't require dresses or makeup. As a result, Thuong gradually gets used to going bare-faced and dressing sloppily. Wrinkles appear, freckles and dark spots appear. Thuong looks in the mirror and realizes that she's aging quickly, but she ignores it, comforting herself with the thought: "Everyone has to get old, how can they stay young forever?" But when she goes to a class reunion, Thuong is startled because her classmates dress up, work as workers or farmers, and all have tattooed lips, eyebrows, and use cosmetics to care for their skin, so their faces are always shiny. In contrast, she is wrinkled and sagging.

Thuong was even more shocked when she discovered her husband was having an affair. The incident happened so suddenly that Thuong had to be hospitalized because of sleepless nights. She spent months on treatment, which was expensive, but her illness did not improve. The doctor concluded: "The illness is from the heart, so you have to adjust yourself." Thuong hid it from her parents because in their eyes, her husband was a decent, exemplary man who loved his wife and children, cared about his family, and knew how to behave. When the matter broke out and she could no longer hide it, Thuong briefly announced: "I'm sorry, Mom and Dad, I'm divorced." The couple's house was appraised, Thuong received half of the money and moved out with her three children, renting a small house near her office and school for convenience. Thuong's husband tried to keep the eldest son, but after two weeks with his father, he packed up his personal belongings and returned to his mother. He could not bear the sight of his father bringing his new mistress home to be affectionate and sweet in front of her.

Thuong was sure that her ex-husband would provide for the children regularly because he knew that her income was very low. Raising three children by himself was extremely difficult. However, in the first month, he paid for their school fees. In the following months, when Thuong reminded her children to call their father to ask for money, he answered directly: "I asked my mother for money." Thuong did not think that he would be so desperate. Could she sue him in court because he refused to pay child support?

She had to take care of the three children who were still in school age. But suing their father would also bring shame because even if the love between husband and wife is gone, there is still love. Thinking back and forth, Thuong asked for a part-time job to earn more income to take care of her children.

After listening to Thuong's story, I could only console her: "Your life is your choice. Life is long, my dear. If you give birth to a child and don't take care of it, if you are irresponsible towards it, sooner or later you will suffer the consequences." Thuong seemed to have lifted the sadness that weighed heavily on her heart: "I've thought about it, from now on I will live for myself, for my children. Let's see how long he can be happy. Everyone gets old and sick, and the day will come when he will regret it and apologize to his children, you'll see."