I still haven't forgotten the time I played the role of a lover. Looking at Hong's sad face, my heart ached.
Tam is my best friend. Tam likes Hong, who lives at the end of the village. I like her too, let alone her. Looking at her oval face, rosy white cheeks, dimples, sparkling black eyes, and well-proportioned body, I am enough to be swooned. Tam likes Hong because she is beautiful. Hong likes Tam because he is rich. Tam's parents strongly objected to their son having feelings for a poor girl like Hong.
Tam honestly told me: "I have to act like a lover with Hong so that my family won't forbid it. When necessary, you and Hong have to be really affectionate so that my parents will believe."
That means I have to play the role of a fake lover with Hong. Tam's parents don't know about the verbal contract between me and him so they trust me: "You are the closest person to Tam. Please help monitor their relationship and report back to us! Tam swears to us that he only sees Hong as a friend, but who knows..."
Oh my! I cannot refuse a job that I know is more harmful than beneficial. The most difficult thing is that if I lean towards one side, I will hurt the other side. I was on my way to the language center when Tam called me urgently: "Dinh! Come save me". I was startled and exclaimed: "What? Tell me what happened". Tam was in a panic: "I'm sitting and drinking coffee with Hong at Mai Tranh cafe. My mother is coming. I escaped but Hong is still sitting there. Dinh, come to Hong right away!"
I was half-crying, half-laughing, reluctantly "coming to the rescue". Hong took the initiative to play the role very well, which even I did not expect. That night, I was restless and restless. A little dream was budding in my soul. The next day, when I met Hong, she was surprisingly calm: "Last night, you and I fooled Tam's mother. Luckily, I discovered her from afar". My mind was blank. I was like a sleepwalker walking on a tightrope, I could fall into the abyss at any time. A perverse role would be shamefully revealed when the mask fell off. How would I tell Tam's parents then? I had done something really stupid.
In addition, Tuan (who I knew was also pursuing Hong) laughed and said, “You’ve been following the beautiful Anh Hong very closely lately, haven’t you? Do you know who the girl that Tam Lao Dai (Tam’s nickname) is aiming for is? This is a tragic love triangle!”. I wanted to punch the insolent guy in the face to vent my anger, but I told myself to stay calm: “Don’t joke around! You know very well that Tam and Hong are both my close friends.” The guy who “put a spoke in the wheel” seemed to realize his rudeness to me, so he said, “I see that there’s something different about you and Hong. If not, then let it go!”. I was fed up with his deceitful expression, so I smiled faintly and turned away.
A few days later, Tam came to me with a bottle of Western wine and some sausages: “Let’s drink to celebrate our escape, Dinh.” I owed a real promise to Tam’s parents and a fake kiss from Hong. The fake kiss moved the recipient. I was afraid I would get bogged down: “Okay! Please let me out of this awkward mission! I can’t deceive anyone.” Tam knew I was a good person and it seemed like he also realized that the role I played could very well hurt me.
*
Yesterday, I happened to meet Tam's mother at the market. She said warmly: "I thank you for what you have done for us." Then she suddenly said in a low voice: "I congratulate you!". I understood what she wanted to say but pretended: "What? What do you congratulate me for?". The old lady looked regretful: "I wrongly suspected Tam! You are more compatible with Hong than my son. And you are really secretive! Why didn't you tell me from the beginning?" Knowing that the old lady had fallen for her trick, I felt even more guilty.
At this time, Tuan was following Hong closely. One day, he came to my house with a grin from the yard: "I came to apologize to you". I didn't like him but I still had to tell myself to be happy: "Come on, dad! What's the mistake?" He pulled me down to sit on the porch and caressed me, casually: "I saw you always hanging around Hong so I thought... Who would have thought Tam would take the throne".
Tuan asked me to tell Hong so that we could reverse the situation. I was not foolish enough to be a matchmaker for a domineering person like Tuan. Besides, I knew for sure that Tuan was not Hong's match. Hong would never let Tam go as easily as Tuan thought. I had a counseling session for Tam and Hong. After listening to my analysis, Tam nodded: "You are right! We cannot hide it from our parents forever. We must convince them to accept Hong at all costs." I nodded like chopping wood: "I believe that the rain will seep into the ground over time. You two will be completely happy."
Their faith and determination began to grow. Two months later, Hong came to me with a haggard appearance and sunken eyes: “I can’t take it anymore, Dinh! Tam’s parents curse me every day. From making things difficult for me, they started badmouthing my family.” I sighed: “What’s wrong with Tam? Has he given up?” Hong shook her head, frustrated: “He’s not doing anything, he’s a drunkard.”
Luckily Tam's parents did not come to me to ask for my crime. I was lenient once, foolish once, but will understand it for the rest of my life.
Honestly, I still haven't forgotten the time I played the role of a lover with Hong. Looking at Hong's sad face, my heart ached. I must say that the sadder Hong was, the more beautiful she became. Until one afternoon, Tam was drunk and swaying on Tuan's car. She hugged me and cried like a child. I knew Tuan was overjoyed inside, but on the surface, he said, "I told Tam to take it slow, the two of you will eventually get down! Why torture yourself?" Tam stopped crying and said through sobs, "Hong really left me, Dinh." I knew Tam was telling the truth. I wasn't surprised to hear that Hong wanted to break up with Tam. Hong came to Tam for profit. Once she couldn't achieve her goal, and was hindered by Tam's family, it was natural for her to end the relationship.
*
Hong broke up with Tam and ended her friendship with Tuan. She suspected that Tuan was playing a double game, providing information about Hong and Tam's love affair to Tam's parents. No one can predict the changes in life. A road opening project, urban residential development crossed Hong's land. From a poor family, Hong and her mother suddenly became billionaires. Real estate businessmen roughly calculated that Hong's land was worth over 10 billion VND. Every afternoon, Hong rode her SH around, leisurely in front of Tam's house. Tam's heart was broken. Tam's parents buried their regret. Hong was already beautiful, now that she was being taken care of, her beauty was even more splendid.
Among the candidates for the beauty, Trong stood out with his tall, toned body and sweet, captivating voice. It seemed that Hong was struck by love at first sight with that talkative, sophisticated guy.
Hong's mother only had Hong as her only child. Everyone understood that any guy that Hong's mother chose was a rat falling into a jar of sticky rice. I knew Hong had never loved anyone. She came to Tam just out of calculation. Between Tuan and me, she probably had more affection for me and that was it. I was just a poor boy with no career, how could I dare to carry a burden, or have unrealistic dreams...
This morning, Tuan stopped by my house and whispered: "Have you heard anything?". I was indifferent: "Tell me what's going on, don't be so secretive." Tuan was dejected: "Hong is getting married." I felt like the world was collapsing but still kept a calm face: "Hong is marrying Trong, right?". He sneered: "That guy is only good at appearances." I still hid my emotions: "Now she's rich, finding a handsome guy will satisfy her wishes." Tuan was resentful: "I know he's aiming for Hong's huge fortune! Before, I once complimented Hong in front of him. He laughed contemptuously: That girl has a little bit of beauty, but the rest is just a piece of shit."
*
Now I admit that Tuan's assessment of Trong is correct. Since the morning Tuan came to find me to be an ally against Trong, seeing that I was not interested, Tuan disappeared without a trace. The person who awakened my pain about my secret love for Hong was Tam. Tam seemed more mature after the storm of love: "You must have known that Trong lost a football bet and had to sell all his land and house? I didn't expect Hong's fate to be so miserable." This time, I was visibly sad: "I heard she went to live with her aunt in Da Lat." Tam sat with her chin resting on her hand, looking miserable: "If only my parents had accepted Hong back then, we wouldn't have had to separate now."
*
After the day of broken happiness, Hong came to visit me once. Hong was still as beautiful as ever. However, she was no longer as cheerful as before: "It's all your fault! What an honest person". I was stunned: "I don't understand what you're saying?". The beautiful woman's face was filled with sadness: "The time we pretended to be lovers, I knew you loved me. You're so stupid! Why didn't you confess to me! If only you had said you loved me that day, I wouldn't have failed now...". I was surprised and sobbed: "You don't deserve me. You don't have a career, you don't have anything, so how can you bring me happiness?"
She looked towards the road, where the last rays of the day were dying...
TRAN QUOC CUONG