THU THUY- cont

We two went fast toward Hoa Binh boulevard, leaving Thong behind with some white burning smoke. Just passing the corner, heading the one-way road, I stepped quicky on the brake making the back wheel slide on the dusty layer on the road turning round the scuter. Tri watching me laughed in great fun,
“How professional you are! If I were a girl, I would be crazy about you.”
“If you were a girl, I woud be a monk. Who would love a toothless one like you.”
Tri, laughing funnily, closing his eyes, didn’t want to give up,
“Who would love a tree-like slim and small-eyed guy like you?”
Feeling so embarrassed, I rushed the opposite way while Thong was coming toward me. We both tried our best not to crash into each other and I went on going straight as I had just seen her there. Among the white ao dai, my silver crane was glowing. She stood there waiting for me, giving me a fresh smile as if she had turned me into a worse driver, a body guard going round his client looking at someone on the empty street. Somehow, I felt calm enough to look at her bagde quickly. A leather school bag she was holding in front of her chest hid a half of the badge. I still could read the two last words, Thu Thuy and it seemed like she introduced herself that way. Tri’s engine sound made me rather startle. I tried to ignore it. Tri appeared in time to help fill a gap of a shock. I asked him,
“Hey, guy! Where is Thong?”
“He’s heading to Tham Tuong bridge. Hey, I saw her smiling at you again, Thanh!”
I bit around the bush very nicely,
“Still angry with me?”
“Having stood there and waiting for you could be said being angry.”
“I meant to ask about Thong, didn’t I?”Who cares?”
We both did not mention the school boys in white and blue walking on the side walks nor the white cranes standing in front of Doan Thi Diem school. We had our own ways, our riding round ways of the peculiar at the age of walking home from school with school bags.
That afternoon, Ngo Quyen st. was crowded with school girls and boys. But unlike on the other days, I knew today among the girls there was one watching me to give me a smile. And unlike what I had done everyday, I, confidentally, bravely lost my way in the crowd looking for my Thu Thuy who smiled only at me turning me into a poor fool.
I was given a memorable zero by history teacher- Mr. Luc but I was also given a 20- one time in my whole schooling life by math teacher- Mr. Phi. Now I was making another record – getting another smile from my Thu Thuy. I had no way out rather than riding in the crowd- fighting a losing battle- keeping track of her with my instinct and good luck. Reaching Hoa Binh boulevard, I made my way rightward quickly, taking a deep breath to keep myself calm. The less the pedestrians, the relaxed I felt in my heart. The round I took became shorter and smoother. At Minh Mang joint section I had to slow down to give way to the students stepping on the zebra crossing. The afternoon sunlight was shining weakly. In the middle of somewhere, there came a sudden sweet call of my name,
“Thanh! Have you recognized me?”
A sudden flow of blood came out from my heart. My whole body was heated as if I were pushed toward the incenerator. My scuter seemed tobe dead so did I. There she was in front of me smiling so sweetly as me. I smiled back then turn into a dam poor guy knowing nothing else to do. In a moment, the whole world was stopped moving. We both were transformed into two statues facing each other just smiling. The boulevard was also transformed into a great lawn with flowers on the sliding slope in a quite corner of the sky. Our physical distance became shorter than ever. I was withdrawn into a power whirl but nobody saw. I was hypnotized to stand still in the middle the road. The little girl, Thu Thuy, changed herself to be a witch as the smiling girl did to be an angel. We were divined flying into the air as a heavenly ambassador to read a message for the love of God,
“Human beings should love giving hands. The youth should have dreams, hungers.”
During a few following months, every day I rode round and round Ngo Quyen and Hoa Binh boulevard before school and after school time to see Thu Thuy to have her smile at me. Everything was gone through so was the innocence or turborn. I got rid of the riding group. I joined a basket ball team then I would go to Can Tho Agricultural high school and transfer to Bao Loc one and I just cared for how to make it no longer how to make Thu Thuy smile at me.