Returning

Phạm Vũ Anh Nam

[Tiểu Sử | Thi Hữu | Nhắn Tin]

cùng tác giả

Returning

(A shortest short)
Chi sits on the train depot bench, anxiously looking in the direction of the incoming train, knowing that it won’t come for another half an hour. Fidgety and preoccupied, she tries to stave off pervasive thoughts of the uncalled for accusations her mom shot at her last night. Unsurprisingly, like the countless other times, she wanted desperately to run away. This time, nothing else could hold her back. Even though her destination was mostly unknown, Chi knew that she wanted to go to the city—a city, any city—despite never having been there before. Waiting for the train to the city to arrive, her thoughts succeeded her control.
Why is Mom always putting blame on Chi when things go wrong in the house? Chi is Mom’s only daughter, so why does Chi have to take all the criticism. Chi is not as pretty as her mom was when she was young, but is that truly her fault?!...Her chin is not neatly tugged; and her lips are too zipped thin. Mom is so unreasonable. Chi had enough, deciding that she hates Mom.
Unexpectedly, the grey-bearded man sitting next to Chi turned to ask:
“How are you, today? My name is Robert…and yours?”
Remembering her manners, Chi replies, “I’m fine. My name is Chi…and how are you?”
“Oh! I’m perfectly O.K. It’s a beautiful day today, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, I think so too. It’s summer. The lovely sunflowers are blossoming beautifully. So, are you waiting for the train too?”
“Yes and no. I’m waiting for my daughter to arrive. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen her. My patient waiting has waned and is finally over. Today she will come back. The day that she left was in the summer too, you know. It was sunny and warm just like today…” The grey-bearded man trails off, carried away by his thoughts. When he realizes the awkward silence, he continues to go on about his returning daughter.
“What a coincidence, today is exactly the same as the day my daughter left. The only difference, though,” he chuckles uneasily, “is on that day she was leaving and today she is returning. She….is never going away again!”
“Congratulations!” Chi responds sincerely.
The man does not answer. Something in him changes abruptly. The expression on his face remains cold and indifferent, for a while he continues to reminisce about his daughter:
“Do you know? She’s traveled all around the world. She started with a hiking trip around the United States, and then flew to Australia, Africa, and Asia. The last letter I received from her was from the Middle East…but the returning notice I have here is from Washington.”
The train begins to pull in as they talk. Chi picks up her luggage to get in line. The first passengers to come out of the train are men dressed in black uniforms with white gloves on carrying a black coffin. Robert steps forward cautiously, reaching out his trembling hands, setting them on top of the coffin. His shoulders drop. For a moment, time froze—almost as if the summer had gone away.
Chi felt a swelling expanding from the bottom of her chest; she wants to cry for what felt like no reason. She hardly knew the man or his daughter.
She steps off the line, and walks back to the bench she was sitting on waiting for her train to the city. Her mind engrossed with a weird emptiness. The train left, and she has not even taken notice.
With no where to go really, Chi tries to gather her emotions into a controllable ball. Lost in her thoughts, she finally realizes that someone has been tapping on her shoulder.
“Sis! Mommy is waiting for you out in the car. Mommy is so sorry for what she said to you. Really, she is. We’re all begging you to come home. Everyone took the day off just to look for you, you know.”
Chi looks up at Twain, the youngest of her five brothers—the one that she is closest to. The other four all are standing behind the bench looking at her with teary red eyes.
As Chi and her brothers leave the train depot, she could hear a melody playing in the background. Coming from an old juke box, Kenny Rogers’ singing, a deep sentimental voice, crooned over a soft country rock song, “Babe! Please come home tonight….”
123004