Binh DuongReceiving the ashes of his mother, 5-year-old boy Tran Gia Nghia sobbed, only holding back when his grandmother told him, “Dad will buy a magic wand to bring mom back”.
That was half a year ago, when Ms. Nguyen Thanh Hoa, her mother died because Covid-19.
Now, in a rented house in Hoa Phu ward, Thu Dau Mot city, Nghia often hides beside her 70-year-old grandmother, sometimes asking, “When will there be a magic stick for your mother to step down from the altar? “. Mrs. Tran Thi Lan sighed and comforted her granddaughter: “Let me make a lot of money, then buy magic wands for me”.
Father and son Tran Van Trung and Tran Gia Nghia photographed on the night of the 30th New Year 2022. Without their mother, the father and son stayed at the inn, not returning to their hometown to celebrate Tet. Image: Character provided.
Tran Gia Nghia is the only son of Tran Van Trung, 39 years old, and Nguyen Thanh Hoa, 36 years old. The couple has been married for 10 years, but it took a long time to have a baby Nghia after many miscarriages.
From his hometown of Binh Thuan to Binh Duong, Mr. Trung works at a stainless steel factory, before overtime 13-14 hours a day, the most month he also earns tens of millions. With this money, he supports his wife and children, hopes to accumulate to buy a house and then establish a business in the city. But disaster struck the family from the end of 2020, a month before the Lunar New Year.
In December 2020, while waiting for a red light, Trung was hit by a motorbike from behind, fell and hit the road. At the hospital, he constantly vomited, so he was taken to Cho Ray Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City. Doctors diagnosed him with a broken organ, requiring emergency surgery to remove part of his spleen, patch his liver and connect his intestines. His right hand was also crushed, had to have surgery to rearrange the bones and then bandaged to fix it.
With a three-year-old child, in order to take care of her husband at the hospital, Hoa had to ask her mother-in-law from Vung Tau to take care of her grandchildren. She and her husband were treated from one hospital to another for two months. After being discharged from the hospital, Mr. Trung’s right arm was still unable to function properly and had to undergo physical therapy. The incision in the abdomen is also often painful, so the dressing must be changed daily.
“After the accident, Trung fell from 60 kg to 41 kg, his body was like a dry log on the side of the road, everyone looked at it, it hurt,” his mother, Lan, recalled.
At that time, the savings had to be used to treat her husband’s illness. Although she received support from her brothers and relatives, the family only lasted for half a year, at this time Hoa had to go to work to support the economy. That was in June 2021, when the epidemic began to break out in Binh Duong. Hoa applied for a job at a private garment factory near her home.
Just received her first month’s salary, she was infected with Covid-19 and was taken to isolation in the collection area. At the beginning of August 2021, Hoa was discharged from the hospital, but the doctor asked to self-isolate for another 14 days in a private room to monitor her health. Mr. Trung then rented an additional room with the boarding house for his wife, just a few steps from the room where he was staying.
Hoa is alone in her own room. Every day, Trung brings rice and water to the door and calls out to pick it up. In their spare time, the whole family still talks to each other on the phone, updating their health status as well as their memories through the tiny screen. The wife was able to go home, although happy, the husband was still worried, afraid that she would not be well, could not eat or drink. Seeing her husband emaciated because of her, Hoa encouraged “I try to take care of the child, in a few days you will be completely cured, the whole family will be reunited”.
But that reunion never materialized.
On the 10th day wife isolation In the room, Mr. Trung still brought rice outside the door, but called forever, no one answered. Guess what was wrong with her, the husband used all his strength to break the door, shaking his limbs when he saw his wife lying on the bed. Standing unsteadily, but he was still awake enough to call the ward medical, hoping to save his wife. But everything was too late.
“We only have four days left to see each other, but she can’t wait,” Trung choked.
Three days later, Hoa’s ashes were brought to her husband and handed over to her husband. At this time, Trung called his son over, pointed to the ashes box, said that his mother was in it. Referring to her mother, Nghia sobbed because she hadn’t seen her in a long time. After crying, he bewilderedly asked: “Why is mom so big outside, now she’s in here, dad. Does mom need a magic wand to go out?”. When she was alive, Hoa often told her son about the magic wand, which can fulfill all wishes of its owner. Nghia always believes that if she has it, her mother will return to her side.
Hoa’s altar has just been set up in the inn, the owner said well to chase the whole family away. Mr. Trung again led his mother and son to find another house to rent, but the price was twice as high. Every month, including electricity and water, he has to pay nearly 3 million VND.
When his wife died, the family’s economy was increasingly depleted. Although his health has not completely recovered, after 49 days of worshiping his wife, Trung returned to his old company. Knowing that his health is weak, the owner does not allow overtime, so the monthly salary is only 2/3 of the previous one. In order to have a car to go to work at the workshop 3 km from home, Trung also had to ask his relatives for money to repair the car that was almost ruined after the previous accident.
Mr. Bo Van Nhan, head of Quarter 1, Hoa Phu ward, Thu Dau Mot city, Binh Duong shared, whenever the ward supports the family of someone who has died from Covid-19, Trung and Nghia often receive gifts. “I also often encourage Trung to try to stay healthy, now he is left to raise his children alone,” he said.
5-year-old boy Tran Gia Nghia loves to color every time he is at home. Image: Characters provided
Since his wife’s death, Trung has only worked hard, coming home to hug and talk at night. In the story of father and son, the figure of a mother always appears with good memories, when the whole family plays or cooks together.
“Many nights I had trouble sleeping. When I woke up, I found Trung often sitting idly under the altar. He must have missed his wife too much,” said Ms. Lan.
As for Nghia, since the day his mother died, he really liked having people come and play at home. Every time someone stops by, the five-year-old boy prepares a bottle of hand sanitizer, “So that no one else gets Covid-19, locked in a box like my mother,” Nghia said. He also loves to paint pictures, especially family pictures, with father, mother and children. Recently, Nghia returned to school, and learned more songs about family, mother, and chirping throughout the day.
Every morning, before going to work, Trung takes his son to class. On the way, father and son talked about all kinds of things. However, in front of Nghia, the father never explained about his wife’s death, because he wanted the boy to believe that if he had enough money, his father would buy a magic wand. Then the mother will return.
Hai Hien
at Blogtuan.info – Source: vnexpress.net – Read the original article here
