Seeing Nguyen anxiously running towards her kitchen, Robin said mischievously as usual, ‘Hey handsome, what’s up?’
Nuyen was very upset. Hundreds of voices inside his head kept saying, ‘Suzy stole your money, she cheated you. you are poor You have no more money. All the money is gone.
Seeing Nguyen quietly, Robin stirred the spaghetti and corrected again, “Nuyen my friend, what happened?” Upset? Didn’t talk to mom today? Or do you miss your girlfriend?
Nguyen: I’m not well at all. I don’t feel good at all.
Robin: What happened, friend?
Nguyen: Everyone is busy, no one talks to me.
Robin: I’m ready for you. Tell me what can I do for you?
Nuyen: How much money is in my pouch?
Robin: Why, where is your primary? Tell Suzy?
Nguyen: Suzy is busy.
Robin: Okay, I’ll see.
Robin thought he would ask Suzy before going to the office. On his way to the office, Robin finds Suzy leaving for piano class with the van. He thought that Suzy might not have been able to count Nguyen’s money in a hurry. And it will take three hours for Suji to return. If the money is not accounted for in these three hours, Nguyen will go home and everyone’s dinner will be ruined. So the clever Robin quickly counted the money without delay, came to Nguyen and said, ‘You have exactly two hundred and thirty-two rupees in your pouch.’
Nuyen’s eyes sparkled with joy. She happily ran to hug Robin and lost her balance and bumped into the sofa. Yet he did not feel any pain, in the mind that great joy! Calculated! He got a big relief from worry.
Robin didn’t let him go even after being targeted, caught him right. He came forward and hugged Nuyen. Robin is thinking to himself, how little can make people happy! Sighing a little, Nguyen said, ‘So Suzy didn’t steal my two rupees! I’m sorry!’
An hour passed well. After dinner, Nuyen felt anxious again. He thinks, I believe Suji didn’t steal my money. Then he is either a liar, or he is raw in numbers. I don’t want him if he’s a liar. If he can’t count on that, I can’t trust him to give up everything. Nuyen’s endless thoughts began anew.
He picked up the phone again without getting a corner. This time he called the manager.
Worrying about money has driven Nguyen to extremes. There is no day or night, when Nuyen is called, the staff has to leave their work and run to the office locker to count Nuyen’s money. There is no end to the danger if one hair moves around, it is a huge trouble. And although the trouble was only inside this building, there was one thing, this trouble reached far.
A land phone is placed on the dinner table at the entrance of each apartment to deal with various problems at different times. After getting used to life as a blind person for many years, Nguyen learned how to contact whom and what number. Every day she calls her mother twice, sometimes her sisters, sometimes her supervisor, or manager. He also knows when to call 911. Once the manager was framed for calling 911 after being banned from smoking. He learned from the service court that if someone stops him in something, he can say, ‘it’s my life, my choice’.
Nguyen picked up the phone again. The manager of the group home quickly dialed Parry. Pari, a cheerful person, is a solution to all problems, a place for all the needs of all the residents of the group home.
Parry, a manager of a group home, is quite active. Even then, he came rushing to Shantivilasa to see if everything was alright. Pari went out on an unplanned visit today after the heavy snowfall. There are several group homes under him. After receiving Nguyen’s call, he came straight to Shantibilas. . Nguyen’s speech is not that clear, he was so angry at her that the words were getting more and more confused on the phone, nothing was understood. As Parry entered the house, he saw Nuyen, as usual, in a chair by the door, sitting solemnly in a jacket on a pile of snow, smoking a cigarette and swinging his legs restlessly.
Parry asked Nguyen to lighten up, ‘What’s up?’ And you’re not allowed to be out of bed after ten at night. Why are you here?’ Nguyen shouted, ‘It’s my life, my choice!’Suddenly, many memories came to Parry’s flashback. He has always loved Nguyen very much. Twice he had to be taken to the hospital very ill. After Gelbar’s heart surgery, Parry Nguyen was put on a series of rules, including getting some exercise, going to bed by 10 p.m., cutting down to 12 packs of cigarettes a day, cutting down on carbs, protein, and eating more fruits and vegetables. , etc. Ragachta nuen in it Bhishan ragemege alone. In the end, Nguyen took Parry to court, and from the court he received a verdict for his freedom. As a result, no matter how well-wishers Nguyen is, when Nguyen says ‘let go’ or ‘it’s my choice’, those courts lie. As the trouble is remembered, no one is forced any more.
However, hearing Nuyen’s familiar dialogue, Parry regained her composure and asked what the problem was. “My new primary stole my money,” Nguyen said in a very excited voice. I don’t like him.’ Parry said, ‘How do you know that? Open up and tell me!’ Now Nguyen said, look, I had thirty-three rupees in my pouch, today I took two hundred from the bank, and I bought a one-dollar coffee on offer. So tell me how much money there is!
Pari quickly calculated and said, two hundred and thirty two rupees. Nuyen said with a bright voice, you see, my calculations are absolutely correct! If Suzy didn’t steal my two dollars, where did that money go? I want my two rupees back. Parry had a hard time holding back a laugh at the two dollar theft. He knows where the weakness is. These two dollars are not less than two million dollars in Nguyen’s life.
Parry said to calm him down, let me show you the count again. His words worked like a charm. He was excited and said in a loud voice, ‘That’s why I love you so much Pari! You are the best.’ The intelligent Parry smiled to herself at her own success.
He quickly took Nuyen with him and sat him in the office. Every dollar and coin was counted in front of him. After that, patting Nguyen on the head, he said good night and said goodbye like that night. Nguyen waits for tomorrow morning to ask Suzy to count her money. Old Nuyen smiled a little to himself through blistered teeth. A gust of snow extinguished the burning cigarette in his hand. He does not catch again. He says to himself, ‘The cigarette should be reduced a little, then a lot of money will be sold.
He didn’t realize that while sitting on the balcony for a long time, the snow had become a mountain on his feet, his feet were covered in snow, and his feet felt very heavy. With a little effort he removed the mountain of snow from his feet. Nuyen smiled to herself as she climbed the stairs to the top, ‘Sexy Suzy Angke is too raw, I’ll teach her math…’. Many memories of his past come to mind, how he used to teach math to Lan. His eyes are blurry. Wiping his eyes, he shuffled towards the bed, his iPad playing ‘Eightteen Till I Die…’ by Bryan Adams. Lying on the bed, he hugged the pillow next to him and cried, “I love you today Lan”!
Scarborough, Canada
