by Tran Ky Trung (23-11-2008)
Little Teo was a news-boy. Among the various magazines, dailies and tabloids he peddled, his favourite was the Cong An (Public Security) biweekly because it was full of articles about criminals and cops in a contest of will. Although he could neither read nor write, he was handsome and his papers sold well thanks to his wit and resounding voice. After his news-agent told him the main headlines, he’d call out "Extra! Extra! Read all about it..." tantalising readers with hints of mystery and excitement easily purchased. Today was the release of the Cong An, so he got up early to get as many as he could. And since he was up, he decided to buy his father a brand-new pair of khaki trousers.
"Since the day I was demobbed, except for a few military uniforms and underwear, I’ve never bought any new clothes," his dad said to him one day.
Hearing this, Teo felt bad that a hard-working man like his dad, living an austere and lonely life (after his Mum’s death of a serious disease) deserved better. Moreover, he’d done his best to support his two sons, Teo and Ty, but all his menial jobs and long hours yielded was a paltry income that failed to feed three bellies. As a result, the living conditions of his family became increasingly worse, especially when Teo’s younger brother fell ill due to a congenital heart disease.
One of his neighbours once advised his father, "Gold... That’s the ticket, man. If you strike gold, you’ll be ridin’ the gravy train, cruisin’ down easy street." Taking her advice, Teo’s father moved far-away to the mountains to try his luck. Close to tears, little Ty held his hand and said in a low voice choked with emotion, "Take care of yourself, Dad, and return to us soon."
"I’ll be back in a month kiddo. Behave yourself and always obey your brother’s advice. When I come back, we’ll eat three times a day, large feasts with chicken and all your favourite dishes," said the poor man. "Ty, I know I’ve broken promises in the past but this time it’ll be different." Ty smiled broadly.
"And as for you Teo, try to look after your brother and don’t do anything stupid, Ok?"
"Yes dad," Teo nodded.
Except for a faded soldier’s uniform on his back and a pair of pants with two light brown patches on the backside, he had very little to his name. His field bag was empty, filled with nothing but memories of military service.
After leaving a loaf of bread for his younger brother, Teo hurried to the news-agent near a large crossroads downtown. The shopkeeper, a stout man with a mass of Cong An biweeklies under his arm, was distributing them to news-vendors. Among these boys, Teo was the kid he was interested in the most by virtue of his cleverness and honesty. That was the reason why Teo’s bundle of papers was always the biggest. When he spotted Teo among the crowd, he waved to him.
"Hey Teo, your portion of papers is here. Take it and do me proud, boy," the man encouraged him.
"Thanks sir. Anything special today?" asked the boy.
"Yes, the great wheel turns, life and death continue their merry dance across the skies and in men’s hearts. Listen: ‘Credit funds in bankruptcy’; ‘An old man of nearly seventy flirts with a girl of fifteen and romance ensues’... oh and ‘An unidentified burglar was beaten to death by several villagers’; ‘Flash floods in..."
Teo listened on tenterhooks. The sun had risen high in the sky and the traffic was getting heavier and heavier. If he did not hurry, others kids in his gang would replace him and then where would he get the cash to buy his old man a new pair of trousers? Without counting his stack of papers, he shot away.
His first destination was the nearest waiting-room of the coach-exchange for the inter-province services. Walking along the aisle between rows of seats, he announced loudly: "Here are today’s hot news: ‘A sexagenarian taken in by a girl in her mid-teens,’ ‘A burglar beaten to death in a remote village, and many other interesting articles’."
Thanks to his thrilling information and playful smile, his newspapers sold well. The best place to find enthusiastic news-hunters was among the passengers of long-range coaches waiting for their departures. Next came high streets, where pedestrians were hurrying to their offices like a legion of army ants. Before noon, he’d sold off most of his bundle of newspapers.
Hiding himself in a deserted corner, he took out of his pants a small purse made of fabric. Emptying its contents on the ground, he began counting: "Two thousand, ten thousand, twenty thousand… and forty thousand, together with this five thousand dong banknote as today’s commission... forty-five thousand dong in all. Just enough for the price of that pair of trousers for Dad," he exclaimed happily.
After that, back sodden with sweat, he went into the market. He stopped in front of a garment stall where its owner was falling asleep.
"Hey lady!" he startled her, "May I see a pair of trousers hung on that clothes-hanger over there?" he asked her politely, pointing at a brown pair of trousers.
"Which one d’you want to see?" she asked him in a soft voice
"The one on the yellow clothes-hanger, ma’am."
"It’s for adults, my boy. By the way, have you got enough to buy them?"
"I’m going to buy it for my dad, not me. Here’s my money," he said proudly, holding up his small bundle of banknotes. "They’re my earnings from selling newspapers day after day," he added.
"Oh, I see, I see! They’ve been saved up for your father’s clothes, haven’t they? However, it’s very expensive. It costs fifty-five thousand dong, no more no less," He was flabbergasted.
"Ma’am, a few days ago, you told me that it cost only forty-five thousand dong," he mumbled. "That’s what I’ve managed to save up so far," he added.
"Everything is more expensive. Inflation, kid."
Hardly had he turned away when he was called back, "Hey, kid! I’ll sell it to you for forty-five thousand dong, provided that you’ll give me one issue of Cong An free of charge. Agreed?"
Teo’s face brightened. He pulled one newspaper out of the bundle and gave it to her together with his sum of money.
"Let me recommend some more for you to choose. Trust me, your old man’ll love them," she entreated him.
It was a happy day for Teo, for his dad would have a brand-new pair of trousers. Teo chose and chose. In fact, all he wanted was a long pair for his father. While he was trying to decide, he overheard the stall owner exclaiming, "Oh dear, it’s horrible!"
"What’s that?" asked her colleagues from adjacent stalls.
"In My Thanh Hamlet, Thanh Minh Commune, Phuoc Hiep District, a mountainous area, north of Nam An Province, an awful murder occurred yesterday. Under the cover of darkness, a burglar was caught red-handed by villagers while he was stealing a chicken. Consequently, he was beaten to death so terribly that his face was deformed beyond identification," she read loudly.
"Before breathing his last, the burglar whispered, ‘I’m a digging for gold... My son’s hungry for chicken but I’ve got no money… Would you mind forgiving me this time? And please tell my children that…’
"Due to the victim’s disfigured face, we can’t provide readers with his photo. He was wearing a faded khaki pair of trousers with two light brown patches on the bottom. On his right arm, we can see the tattooed word LIEN and the date August 27. The victim’s relatives are requested to come to the district police station to identify him and carry out necessary procedures for his funeral."
Hearing the last lines of the article read aloud, Teo’s eyes blurred and his legs trembled violently. Obviously, the ill-fated burglar was none other than his father. Lien was the given name of his mother and August 27 was the date of her death.
Then it struck Teo that he’d spent the entire day till now, repeatedly announcing the death of his own father without knowing it!
"My dear Ty, Dad’s no more," Teo cried out.
He dropped the trousers, forgetting his money, running like a bat out of hell with tears streaking past his cheeks and loud sobs emerging from deep within his broken heart.
The market woman called out to him but Teo was beyond hearing. He ran and ran until he disappeared amid a cloud of dust.
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