Riêng một góc chung

[eagleeyes]

Chào ace, góc này vừa riêng của tôi mà là chung của mọi người, tôi viết cho riêng tôi, ai thích đọc thì cứ coi như là chung vậy.

*
Ở khu mười lăm cây số có nhiều cô hàng dạt, một lão già từ ngã ba sung sướng hay chạy xe ghé ngồi nhìn đỡ buồn, lão già quá và có lẽ không còn làm ăn được gì nữa nên chỉ nhìn, các cô biết lão vô hại nên cũng chẳng lo, nhìn thì nhìn, nè thì nhìn và cười phá lên thỉnh thoảng. Tuy già nhưng lão vẫn còn giữ phong độ ngày xưa là luôn tìm cách cho các cô tiền tuy lão chẳng giàu , vì giàu chẳng ai thèm đến khu mười lăm này cả. á, điều xấu là lão hay tìm cách dụng chạm các cô chỗ này chỗ khác rồi nhăn răng cười. Vô duyên thiệt.
Mấy hôm nay chẳng còn thấy lão tới nữa, các cô hỏi thăm mới biết lão mới chết tuần trước , tự nhiên các cô thấy buồn và như thiếu đi một ánh mắt cú vọ xưa thuờng hay soi rọi thân thể mình.

[Bẹc]

Chào ace, góc này vừa riêng của tôi mà là chung của mọi người, tôi viết cho riêng tôi, ai thích đọc thì cứ coi như là chung vậy.

*.........
Mấy hôm nay chẳng còn thấy lão tới nữa, các cô hỏi thăm mới biết lão mới chết tuần trước , tự nhiên các cô thấy buồn và như thiếu đi một ánh mắt cú vọ xưa thuờng hay soi rọi thân thể mình.

Tui nghĩ chẳng những chỉ các cô thấy buồn mà có số người xung quanh cũng buồn lây nữa. Ở phố nầy cũng có mấy người giống như ông già đó, chết hay dọn đi mất, làm ...tui là người xung quanh cũng buồn lây, cho nên thỉnh thoảng ghé qua tìm " mấy lão " đó có hiện hồn về không hay ghé lại không để coi lão trổ mòi mà cười ké... nhưng vẫn buồn hiu....

[phiulinh]

Ở khu mười lăm cây số có nhiều cô hàng dạt, câu này nghe văn chương quá!
một lão già từ ngã ba sung sướng nói lên tính lạc quan.

, các cô hỏi thăm mới biết lão mới chết tuần trước. tính chất mai một

Câu chuyện tuy ngắn mà không dài nhưng có tính dai. Kết thúc thiếu hậu.

(tôi gu gồ không tìm ra cây số mười lăm và ngã ba sung sướng!)

[eagleeyes]

Ngày cô sắp rời khỏi nhà đã có một cơn bão quét qua làng làm bọn cây cối gãy ngã giúi giụi, trái xanh trái chín rơi rớt khắp nơi trên mặt đất. Bọn đu đủ sau nhà chẳng đứa nào còn ngọn mà nhìn lại giống những cây cột với những giọt nước mắt cao cao. Hai giờ rưỡi xe lửa đi qua thì chưa tới mười hai giờ, mẹ đã dọn cơm cho cô ăn no trước khi xa nhà, nhìn tô canh đu đủ xanh, lòng cô nghẹn ngào hơn bao giờ vì cô vốn ghét thứ canh đu đủ thế này, mà hôm qua nghe đâu mẹ sẽ nấu canh thịt bò cho cô ăn kia mà.
Khi lòng cô đã tự hứa nếu có tiền sẽ để dành xây cho mẹ một căn nhà thì nay thấy canh đu đủ xanh cô bỗng thù ghét cơn bão làm sao; (một căn nhà cho mẹ mà mẹ cũng không chịu nấu canh thịt bò). Lúc tiếng lọc cọc của chiếc xe bò nhà chú Đính tới để chở phụ cô cái va li ra ga thì lòng cô đã cương quyết lắm, là cô sẽ kiếm nhiều tiền, thật là nhiều tiền.

[eagleeyes]

Hôm rồi cô đánh bạo gởi một tin nhắn cho người đàn ông cô có cảm tình, hôm nay nhận được phúc đáp kiểu như "em gái à, chồng chị mắc công việc biểu chị trả lời giùm, nói là cám ơn em gởi lời tha9m, hôm nào có dịp, vợ chồng chị mời em ghé đến chơi " cô bỗng ngạc nhiên lắm , sao lại có chuyện như vậy được, sao người ta lạ hơn mình nghĩ, từ nay cô tởn...và tởm quá

[eagleeyes]

Our next port of call was the Bai Tien hotel at Song Cau. Our guidebooks told us that the hotel was built on stilts over a fish farm in a picturesque bay and that it “makes for an attractive setting”. With it being only 43km away from Qui Nhon we decided to have a lie in and have yet another leisurely breakfast before we set out at about 9am. We had been told of a new road, which had just been finished that linked up with Highway 1 further down the coast. We were also told that not a lot of traffic uses it so we headed out to find the new road. It would be nice to ride a quiet stretch of road but it would mean that we miss the notorious ‘Happy 16 km’. The ‘Happy 16km’ is a stretch of road where apparently hookers line up along the roadside plying their trade to the truck drivers and anyone else that may be passing. I had been interested to see this since learning of it and had been looking forward to seeing what sort of reception we would receive as we cycled past the girls. When it came down to it I made the sacrifice of not seeing the “Happy 16 km” and opted for a morning of easy riding and a chance to rest my tired legs.


Pete said he would cycle with us today because it was only a short distance, and the company would be nice for all of us. Rach and I were back on talking terms but she still had not forgiven me for driving her into the back of a bus. Also in a three some it is harder for the mind to wonder off in one’s own thoughts; the third person all ways helping to keep the conversation’s going.


As soon as we left Quin Nhon the road climbed up a steep hill so we were soon off and pushing Cybil again. It was easy to wish for a bike like Pete’s as he effortlessly cycled up the hill next to us chatting away as if he was standing still. But our spirits were high and we were soon at the top and rolling along a brand new road as smooth and as clean as a babies bum. The road hugged the coastline and we rode past fishing villages built right on the edge of beautiful white sandy beaches. One such village was a hive of activity with about forty people pulling in fishing nets from the shore and unloading boats; it was such an idyllic scene. Because of the lack of traffic and the stunning views we took our time. There was no rush. After the long days cycling that we had already done 43km would be an easy days riding. There were a few hills where we had to get off and push but nothing too hard. However we were all still surprised when we turned on to Highway 1 again to find that we were all ready in Song Cau. We commented to each other what an easy, enjoyable days riding it had been.






Our joy was soon crushed when we pulled up at the hotel Bai Tien and saw what was left of it. The typhoon that had hit a couple of days ago when we were in Hoi An had hit land here in Song Cau. The hotel was almost completely demolished; there was only half the corrugated roof left on, numerous walls were torn down and we could see the blue paint on the walls inside some of the rooms. Shutters and windows were smashed and debris could be seen lying on the bottom of the shallow water of the fish farm. The restaurant had not fared any better but it was still functioning and serving food and drinks so we decided to have some lunch. This was the only time I think Rach and I had a proper lunch on a cycling day?


We ordered our food and asked where the nearest hotel was only to be told that it was 70km away in Tuy Hoa. This was not good news at all. It was already 11.45am and we had a long ride to go. So after eating lunch and using the toilet (the roof of which had also been blown off) we set out again. The time was 12.30pm; we told Pete to go off on his own; it wasn’t worth all of us being late and we would only hold him up. As we cycled out of Song Cau we could see the damage the storm had caused to the rest of the village. Houses were ripped open; hundreds if not thousands of trees on the surrounding hillsides were snapped in two. It was as if a giant with a scythe had been in the area harvesting the trees. We thought we were in trouble with 70km still to cycle but the devastation made us stop and think. None of these people would have had any insurance to replace or repair their homes. It put it in to perspective that we could stop and catch a bus to the nearest hotel. These people would have to stay here whatever and rebuild their lives with little or no help from the government.


Even though there is no more than a metre separating us we still spend endless hours in our own thoughts while we endure the tedious repetition of turning the pedals and moving slowly down the road. I did not think that Highway 1 could get any worse but believe me it did; out of the next 70km at least 60km were road works and there were quite a few steep climbs thrown in. On one such climb I was just about to get off and begin pushing when an old man on a moped tried to give us a push up but he couldn’t manage it so he waved to us and carried on up the hill. About half way up there was a group of children playing in the road the old man shouted to them and pointed in our direction and they all came running down the hill to us. We watched them come closer as we pushed up the hill towards them and then in an instant we were in amongst them. They surrounded us and laughing to each other as they went; they took over, they were all eager to help push Cybil up the hill. Their ages ranged from about five to nine but with all of them pushing we found it hard to keep up with them so Rach and I walked behind them laughing at their antics as we walked. Cybil was being pushed all over the road, she was going from side to side and even forwards and backwards up the hill. They were climbing all over each other and Cybil. It all happened so quick that we had left our cameras on Cybil so we missed a wonderful photo opportunity.
When we finally arrived at the top of the hill we thanked them all and shook their hands. We had to tell them to go back home. We were certain they would have pushed us all the way to Ho Chi Minh City if we had asked them to. We just love the Vietnamese people; they always seem to be so happy and helpful.


It was at times like this that we wished we had more time to stay and have a little fun with the people we met on our journey but because of the distances between hotels we had to spend all our time in the saddle. The irony was that if we were not going so slow and were on some form of motorised transport we would not be meeting and experiencing these wonderful, wonderful people. Vietnam is a strange country; one minute you can see children playing and having fun, the next you can see a young child pushing a heavy wheelbarrow full of rocks who has probably been working away for hours on end helping out with the family chores.


We arrived in Tuy Hoa just as it was getting dark; the main drag into town was a long dual carriageway dotted with huge big puddles of water from what must have been a heavy downpour. Luckily it had finished before we arrived. Tuy Hoa is an industrial town and both sides of the highway were lined with factories belching steam, smoke and god knows what else out of their chimneys. It doesn’t have a lot going for it at all; there isn’t even a good beach, the only thing of interest we could see was the outline of a Cham tower on a hill to the south of the town.


In the fast fading daylight, we would have missed the hotel Huong Sen, if it wasn’t for Pete shouting at us from inside the hotel compound? He had been keeping an eye out for us. As we pulled up outside the reception I could see a drinks fridge brimming with soft drinks and bottles of beer but as usual it wasn’t turned on. I was again totally shattered and doubt was again creeping back into my mind as to whether or not I could finish this? I wondered what else was in store for us along our way.


That night we decided to try the restaurant in the hotel. Pete had already asked the receptionist if they served cold beer in the restaurant. She of course had said “yes”, but as usual it came warm with a bucket of ice. The menu was a sorry affair too and they didn’t have most of the items on it so we decided to try our luck elsewhere. We walked out of the compound gates and tried a place just across the road from the hotel. We sat outside on a small veranda; the beer was still warm so they put some on ice for us, it’s hard to imagine that we are in the town where beer Saigon is brewed and we can still not get a cold beer. The food was superb though and we had a good laugh with the waiters and other customers so all and all it was a good evening. Even when a Vietnamese girl from a nearby table lent over the balcony next to our table to be sick; we took it in our stride. We had been in Vietnam long enough to treat this as normal behaviour so we just smiled at her and carried on eating our meals. People from other tables came over to shake our hands and to say goodbye upon finishing their meals and leaving the restaurant. Later that night as I lay in bed I again felt a great respect for the Vietnamese people. For all the hardships they had been through they still managed to feel no resentment to us westerners where as in the UK and the rest of Europe, 50 years after the Second World War a lot of people still cannot forgive the Germans or Japanese for what they did.

[eagleeyes]

Hôm về quê, gặp đứa bạn cũ rất thân, kéo nhau ra quán ngồi nhìn sóng nước ăn uống nói chuyện thật là lâu thật là thú vị
Nói miết tới chuyện net và giựt mình ngạc nhiên khi nó nói cái nick của nó .thì ra nó là cái đứa mà mình ghét cay, ghét đắng bấy lâu ở diễn đàn kia, vậy hai đứa hợp hay là không.

[eagleeyes]

Có khi nào triết gia đi chợ mua rau hay không? Vì gã đàn ông một mình với cái xe đẩy đứng thật lâu bên hàng bán rau, vừa ngẫm nghĩ vừa chọn rau, một cây xà lách, hai trái dưa leo, broccoli rồi nhìn rau... rau ráu....

[eagleeyes]

-Người ta kể chuyện ma kìa.
-Ma đó yếu, không thèm sợ.
-Vậy ma nào mới dễ sợ?
-Ma nào mà mình đi đâu nó cũng theo, ma đó mới dễ sợ.
-Bộ mình đi máy bay nó cũng bay theo?
-Chứ sao, khi con ma nó chun được vô trong lòng mình thì đừng mong trốn.
-Đúng là dễ sợ, hình như trong lòng em cũng có một con ma thì phải.

[eagleeyes]

Chiều gần tối đi qua cánh rừng tay cầm hai cái nấm lại nhớ bài thơ Khái Hưng dịch năm xưa

Lòng ta chôn một khối tình,
Tình trong giây phút mà thành thiên thu
Tình tuyệt vọng, nỗi thảm sầu,
Mà người gieo thảm như hầu không hay.


Hỡi ơi ! người đó ta đây !
Sao ta thui thủi đêm ngày chiếc thân !
Dẫu ta đi trọn đường trần,
Truyện riêng dễ dám một lần hé môi.


Người dù ngọc nói hoa cười,
Nhìn ta như thể nhìn người không quen.
Đường đời lặng lẽ bước tiên,
Ngờ đâu chân đạp lên trên khối tình.


Một niềm tiết-liệt đoan-trinh,
Xem thơ nào biết nói mình ở trong.
Lạnh lùng lòng mới hỏi lòng,
Người đâu tả ở mấy dòng thơ đây ?

Mon âme a son secret, ma vie a son mystère,
Un amour éternel en un moment conçu :
Le mal est sans espoir, aussi j'ai dû le taire,
Et celle qui l'a fait n'en a jamais rien su.


Hélas ! j'aurai passé près d'elle inaperçu,
Toujours à ses côtés, et pourtant solitaire.
Et j'aurai jusqu'au bout fait mon temps sur la terre,
N'osant rien demander et n'ayant rien reçu.


Pour elle, quoique Dieu l'ait faite douce et tendre,
Elle ira son chemin, distraite et sans entendre
Ce murmure d'amour élevé sur ses pas.


A l'austère devoir, pieusement fidèle,
Elle dira, lisant ces vers tout remplis d'elle :
« Quelle est donc cette femme ? » et ne comprendra pas.

Félix Arvers