The wordless love story of a disabled couple
(Baonghean.vn) - The wife could not speak out loud, could not listen to the sounds of life. The husband could not speak clearly, had a crooked spine, and had limbs like dry branches. With a desire for happiness, they came together and held hands to walk the same path, even though they had to face countless difficulties.
Cruel fate
The small house of Mr. Nguyen Thai Tinh (born in 1981) and his wife in Hamlet 1/5, Cam Son Commune (Anh Son) is usually quite quiet, but happiness is always overflowing. The villagers often call it “happiness without words”, because both Mr. Tinh and Ms. Mai are people with congenital disabilities, having difficulty in pronunciation.
In a hoarse voice (with a relative interpreting), Mr. Tinh shared: “A few years ago, I fell from a tree, fractured my vertebrae, had to have surgery and pins, and was bedridden for months. The pain was excruciating, but I decided to get up to help my wife, who had been taking care of everything by herself for a long time.”
Having said that, her weak hands clung to the wall of the house, her tiny feet walked down to the kitchen to find some rice to bring to the coop to scatter for the chickens.
At this time, Ms. Nguyen Thi Mai (born in 1987, Mr. Tinh's wife) had just returned from the riverbank to get vegetables to feed the chickens. Unable to speak, all her emotions were expressed through her eyes and gestures, which was enough for the two to understand each other's thoughts and feelings.
And every day, in some situations, 11-year-old Nguyen Thai Tu becomes a “language bridge” for his parents. He is the fruit of the love of a disabled couple, and also the hope for the future of his parents.
Although their family circumstances are different, Tinh and Mai have many similarities. They were unlucky because fate did not give them a healthy, intact body and a normal mind. Nguyen Thai Tinh is the youngest child in a family of 5 siblings. His father was a retired soldier who fought in the Southern battlefield and passed away 40 years ago.
The mother raised her children alone. Perhaps during the years on the battlefield, the father was exposed to toxic chemicals, so the children were always sick and weak. The youngest son, when he was born, had limbs as skinny as dry branches. No matter how much he was raised, he refused to grow. Other children of the same age were learning to walk and talk, but Tinh remained almost motionless. Only then did the family realize that he had a congenital disability.
Up to now, the mother has passed away for nearly 10 years, of the 5 children, only 2 are still alive, Tinh and the eldest brother, the 3 in the middle have all died of illness. When he was young, Tinh was sent to school by his mother, but after primary school, his health gradually declined so he had to drop out. His medical records have the bold words: "Congenital malformation, extremely severe level".
Nguyen Thi Mai's parents had two children, her older brother was healthy and intact. When she was born, her family thought Mai was a normal child, because she was healthy, cute and grew quickly, meaning there were no signs of abnormalities.
However, as their daughter grew older, Mr. Nguyen Van Thanh and his wife realized that her ability to perceive her surroundings was far inferior to that of her peers. In particular, other children were babbling, but little Mai still refused to speak, even if it was just to call out, “Daddy! Mommy!”
Loving their daughter, Mr. Thanh and his wife tried everything, but in the end they were helpless, because the doctor concluded that Mai was mentally retarded and deaf and mute from birth. Her medical records, which were kept, concluded that her health condition was: “Disabled person with no ability to work.”
Sowing happiness in adversity
When he was young, Tinh followed his friends up Bam slope, down to Ke May village to play and met Mai. At first, Tinh's friends and Mai's parents thought it was just a joke, a matchmaking, no one thought about the long-term relationship. But then, Tinh went down every day, his friends were busy, so he came alone, even though his skinny legs had to climb up Bam slope, walking 3-4 kilometers on a deserted road.
On nights when it rained heavily, the stream next to the house was swollen and rolling, but Tinh's crippled legs still decided to cross it. At first, Mai often ran to the back garden to hide whenever Tinh came to visit and got angry when someone teased her. But because of Tinh's "stubbornness", Mai could not hide forever, and gradually had to go in to talk to him.
At first, she looked at him with an unfriendly gaze, but later her gaze became affectionate, shy, and timid whenever someone teased her. On days when Tinh did not come down for some reason, Mai seemed worried, unable to sit still, going in and out, her eyes clearly showing anticipation and waiting.
Before the love of the young couple, Mr. Nguyen Van Thanh thought a lot, not sleeping for several nights. The more he thought, the more he felt sorry for his daughter who had to endure misfortune and suffering. If she were to marry someone like Tinh, it would certainly be more difficult. But parents could not follow their children for the rest of their lives, there would come a time when they would get sick, old and return to their ancestors. Thinking of that, Mr. Thanh could not bear to stop his daughter's love affair, even though his heart was still filled with turmoil.
The wedding ceremony of Nguyen Thai Tinh and Nguyen Thi Mai was held at the end of 2011 amidst the joy of both families, friends and neighbors. The wedding hall was packed with people that day, everyone congratulated and prayed for the disabled couple to always be peaceful and filled with happiness.
The following year, baby boy Nguyen Thai Tu was born, confirmed by the doctor to be completely healthy and developing normally, the joy and happiness seemed to multiply.
“For Mr. Tinh and Ms. Mai, happiness always goes hand in hand with hardship and worry, because both of them are severely disabled, unable to work, and neither of their parents is well off. Little Thai Tu is growing up, entering 6th grade this year, and their spending needs are increasing, and the allowance from his parents cannot cover it all. Therefore, the couple has to try their best to raise chickens and grow vegetables to earn more income. Villagers often see Ms. Mai going to the riverbank to cut wild vegetables for the chickens, while Mr. Tinh, despite his crippled limbs, still works hard in the garden.
- Ms. Tran Thi Loc - President of Cam Son Commune Women's Union -
Looking at the scene of the three family members gathered together in a warm home, we know that they are living a happy life, despite the hardships and challenges that await them. When parting, Mr. Tinh and his wife wanted to share something but could not say it out loud…
