Hard-earned happiness

(Baonghean) - I want to share my story as a lesson for those who have fallen into the wrong path. I want to shout loudly to everyone: live a normal life, without greed, and avoid anger. If I could live it again, I would live better, and surely my fate would not be so unfortunate.

I got married when I was over 20. My wife was a kind and good-natured woman. A little over a year after we got married, she gave birth to our first daughter. The baby was the spitting image of her mother, and our hard life became happier with her arrival. Every day after work, I would rush to her cradle, whispering sweet words to her, laughing and teasing her. Then my wife had to go back to work. Although we weren't well-off, we managed to save enough money to hire a housekeeper. She was our next-door neighbor. When my daughter was six months old, a heartbreaking incident occurred. While my wife and I were at work, the housekeeper carelessly let our daughter fall from the attic to the ground. The fall didn't take her life, but it left her with a permanent brain injury, preventing her from living a normal life. My wife and I poured all our money into this, begging everyone we knew for help, but to no avail!

Illustration: Hong Toai

One day I came home to find my wife holding our child, motionless, her eyes vacant. I tried to rouse her, but she remained silent, as if dead. Heartbroken, I went to a bar to drink and forget my sorrows. Glass after glass, bottle after bottle. Exhausted and worn out, I kept drinking. The bar owner, seeing how drunk I was, said they were out of alcohol. But the demon of alcohol, controlling my body and mind, yelled at the owner: "Just one more bottle, then I'm going home!" And another one. But if only that one more bottle hadn't been added…

I staggered along, my steps unsteady. I didn't go home. I rushed straight to the house of my neighbor, the woman who had caused my family so much trouble. And I don't remember how I tried to kill her. I only know that when the ambulance and police arrived, I was somewhat more alert, and I saw my hands were covered in blood. I frantically asked the policeman who was helping me into the car, "What did I do?"

That's the question that tormented me during my time in prison and for the rest of my life. What did I do? What did I do to satisfy my anger, to quench the thirst of alcohol? What did I do to try to take the life of a human being, something more precious than anything in the world? What did I do to make my gentle wife and disabled child, already suffering, suffer even more? And what did I do to ruin my own life, a life I was just over twenty years old? My only consolation is that my neighbor didn't die. She lost 36% of her health permanently.

During my time in prison, my wife and children visited occasionally. My daughter, though at an age when she's as cheerful as a bird, didn't utter a single word. She looked at me with a vacant, distant gaze. Each time my wife and children visited, I couldn't sleep that night. I silently blamed myself for making my family life worse. I loved my daughter, but I loved my wife a thousand times more. If only I could be released from prison to make amends to her in some way.

And I tried my best to reform so I could return home. I waited and waited, and finally that day came. No one came to pick me up; I went home on my own. I hugged my wife and children, and tears streamed down my face. My wife cried too, and my daughter frowned in confusion before stepping out onto the porch. At least my family was reunited, and I could start over, take care of my wife and children, and lessen some of the burden on my wife's shoulders. I resumed my old job as a construction worker, albeit with some hesitation. However, the contractor seemed wary and apprehensive of me, so my work wasn't going well. I decided to go to the city to find work with a close friend I knew from prison who had been released before me. When we first arrived in the city, we stayed at a friend's house, and every day we worked as motorbike taxi drivers at a nearby intersection. The work was hard, some days were unlucky, some were lucky, but at the end of the month we managed to save a few million dong to bring home to my wife.

My friend, after moving to the city, reverted to his old habits, falling back into gambling and debt. I considered moving out to avoid trouble, but after thinking it over, I decided against it, thinking, "Oh well, let him be. I'll just make sure I don't get involved." Time passed, and after two years of working, my wife announced she was pregnant with our second child. However, just a few days later, she urgently announced she was bleeding and the doctor suspected an ectopic pregnancy. I rushed back, borrowed money, and took her to the hospital for surgery. After the operation, the doctor discovered another tumor in my wife. It wasn't life-threatening, but she would need a large sum of money for further surgery. Seeing me racking my brains trying to figure out how to make money, my friend asked, "Do you have the guts to do this?" I quickly replied, "Anything, as long as it brings in a lot of money!" He said, "I've been waiting for customers there for a long time, so I know the situation well. That jewelry shop is run by just the husband and wife. Their son is always away, only stopping by occasionally, usually on Saturdays and Sundays." Seeing my skeptical expression, he continued, "You don't have to do anything drastic, just pretend to be a customer and ask about buying something. I'll handle it, and I promise I won't harm anyone."

My friend spent two days convincing me to carry out the plan to rob the gold shop. He promised not to harm anyone, and we'd split the money and gold in half. I decided to take a chance, and finally agreed. That afternoon, I disguised myself as a customer buying a gift for my girlfriend. At that time, only the wife was at the counter; the husband had gone upstairs. Preoccupied with showing me the items, the wife wasn't paying attention to the second customer who had just entered. My friend, dressed smartly and wearing sunglasses, walked straight inside, right up to the owner, and held a knife to her side, threatening, "Shut up, or you'll die!" He whispered, ordering her to quickly hand over a series of gold necklaces and rings. Just then, the husband came down from upstairs. I told my friend, "Run!", but he became even more aggressive: "No! You take the gold and run, I'll handle this!" But I couldn't do that. I closed the gold shop door so no one could see, then rushed towards the stunned husband on the bottom step of the stairs. My friend said, "If he screams, kill him!" I pulled a knife from my pocket, my hand trembling as I pointed it at the shop owner. He regained his composure, then scrambled up the stairs, shouting for help. When I caught up with him, my friend ordered, "Stab him!" I raised my hand, but I couldn't… I threw the knife to the ground. My friend also threw his knife and begged the shop owner to spare us, not to call the police. But the man's screams had already drawn the attention of those around us. Soon after, the police arrived. Once again, I was a prisoner!

My wife had to sell the house to make ends meet, and it seems she also lacked the courage to live in a house filled with so many painful memories. She rented a small room in the city to find work and take care of our child. Once, they came to visit me. With tears streaming down her face, my wife said, "I've been teaching her for so long, and now she can say a few words," and turned to our grown-up daughter, "Call me Dad!" Our daughter looked at me, still with the same distant gaze as before, but her voice was warm and comforting: "Dad." I burst into tears like a child. Never before have I felt such regret. If only I could compensate for my daughter's hardships, not with anger or greed, but with simple love, with happy days together…

I missed the most important period of my life because of my mistakes. Now, having served my second prison sentence, I truly understand that one must face all risks and misfortunes with unwavering determination, compassion, and a desire for self-improvement. Many sleepless nights, I longed for dawn so I could see my wife's kind and gentle face, wake my daughter who always looks at everything with innocent eyes, and say to her, "Honey, what would you like to eat today so Daddy can buy it for you?" And then, every evening after work, I eagerly entered my small rented room, sat down beside my daughter, offered her a packet of cookies, a bag of candy, or some toy, and gazed at her face light up with joy.

That is the happiness I have achieved through so much hardship in my life. I want my wife and children to know that it is thanks to their love that I have overcome all of this…

TV(Recorded based on the account of Mr. NVÂ)