Open the window, eyes closed - Chapter 3

Uncle Hung is from the same village and often comes to my house to have tea with my father. He has a big, pointed jaw like a tiger. You are very healthy. He can jog for many hours without getting tired. In the mornings, he often puts his head under the blanket I'm covering and asks:

- Is anybody at home?

I say: - Yes, yes...!

- Why don't I see anyone opening the door? Looks like you're away, right? Uncle growled.

Tui said:

- I don't know either, uncle!

- So who spoke to me?

- That's the house. I am this house!

He touched my body:

- So where is the window? Why can't I find the summer lock? UMBRELLA! Is this the key?

I shouted:

- No, it's a dick!

The two uncles and nephews burst into laughter. I hugged his neck and just like that, he walked straight to the table, without even holding me. Uncle said:

- I carry the house, I'm so tired!

Every morning, he comes over to play. Of course every time he comes over he teases me like that. One day he said:

- What's in the blanket? Is it a pancake? I'm so hungry!

I shouted loudly:

- Are not. I'm a tiger!

- If it's a tiger, show me its paw!

So he pretended to eat my leg. One morning I lay down and waited for him. I always think about what role I have to play to make him laugh the loudest. I love your laugh so much! Lying in the blanket, the laughter is so loud! It keeps echoing in my head like a song. One morning, my uncle didn't come over, I waited until I was impatient. My father said:

- Wake up, son, Uncle Hung must be busy

I still lie down and wait. I know you will remember. At about nine o'clock he ran into the house and shouted loudly:

- Oh my god! My cake is stale!

I say:

- Why didn't you come call me?

Uncle said:

- Please excuse the cake, I was busy, that's why the cake burned like that!

So I smiled and "forgave" him. Sometimes he often arm wrestles with me. He has very big arms, each muscle bulges like small mountains. However, he always lost to me in this game. Uncle said:

- Oh, I'm so tired! I can't lift my hand, why is that? I remember my hand was very big. Ah! I guess I'm not clever!

He lay down on the table, his face sad. Then he stood up and shouted loudly:

- Ah! I know, because when I wake up, I refuse to brush my teeth!

I know you reminded me cleverly. So gross!

From my house to my uncle's house is only a few meters, so he calls me his neighbor. “The neighbor went somewhere. Do I have to go look for my neighbor? My father called him family because he did all the big and small things for him, and when he did them, he was very careful. He built the fence very skillfully, the barbed wire was as tight as a guitar string.

His pahi hand only has four fingers. You said it was because of the war. A bullet flying across cut it off. You are a lucky person, many people have their hands and feet broken. Like Mr. Tu in my neighborhood, he only has his bones left, he is very sad. He said he was still sad if he lost one finger, not to mention Mr. Tu.

One time, he carried me out to the dunes, pointed to a grove of trees, and said his finger was located here. Every time I pass by there, I miss my fingers, I miss them terribly. That's why I often avoid that road, it reminds me of when I was healthy. A healthy body is always beautiful. People who lose a part of their body lose their joy. Instead of having 10 fingers of joy, he only has 9 fingers of joy. The 10th finger becomes sadness. I hugged his neck and he asked:

- How many fingers do you have?

I proudly say:

- M.u. yeah…

- Let me count.

I opened my hand

- One, two, three... he exclaimed. That's right! Ten! I'm one finger older than you.

For the first time, I saw a joy from my body and I also understood the sadness of those who no longer had a full body.

I went to Mr. Tu's house. I didn't dare go in, I just hung out at the window. He asked:

- Who's that?

- This is me, I'm Dung.

I slowly walked into the room and sat down on the board.

- Is there something you want to tell him? Ong asked,

I am overwhelmed:

- I want to ask... do you remember, remember...

- Do you remember the hands and feet?

Mr. Tu silently looked at me. I continued:

- I know you miss him very much!

- Yes, I remember - He blinked his eyes - I always remember the days lying here.

- Then did you go to the place where your hands and feet were?

- Not yet. He has never visited before. But he will never forget. For a long time, he dreamed of visiting again but was not able to say it. He was afraid that my sister Hong (Mr. Tu's daughter) would work hard. Besides, when it comes to it, your sister will be very sad. He always makes my sister Hong sad.

- Is that place far away?

- Are not. Right at that school,

- Right at your school?

- YES. That year he protected the class. When he heard the sound of the plane, he led the whole class to the underground shelter. Unexpectedly, there was a boy who was too afraid to crawl under the table so he missed it. When he counted and found that there was one person missing, he quickly ran up to look for him.

- Did you find it?

- Have. He picked it up, its body was limp. He said he was afraid, but he knew for sure that he was very afraid. Then suddenly a bomb fell. He no longer knew anything. Before that, he tried to press it against his body, he tried to press it against his chest, but it was too late. A flash of light seemed to cut off his hands. When he woke up, the baby was dead. He is still alive because he is an adult and has better endurance. It is said that when he picked up the baby, his hand was still on the baby.

I shuddered:

- At that time, it was cut off from your body, right?

- Yes, they buried his hands and feet under a bomb crater. Then cover it with soil and plant a coconut tree on it.

- Ah! I know that place already.

- YES. Please visit it for him, just like you visited him, because it is a part of his body that remains.

I nodded:

- I will come to bury it for you, I will tell everyone, under the coconut tree there is a hand left by you while holding a baby.

- Remember to say the baby is still alive!

- Why is that, sir?

- I don't know - he sighed - maybe if you say you can save a child's life, it will be better. He was very regretful when he accidentally told his child that... Many years had passed, and he still wanted him to be alive.

- I promise, I will say...

- YES. Remember. Well, does the pineapple tree bear fruit?

- Yes, sir. It's very sweet. But I know why it's sweet.

- Why so?

- It pays you. That's right! I will tell you that under the coconut tree there is a secret. They will open their eyes and ask "What is that?", I will pretend to think for a bit. Then I said it was because there was a hand under the pineapple tree.

Mr. Tu laughed:

- You make me so nervous! Please show me your hand.

I spread out my 10 fingers. He complimented:

- Oh! They are so cute. He wished he had one finger.

I say:

- I'll give you my little finger. Let me tell you this secret, out of the ten fingers, I love the little finger the most. It is the most vulnerable, tiny finger. It's weak too. You see, it moves very slowly, but every once in a while I still bite it. But no matter what, I'll give you ten fingers.

- How did you get it?

- It's easy. Sometimes I will run here. He just needs to cry out: "Hand, get me a cake". Then the hand will run to get it for him right away.

He laughed:

- Oh great! It was so fascinating, but he couldn't think of it. Let me try! – He cleared his throat and said enthusiastically – Oi hand!

- Hey, I'm here! – I said loudly. I am this hand! The hand obeys "your Majesty!"