When I was 12, my mom remarried. Her new husband, Minh, was a construction engineer who had moved to the North from Ho Chi Minh City for work. He was gentle and soft-spoken, but I didn’t take a liking to him. I didn’t want any stranger intruding on my mom’s and my life.
Despite Uncle Minh’s efforts to be friendly, buying me cakes, helping me with my homework, and fixing my old bicycle… I maintained an invisible distance. In my heart, I kept repeating to myself, he’s not my father.
As I grew older and entered high school, I started attending a school far from home. Uncle Minh began transferring 5 million VND to my account every month as allowance for snacks, tutoring, meals, and books. I never asked, and he never explained. I simply thought that perhaps he had money to spare.
Mom didn’t say much about it. Only once did she stroke my hair and say:
– Uncle Minh loves you like his own child. You must treat him well from now on.
I didn’t respond.
Mom said my stepfather loved me like his own child. (Illustration)
Then I went to college, even further from home. The allowance remained at 5 million VND every month. By then, my feelings towards him had changed, but I still couldn’t bring myself to call him “Dad.” I maintained my guard and distance, even though he had never done anything to hurt me.
When I finished my master’s degree, Mom fell ill. Liver cancer came like a storm. Three months later, she passed away without saying a final word to me.
While cleaning up her belongings, I found an old file in her cabinet. Inside was a divorce agreement between my mom and my biological father, dated when I was just 2 years old. It clearly stated: “The father agrees to provide 10 million VND per month until the daughter finishes college.”
I was stunned. I had never heard Mom mention anything about alimony. I had never seen that man, my biological father. Every month, I only received 5 million VND from Uncle Minh.
I found my father’s phone number and called him, the man I only remembered from a small photo in Mom’s wallet. He said:
– I’ve been sending the money every month without fail. I’ve fulfilled my responsibility, so why are you calling now?
I was shocked and angry. I felt deceived. I took the agreement home and placed it in front of my stepfather. Tears fell uncontrollably as I asked:
– This money… all these years, it was from my biological father, wasn’t it?
Uncle Minh remained silent for a while. Then he opened a drawer and took out a thick notebook. Inside were records of my expenses, including tuition, rent, books, meals, and even my trips back home to visit Mom. Every penny was carefully noted, as if it were something sacred.
When I finished my master’s degree, Mom fell ill. (Illustration)
Finally, he said:
– Your mother didn’t want you to know… She was afraid that you would have hopes and then be disappointed again, just like she had been. Giving you 5 million VND every month was to prevent you from overspending, and we saved the rest for your future.
I burst into tears. I remembered my biological father’s cold voice, and I recalled all the times I had been cold and indifferent to my stepfather. I remembered his care over the years. There was the time I was sick, and he sat up all night, applying cold compresses and cooking porridge without sleeping a wink. I remembered a stormy night when my bike broke down, and he was the one who came to pick me up.
The next morning, I stood in front of my stepfather’s room and knocked gently. He was quietly looking at Mom’s wedding photo. I called out softly:
– Dad…
He turned his head, startled, and then slowly nodded, his eyes moist.
– Get up and have breakfast, son. Today, I cooked your favorite dishes.
His voice trembled as he said “son” for the first time. That morning’s breakfast was just fried eggs and water spinach soup, but I had never felt so warm and comforted.
In that moment, I realized that this man was my true father. He had silently sheltered me with his love like a real father, even though we didn’t share a drop of blood. And the 5 million VND each month, Mom and my stepfather hid from me not to deceive me, but to ensure I grew up with abundance, without resentment or waiting for anything from a man who had walked away.
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