3. A Gift

​

I asked him for something only once.

 

I was seventeen,

visiting him in Saigon.

 

I was creative with clothes,

making elegance out of scarcity.

Walking through the university courtyard,

I knew I was seen.

Boys watched.

Girls envied.

I imagined myself as a model in a magazine.

 

Sunglasses were a luxury then,

a symbol of a world we were not supposed to admire.

I gathered all my courage

and asked my father to buy me a pair for my birthday.

 

He asked the price and hesitated.

I knew it was a big sum.

Later, he asked my cousin to take me to the shop so I could choose.

 

I was elated.
I felt beautiful.
I walked tall.

 

I thought he was the best father I could wish for.

I never dreamed of asking for anything else.

This gift was generous enough.

An act of love enough.