Hướng Đi Ministries
“Lan, look! I visited Uncle Hải, and he sent some really nice four-season star fruit for you. I‘m sure you’ll like them very much.”
Lan replied, “Let me mix up some red pepper and salt to eat with them. It’s been so long since I had them, just thinking about them makes my mouth water.”
“OK, you sit at the table and let me take care of the red pepper salt, so it will go faster.”
“Why are these called four-season star fruit?”
Tú replied, “Maybe due to the technique used to grow them. Also it’s hot here, so they bear all four seasons.”
“Wow! Each one of them is so big! But why did you visit Uncle Hải?” Lan continued.
“He wanted me to repair his air conditioner. It only took a few minutes. While waiting for me, he picked some star fruit from the tree and told me to take them home to you.”
“Oh! Where is little Thiên Ý?” Tú asked. “I haven’t seen her in so long.”
“She’s with Grandpa and Grandma. Today is Friday, and they wanted her there to keep them company.”
The bowl of red pepper salt smelled so good. With the pink shade of the pepper and the pungent, salty taste, it was a perfect complement to the star fruit. They were sliced across the fruit, with each slice resembling a star with five sides. In anticipation, Lan pursed her lips and smacked them together. Then she took a bite; sour and spicy hot, the tastes invaded her senses as the fruit went down her throat.
“It’s soo good! Thank you, dear.”
“So, you want me to eat these star fruits instead of dinner?” Tú asked.
“Oh no! I cooked some noodles with beef broth, but it’s still early. We’ll have dinner in a little bit, but it’s not night time yet.” Lan replied.
“Well, you are always so efficient, it seems like every day there’s something good to eat. When you go into labor, it will be my turn to really take care of you.”
“Ya! You said it. When I have the baby, I’m counting on you to take care of me!”
“Of course, at your service!” Tú replied.
Lan said, “I’ve heard it said that the shortest way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.”
Tú laughed, “So what about women? When they are hungry, their faces fall, too. I am putting on weight thanks to your cooking, it’s so good! My friends tell me, every day, I’m bigger and more handsome than when I was a bachelor.”
The two of them laughed aloud… The star fruits were sour and hot, but their love was sweet!
The Texas sun was warm in the late-Spring afternoon. Lan’s cheeks were a warmer pink from the heat of the red peppers, which made her so inviting. Tú gazed with delight at his wife, then kissed her lips. He said softly, ”It’s so hard for you now. I see that the baby is getting heavy. Maybe you should call the company to ask for a few weeks of leave before the due date? As for me, I will ask for it when you deliver, so I can stay home and take care of you and the child.
Lan replied, “It’s OK, I still can work. When your precious heir is born, I will quit my job. But right now, for you to be the only one working to provide for the three of us, that’s too much. And, dear husband, you worry too much about me — your baldness is increasing.”
Tú laughed out loud. “Now you’re making fun of me, my sweet. You only look even more lovely! Especially the way you walk like a duck: it looks very distinguished, you know. I’ll bet that when you step off the curb even the police and the fire trucks slow down so you can take your time waddling across the street.”
“But of course, they must give priority to the “pregnant general,” Lan replied with a pun.
“Oh yes, let me write some street poetry for you, so you can laugh. I heard that pregnant women who laugh a lot give birth to healthy babies. Wouldn’t that be so sweet?”
“You can write poetry?” Lan was surprised. “But you never do that. Why show off today?“
“I told you, I’ll do it to make you laugh.”
“So what if I don’t laugh?” Lan said.
“Why are you so difficult? If I put so much effort into it, you can certainly laugh so I’d feel good about it. If you laugh for me today, then on Saturday I will take you shopping all day!”
“OK, I will try to laugh if that happens.” Lan laughed, both shoulders shaking.
Tú did not get the entire verse out of his mouth before he was laughing non-stop… causing Lan to follow. The baby inside her kicked several times, as if encouraging Dad Tú to continue the poetry.
Tú intoned:
The tummy goes ahead with no purpose
The feet follow through trailing
The feet only make it to the fence
The tummy is already in the classroom
Lan gave a big slap onto Tú’s shoulder. “You’re teasing me! I didn’t know you had that talent, but your instant poetry is good!”
She lifted her face to look at Tú tenderly, “I remember when you were young, you were so small. You wore greyish shorts. From time to time, you came to my yard to gather star fruit. Back then I hated you.”
“Wow, I was only 11 years old and you already paid attention to me?” Tú asked.
“No way! When I saw you, I wanted to call the dog to bite you. What do you mean pay attention to you?” Lan smiled broadly, revealing pearly white teeth and dimples on her cheeks.
“I remember, there was this one time when you and Sinh went to the movies until midnight, then sneaked into our yard to take the star fruit. You got away, but Sinh was bitten by the dog and got his pants all torn. Then later, when you were more grown up, you still didn’t pay any attention to me. I remember this one time when my classmates came by for a visit, you were wearing a pair of pants with very wide legs and you climbed the star fruit tree which was so tall. Hồng, Thúy, Phượng, Diệp, they were such rascals — they kept telling you there are ripe fruit on this branch, and also on this one… So you went from one branch to the next. I watched them laughing so long, so I finally said, ‘Tú, there are ants there, why don’t you come down.’ But you didn’t listen. “
Tú laughed contentedly, “So, I bet your friends had red eyes when they got home.”
Lan said, “The star fruit don’t seem like much, and yet they help! Do you remember that time when my dad was away, and my mom got sick? I was so scared that I went to your house to call your dad, but he was also away on a trip. I remember you came over and got some star fruit juice to pour into my mom’s mouth, which woke her up. You are fast and smart!”
Listening to his wife, Tú felt really proud but maintained his humble demeanor. “I had heard that star fruit has medicinal properties, so I tried.”
The years flew by; Lan and Tú grew up. When she was twenty, Lan went with her parents to settle in America. Five years later, she went back to Viet Nam for their wedding and sponsored Tú to join her. After another five years, she gave birth to a girl. They named her Thiên Ý…
After a dinner of beef noodles, Lan went into violent contractions, then precious Thiên Ái was welcomed into the world 2 weeks earlier than planned.
Looking at healthy Thiên Ý with skin so smooth and lips so pink, Lan was happy. That was because in late spring four years ago, in this same Hermann Memorial hospital, Thiên Ý had come into the world in an unbelievable miracle.
In the third month of pregnancy with Thiên Ý, her first child, the doctor told her after an ultrasound that the pregnancy was not normal. The cord was close to the cervix and she must have a C-section, not a regular birth. Also, the baby girl did not have a chin. The doctor only saw a very short face with eyes, ears, nose, mouth, all there, but no chin. The doctor asked her to talk with Tú about the state of the fetus, now at just 3 months, and whether to retain it. She was already handicapped right inside the womb; what’s more, she was a girl… After her birth, what would her life be like? Would Lan be able to take care of her?
Fifteen minutes after leaving the doctor’s office, Lan still could not talk to Tú, her tears continuing to flow in her sadness. She finally broke the news to him in the car. The two of them bowed their heads and prayed, lifting everything to God. “Do not be sad anymore,” Tú told her, “Though she is handicapped, she is still our child.”
Lan squeezed Tú’s hand. The two of them dried their tears in the car, then drove home. For the entire fourty-five minutes, neither spoke. Lan knew Tú was very sad, but he was trying to control it to help her.
Then, every two weeks, Lan went in for a check-up, and each time she cried because of a vast sadness inside her that she could not describe. To abort would amount to murder; retaining the baby would mean her life and the whole family’s life would be difficult.
On the eighth month, Lan had another ultrasound. The baby was still missing her chin. What mother would not be sad when her child is born with such a defect? Tú was also sad but did not know who to turn to. Both of them, day in and day out, could only confide in Christ and urgently pray to Him.
Lan was heavy and tired with the pregnancy. She kept up hope that the baby would be safe.
After the eighth month, she decided not to allow the doctor to do another ultrasound, because every time she saw the picture of the baby, she was unable to sleep and eat. She was in her eighth month but she didn’t gain weight. She and Tú fasted and prayed many times.
After nine months, when the birthing pains began, Lan felt joy and fear at the same time. She was joyful because her first child was about to be born. She was fearful because this handicapped baby was her child, and she didn’t know what her future would be. She was in pain! She closed her eyes in the lights of the ambulance then fainted, not knowing what was happening.
When she came to, she saw everyone in the family talking and smiling joyfully.
Tú smiled cheerfully. “ Wake up! The surgery went very well. This is our baby! Thank you, Lord.” Lan drifted into sleep. But something stirred in her soul. In spite of being still groggy, she tried to stay awake. Hallelugia! Hallelugia! Thank you, Lord. This baby Thiên Ý was indeed the will of God! Her small chin and her cute little face did not bear any defect. Thiên Ý was a girl with two dimples on her cheeks, just like her mother. Lan started sobbing in her boundless joy!
Praise the Lord! You created baby Thiên Ý from her mother’s womb as miraculous as Psalm 139:13 said: “You are the one who put me together inside my mother’s body”
And the word of God also said: “Ask me, and I will tell you things that you don’t know and can’t find out” Jeremiah 33:3
This is very true. Ask the Lord, and He will rescue us according to His will!
When my baby was inside me, whether perfect or defective, she was still my child!
From our mothers’ wombs, God has planned the destiny of each one of us!
Challenges are part of life. Challenges may happen so we will ask for help and know that God is the Creator who is always present, the Only One and the True One.
After three days at Hermann Memorial, Tú and daughter Thiên Ý took Lan and baby boy Thiên Ái home. The spring afternoon sun of Texas still spread warmly over the city. The car passed by Uncle Hải’s garden, where the ripe star fruit were swinging in the gentle breeze…
VHD
