Ho Chi Minh City - Having known each other since school days, Tri and Thuong were like two parallel lines until 35 years later, they unexpectedly "bumped" into each other on opposite sides of the ocean.
One day in mid-September 2020, Nhat Thuong, a businesswoman in Ho Chi Minh City, received a new friend request on social media from a person named Tri Nguyen. Thinking that it was her brother's best friend who had created a new account, she immediately agreed. Only when Tri texted to say hello did she realize that it was a mechanical engineer living in the US. Realizing that she was wrong, Thuong kept quiet.
A few days later, the man commented on Thuong's newly posted photo: "Why does Thuong look so familiar?". At this time, she went to his personal page and discovered that there were dozens of mutual friends, all of whom were elementary and middle school classmates in Di Linh, Lam Dong.
The first conversation brought them a "miraculous" surprise. From decades ago, the two had many connections. Thuong studied in the specialized class, was famous for being good at studying and having personality. Tri studied in the normal class but was very close to the "special" students of Thuong's class. Thuong's mother was Tri's grandfather's employee for many years. His uncle and aunt also knew her very well, when Thuong worked at a bank in Lam Dong.
Tri Nguyen and Nhat Thuong, both 37 years old, on a date in June 2023 at a cinema in Saigon. Photo: Character provided
Stories about school and childhood memories brought them closer together. "I don't know why, but for so many years, we were like two parallel lines, without any intersection, but right when I was tired of love, she appeared," said the overseas Vietnamese man.
Every time he talked to his classmate, he felt like he was "glued to the screen". When she was slow to reply, he felt uncomfortable. Feelings of anxiety and sadness kept coming back, making the mature man absent-minded.
But Tri was not in Thuong's "sights". She liked the romantic type of man, older, a businessman and had to live in Vietnam. Therefore, she freely shared with him her past love story, the pain of losing her father, and revealed everything about herself without holding back. When he shared his story, she also said: "From now on, if Tri flirts with any girl, absolutely do not tell everything like with Thuong, otherwise she will run away."
It was that innocence that made feelings come naturally to the girl. After a month of knowing each other, the mechanical engineer used the excuse that he was born a few months earlier to switch from calling her by her first name to calling her brother - sister. After that, he began to confide that a day without receiving a message from her was like being apart for a year. Every time he looked at her picture, he felt strangely familiar, like "his wife from a previous life".
One day at the end of that year, he sent her a bouquet of flowers and a letter full of love, ending with the words "I love you". While she was still surprised, he called and said: "The day I return to Vietnam, the first thing I want to do is register my marriage with you".
This time Thuong was truly moved. After several relationships, only this man said he would marry her. They started to love each other from then on.
The bride and groom on their wedding day. Photo: Provided by the character
Tri had no idea long distance love was so difficult.
Covid-19 prevented him from returning home, and their only way of contacting each other was by phone. He couldn’t do anything for his girlfriend. When she got angry and locked her phone, he couldn’t face her to explain.
On Tet 2022, Tri texted Thuong's mother to wish her a happy new year and promised that he would definitely return home this year to ask for permission to marry her. But two weeks later, he received news that her mother had passed away.
On the outside, she usually appears tough and strong to take care of her mother and siblings so they don't have to worry about her. Only when talking to her lover does she reveal her weakest side. To make her feel safe, since the day Tri gave up playing soccer with his friends, he calls her every time he gets home from work.
The pain of losing both her parents made Nhat Thuong's recklessness rise. She even thought of staying single so she wouldn't have to endure the pain of separation anymore. She threw herself into work and traveling, forcing herself to be busy so she wouldn't have to think. But the more she did, the more Tri indulged her. He always encouraged her to live as her own person.
"Even if your parents are gone, you still have me. I will give you a new family," Tri comforted. Gradually, she regained her faith in life and waited for the day he would return to marry her.
In October 2022, Tri Nguyen was restless before the day he was about to return to Vietnam. Nhat Thuong was also nervous about meeting his lover for the first time. The moment they saw each other at the airport exit, they both felt like they were meeting a familiar person.
The very next morning, the young man took the girl he loved by the hand and did what he promised. They went straight to the Embassy to apply for a certificate of celibacy. As soon as they had the certificate, they both went back to Thuong's hometown to register their marriage.
The fate of Tri Nguyen and Nhat Thuong makes friends unable to believe.
On the day he returned to Di Linh to visit both sets of relatives, Tri made an appointment with his close friends to go out drinking. He arrived at the bar first, Thuong showed up later and pretended not to know her. Thuong's friends asked her, "Did you bring your boyfriend back from Saigon?" She nodded, making them think her boyfriend was outside looking for a parking spot. After about 15 minutes, they still didn't see anyone, so everyone urged her to go out and look for him. At this point, she turned to put her arm around Tri's shoulder and said with a smile, "Let me introduce you to my husband."
The five friends looked confused, thinking Thuong was joking. When the meeting ended, one friend leaned over to ask again if it was true. Even when the two made it public on social media, many old friends called each other to express their surprise and congratulations. Many confided that they could not imagine that two parallel lines of 35 years would suddenly intersect.
The beach wedding of Tri Nguyen and Nhat Thuong, with the blessings of relatives and friends, in June 2023 in Ninh Thuan. Photo: Character provided
At the wedding ceremony on the beach in Ninh Thuan in June 2023, the groom expressed his love in two words: "difficult" and "sacred". He went to the US in 2014 to study and work. His life is only black and white, always having to try and be patient, but life is often colorful, happy when laughing, that is, crying. Since they were together, she has brought him positive energy.
"Over the years, every time I saw a shooting star, I secretly wished to meet the girl I loved and only received a small part of it in return. Finally, I found you like a miracle," he confided.
"She filled in all the emotional wounds from the past," the groom added.
Phan Duong - Vnexpress.net
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