The Journey of the Ascending Rose

By Kathleen Ho

A story of Rose, someone who's trying to find her place between two cultures, climbing her way out of others' shadow!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Archway Publishing
• Release date: Jan 10, 2024
• ISBN: 9781665754798

Kathleen Ho

Kathleen Ho is a Vietnamese woman who immigrated to the United States in 1994. She earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Cal Poly Pomona and has worked in the educational field for over ten years. Besides having a passion for teaching, Kathleen loves to write. Kathleen is the author of two self-help books, including Living Forward After Loss and Seeking Life’s Purpose, and co-author of a cookbook entitled Everyday Vietnamese Cooking (with Richard Williams). Contact her at [e-mail].

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Copyright © 2024 Kathleen Ho.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Archway Publishing

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Bloomington, IN 47403

www.archwaypublishing.com

844-669-3957

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

ISBN: 978-1-6657-5478-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6657-5479-8 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2023924406

Archway Publishing rev. date: 01/10/2024

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

To all courageous women and girls who dare to climb their way

out of others’ shadows and restrict cultures to be themselves.

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Chapter 1

W ow! It is amazing. A six-year-old girl with flawless white skin and shiny black pigtails looked passionately without blinking at the stunning image as Twilight was coming on in the early evening of middle February 1975 in Da Lat, a mountain city 4900 ft above sea level in Southern Vietnam. The skyline mixed with yellow, red, and pink colors covered hills with pine woods and twisting roads full of marigolds and mimosas as a coppery sun dropped behind a series of green and undulating mountains surrounding the city.

Ooh! It is unbelievably…beautiful, too. Her two almond-brown eyes were wide open once more with another lovely view of her hometown as she looked down from her small two-story wooden house painted in light yellow that stood out pretty on a narrow and zigzag street from a small hill near the city’s downtown. Pale yellow sunlight, tall pine trees, and cherry blossoms silhouetted against the calm lake surface of Xuan Huong Lake, an astounding crescent-shaped artificial lake surrounded by pine hills, green grass, and flower gardens in the city’s center, creating an imaginary picture that looked like a masterpiece by a famous artist.

Vi, what are you doing here? Vi heard the soft voice of her mom, Linh, behind her.

I am sketching this landscape, Mom. Vi beamed while bending over the round table in the front yard with green grass and roses blossoming vividly in red, yellow, white, and pink.

It is spectacular, my princess. Linh looked at Vi with the love and pride flashed in her eyes.

Does daddy work over there, Mom? Vi pointed to one of the mountains, looking up.

Yes, daughter, Linh answered.

Do you miss Daddy? Linh gently touched Vi’s hair.

Vi nodded while the feeling of missing her dad and longing to see him suddenly came and consumed her mind. Tri, her father, often took her and Van, her four-year-old sister, for a walk after dinner when he was at home. He took turns holding Vi and Van on his shoulders and showed them how the sun slowly disappeared behind the lush green mountaintops.

As a chief police officer of the Don Duong district, around 23 miles from Vi’s home, Tri often did not stay home; Vi only saw her father during weekends or holidays. Born and growing up in Don Duong, Tri loved this land and wholeheartedly served the people here; many of them were his childhood friends.

Uncle Ba. The voice of Quyen, Vi’s oldest brother, interrupted the conversation between Vi and her mom.

Looking up, Vi saw a tall man with a bony face and salt and black pepper hair walking toward her mom. Vi knew this man at birth. He was her parent’s best friend and a high-ranking police officer who lived a few blocks from her home.

Vi bowed to say hi to him, a traditional way to show respect to older people. Ba smiled and held Vi up.

Where is Hai, Uncle Ba? asked Vi. Hai is the six-year-old son of Ba.

He is at home. I will take him to play with you on another day, my beautiful girl. Ba responded and put Vi down. Vi ran away to join Thao, her older sister, and Van, her younger sister, in the hide-and-seek game. Ba’s nervous face made Vi tilt her head toward her mom and Ba and listen to them attentively while she was hiding from Van behind the bench.

Linh, you must leave the town as soon as possible, said Ba. His voice was soft and low to make sure no one else heard it.

Is this serious now? asked Linh, worried.

I understand, whispered Linh after seeing Ba’s nodding.

After Ba left, Vi held her mom’s hand and looked up at her. Mom, why do we need to go? Vi asked with a fearful voice.

We will visit and stay with your grandparents in Cam Ranh. Do you miss your grandparents? Linh softly answered Vi.

Vi smiled and walked toward where her siblings were playing. But after a few steps, Vi turned back and reminded her mom, Mom, you must take my pink dress with us. Vi’s aunt, Hien, gave her a pink dress on Vi’s birthdate last year. Vi fell in love with this dress right after seeing it.

Van, look. The white cloud cluster over there looks like the figure of the mom and a child like our mom and us. Vi pointed the index finger of her right hand toward the sky as she was sitting next to Van on the bench on a lovely afternoon five days after Ba’s visitation. Everything was back to normal and beautiful in the eyes of the six-year-old girl after she had forgotten all the serious things that she had heard from her Uncle Ba.

Oh, yes. Vi, let’s draw this cloud now. Van ran to the house to get some sheets of blank paper and crayons.

Click! Clack! Clomp! Click! Clack! Clomp! Click! Clack! The light, then heavy, and heavy, then light footsteps caught her attention, making Vi turn to look while she was silent and focused on drawing with Van. Thuy, Thuy! Vi’s eyes lit up as she rushed out to the gate when she saw a six-year-old girl with bubbly hair and a radiant smile on her lips. Walking next to Thuy was Vi’s Uncle Phi, a middle-aged man with a warm smile and a high forehead.

Will you stay here forever, Thuy? asked Vi while they were playing the fashion show.

I do not know, but I wish we could live in the same house. It is so fun, Vi. Thuy was bursting with joy.

Me too. We will play dolls together. Vi giggled, showing some missing teeth.

Why did your family move to my house, Thuy? Vi was curious when they slept on the bed at night.

I do not know. My father said we had to go. Thuy moved close to Vi and said very softly. A few strands of her hair touched Vi’s face, making Vi feel a bit of a funny itch.

Swoosh! The sound of released air startled Vi as she was playing with Thuy and Van in the front yard on Saturday morning, a week after her Uncle Phi’s family came. Turning her head and looking towards the street in front of the house, Vi saw a small white truck stop right before her house. Then, a chubby and slightly short figure of Dung, Linh’s business partner, got out and rushed to the house without hugging Van and Vi, the thing she had always done before.

Vi and Van, come inside now, Linh called out for her children after talking to Dung for around 10 minutes. Stepping into the living room, Vi saw Quyen and Thao, Vi’s older siblings, holding Linh with a few tears falling down their cheeks. Linh knelt and held them tightly when she saw Vi and Van coming. Phi also hugged and kissed Vi and Vi’s siblings while his face became etched with sadness. Vi did not know what happened but was afraid to ask.

Aunt Dung will take you to your grandparent’s house today, Linh said slowly, ensuring their children understood what she meant to say.

Will you go too, Mom? Vi asked, worried.

No, I will wait for your daddy and join you soon, daughter. Linh managed to smile, but her brown almond eyes, precisely the same eyes as Vi’s, misted over.

Noooo…, I do not want to go. I want you, Mom, cried Vi and Van.

You have me, your favorite aunty. Dung also knelt and held Vi and Van in her arms.

Do you love your daddy? asked Phi. Vi and Van nodded while still holding Linh.

It is why your mom has to wait for him. We cannot let him alone here, right? Phi gently wiped Vi’s tears with the index finger of his right hand.

Wheeze! Taking a deep breath after wiping her tears with her hands, Linh slowly stood up and gave each of her children a purple cotton backpack fully packed with their clothes. Vi remembered seeing her mother sew these backpacks a few days ago. Linh then gave Quyen, Vi’s oldest brother, another big bag and asked him to look after his younger siblings. Quyen nodded and held Vi’s hand to go to the truck while Phi carried Van. Halfway, Vi suddenly got her hand out of Quyen’s hand and ran back to find Thuy. Thuy stood alone in the corner of the house, trying to make no noise from her crying with her face facing the wall.

I will miss you, cousin. Vi hugged Thuy and hiccupped another sob.

Me too, responded Thuy. Her tears wetted Vi’s shoulder.

Will you wait for me, Thuy? I will come home, and we will play again. Vi smiled wryly and wiped her tears.

I will, Thuy smilingly nodded, but her cute oval face was crooked as she tried not to cry again.

Let’s go, Vi. Quyen knelt and carried her to the truck. Vi looked back and saw her mom standing still inside the house, her teeth biting her lower lip while waving to say goodbye to Vi.

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Chapter 2

S woosh! The truck stopped in front of a wooden one-story house painted in white in the late afternoon of the same Saturday. A five-foot-seven-tall, skinny man around 68 years old with a gentle smile and kind eyes walked toward Vi and her siblings; following him was a woman with a slim body who looked five or six years younger than him. Grandpa, Grandma! Vi ran quickly toward them as her purple backpack swayed behind her.

Vi’s grandparents lived in Cam Ranh, one of the big beach cities in Southern Vietnam. The backyard of their house faced another house’s backyard, divided by a white wooden wall about the height of Vi’s grandma, Truc, 5 feet 3 inches. The front of the house met a local concrete road wide enough for two compact cars passing by, separated by a fence of red hibiscus flowers about Truc’s shoulder-high. A narrow, straight sandy