Ngu+o+`i ta ba^'y la^u to^'n co^ng ho^ ha`o ma~i ca'i ti`nh ddoa`n ke^'t tha^n-thie^.n giu+~a -Do^ng va` Ta^y, co' le~ chi? vi` -Do^ng vo+'i Ta^y chia ddo^i hai nga?, kho' ma` da('t tay nhau ddi mo^.t ddu+o+`ng.   Cu+' xem trong nhu+~ng su+. co?n-con, ddu? tha^'y hai nga? a^'y ca'ch xa nhau du+o+`ng na`o.

             Ta^y ddo.c va` vie^'t tu+` tra'i sang pha?i ; -Do^ng tu+` pha?i sang tra'i.   Sa'ch Ta^y, lo+`i chu'-thi'ch ghi xuo^'ng du+o+'i trang ; sa'ch nho, o+? tre^n dda^`u trang.   Va`o cho^'n trang nghie^m, -Do^ng chu.t gia^`y, Ta^y bo? mu~.   Cha`o nhau, Ta^y ba('t tay nhau, co`n -Do^ng thi` la.i mi`nh ba('t tay mi`nh (ngu+o+`i ta ba?o the^' la` cha('p tay ma` va'i).   Ta^y ca('t ngu+o+.c dao tro+? la.i ; -Do^ng ca('t suo^i dao tro+? ddi .   -Do^ng a(n canh sau, Ta^y du`ng su'p tru+o+'c.   Gia?i kha't, Ta^y uo^'ng nu+o+'c dda', -Do^ng nha('p nu+o+'c tra` no'ng so^i .   Go.i nhau, Ta^y ngoa('t tay le^n, -Do^ng va^~y tay xuo^'ng.  -Do^ng dde^? tang ba(`ng ma`u tra('ng, Ta^y ma`u dden ; co^ da^u -Do^ng a'o ddo?, co^ da^u Ta^y a'o tra('ng.   -De^` bi` thu+, Ta^y bie^n te^n ngu+o+`i, so^' nha`, pho^', ti?nh ; -Do^ng dde^` ti?nh, ro^`i pho^', so^' nha`, ro^`i mo+'i dde^'n te^n ngu+o+`i...

             Tha^.t la` tra'i ngu+o+.c vo^ cu`ng.

             Co' ngu+o+`i la.i qui nhu+~ng su+. tra'i-ngu+o+.c a^'y va`o tu+`ng loa.i, ma` ba?o "Ta^y ho+n -Do^ng ve^` a(n-ma(.c va` a(n o+?, -Do^ng ho+n Ta^y ve^` a(n-uo^'ng va` a(n-hu't".

             -Do^ng a(n-ma(.c lo^i tho^i ca^?u-tha? bao nhie^u, qua^`n-a'o Ta^y la.i go.n-ga`ng cu+'ng-ca'p ba^'y nhie^u : a'o la`m vie^.c, a'o ddi cho+i, a'o sa'ng, a'o tru+a, a'o chie^`u, nga^`n a^'y thu+' cu?a Ta^y, -Do^ng ddo^'i la.i chi? co' ta^'m lu+o+ng ba-chi?.

             A(n-o+?, Ta^y cu~ng e^m-dde^`m nga(n na('p.   Nha`, giu+o+`ng, ba`n, ghe^', no+i a(n cho^'n cho+i, cho^~ na`o cu~ng go.n ma('t va` e^m mi`nh.   -Do^ng thi` cha(?ng qua : bo^. ghe^' ngu+.a ddau xu+o+ng, ca'i go^'i su+' sa'i co^?.

             Tra'i la.i, ve^` a(n uo^'ng, -Do^ng tinh ho+n Ta^y .   -Do^ng bie^'t a(n va^y, a(n bo'ng, a(n ddi?a bie^?n, to'c tie^n, bie^'t thu+o+?ng hu+o+ng va` tra` mo^.t ca'ch phong-nha~, bie^'t nha('m tu+`ng gio.t ru+o+.u thuo^'c ro^`i rung ddu`i nga^m tho+ .

             Ta^y la.i ke'm ca? -Do^ng ca'ch a(n-hu't.   Ta^y chi? co' mo^.t ca'ch hu't ra^'t so+ sa`i : ddo^'t la' thuo^'c dde^? la^'y kho'i.   Du` thuo^'c la' hay ddie^'u ca^`y, kho^ng co' gi` kha'c.   -Die^'u si`-ga` cha(?ng qua la` mo^.t tu'm la' ddem nga^.m tre^n mo^i...   -Do^ng thi` kho'i thuo^'c la`o lo.c qua mo^.t be^? nu+o+'c, tie^'ng hu't le^n khanh-kha'ch ke^u ro`n ; kho'i thuo^'c phie^.n tu+` cha^'t nhu+.a na^'u ra, la^'y tu+`ng gio.t ddo^'t cho su`i ma(.t qui?, ve^ tro`n cho^n qui't va`o nhi~ ta^?u, chie^'u le^n giu+~a ngo.n tha^`n-dda(ng, ba^'y gio+` mo+'i vo-vo mo^.t khu'c nha.c lu+ng tro+`i.

             La^'y ngu~-quan ma` suy ra thi` le~ la` Ta^y tinh ve^` so+` va` tro^ng, -Do^ng sa`nh ve^` ne^'m va` ngu+?i.   Co`n su+. nghe thi` cha('c-cha('n la` ca? hai be^n va^~n co`n lo~m bo~m, chu+a be^n na`o nghe thu?ng be^n na`o...

             A^'y la` xe't theo nhu+~ng ddie^`u nha^.n tha^'y du+o+'i ma('t, nhu+~ng ddie^`u quang-sa't o+? be^` ma(.t.   Co' nha` tho^ng-tha'i co`n nghie^.m ra mo^.t ddie^`u kha'c nhau cu?a -Do^ng vo+'i Ta^y : -Do^ng la` phi'a nghe`o, Ta^y la` phi'a gia^`u.   No+i ddo^-thi. na`o cu~ng the^', tho+.-thuye^`n o+? nhu+~ng gia^~y pho^' dden to^'i dda(`ng ddo^ng, co`n phi'a ta^y la` no+i ro^.ng-ra~i khang-trang cu?a nha` phu'-qui' .

             Cho hay phu'-qui' la` Ta^y, -Do^ng chi? chui-ru'c lu~ da^n nghe`o-ddo'i, lao-kho^?, to^i-mo.i, le~ tro+`i kho^ng bie^'t co' pha?i dda~ ddi.nh nhu+ the^' nhu+~ng tu+. bao gio+` ?

             Co`n ba?o ra(`ng ve^` tinh-tha^`n, -Do^ng ti~nh Ta^y ddo^.ng, mo^~i dda(`ng mo^.t quan-nie^.m rie^ng, thi` ne^'u cuo^.c sinh-to^`n chi? la` tru+o+`ng sa't-pha.t ma.nh ddu+o+.c ye^'u thua, kho^ng ai cho^'i ddu+o+.c ra(`ng Ta^y va^~n "so^'ng" ho+n -Do^ng .   Song le, vi' la.i coi cuo^.c sinh-to^`n la` du` ddu+o+.c hay thua, su+. ddu+o+.c thua cu~ng ne^n co' mo^.t nghi~a gi` cao hay pha?i, ta co' le~ la.i pha?i nha^.n ra(`ng -Do^ng chu+a a('t dda~ vo^-nghi~a ho+n Ta^y .

             Nhu+ng ma`, so^'ng-co`n, co' ca^`n gi` nghi~a ly' !

La~ng Nha^n