Song

"Sister, that was amazing!"
I looked at Chị Thảo quizzically.
I had just finished singing a classical piece in honor of Sr. Eileen Phượng's final profession of vows.

"I have to admire your courage!"
With that, we both broke into a burst of laughter.
I, in turn, admired her good-natured sincerity. She dared to voice what many outside my religious sisters would deem impolite: This nun can't sing.

Well, it didn't stop Sr. Eileen from requesting me to perform.
Who was I to deny her?
As I climbed the stage, my sisters were in a daze.
Sr. Eileen's family picked up the restlessness and smiled at me wonderingly.

As the notes of the piano trembled in the air, I began.
An enormous hurricane of laughter shook the room.
My sisters laughed whole-heartedly, slapping each others' knees as tears rolled down their cheeks. I later found out that they only heard the first three notes I sung. They were tickled at my audacity.

That was five years ago.
As I saw Mai Thiên Vân make her way to the banquet tables, I flashed a smile.
She turned hesitantly towards me.

The sisters and I were at the Redemptorist's blessing of their new multi-purpose facility.
Mass was celebrated in their beautiful chapel.
The reception was a full eight-course meal and the brothers had just sung a song.

I motioned firmly.
Mai Thiên Vân is a relatively well-known singer in the Vietnamese pop culture.
Her beautiful rich voice carries both religious hymns and love ballads well.

She neared our table and Cha Hùng, the Redemptorist priest emceeing the celebration, caught her mid-way. "Would you like to sit over there with our major superior?"
She shook her head lightly.
"Let me sit with the sisters."

She didn't speak much, fatigue peeking out from her eyes.
"This was an unexpected event," she whispered above the din of the band.
She was a good friend of the Redemptorists and made appearances to benefit their fund-raising.

Sr. Leslie Thu smiled at me from across the table.
"This is it, Thu! I'm sitting next to a famous singer! I think my fortune will now change," I said whimsically. "Now I need proof!"
A few minutes later, she had flagged one of the photographers.

I never did get a chance to tell Mai Thiên Vân how she brightened my day.
It was not because she was famous.
It was not because I sing better now.

It was because God used her to show me his great sense of humor.
If I couldn't sing, then he would bring the music to me.

ps1. Photo of me, Mai Thiên Vân, Sr. Terry Thủy, and Ni Hà.