Chapter 27: Negotiation
After two weeks, Toan Phuong immediately brought his test papers for his mother to see. Thu Thao opened each test and as she looked through them, her face showed increasing surprise mixed with excitement. Just recently, Toan Phuong's test scores were all below average. Yet now, his tests were full of 7s and 8s. This proved that Kieu Ly had really helped Toan Phuong improve; it was just that when taking tests before, Toan Phuong had deliberately done poorly to get low scores.
Thu Thao recalled that when Toan Phuong was in elementary and middle school, he was a good student and was often sent to compete in gifted student contests. But in high school, he suddenly became rebellious. One day, while both his father and mother were home, Toan Phuong sat down and expressed his wish to quit school after finishing 12th grade to pursue a career as an idol. Being the only son, the couple always hoped Toan Phuong would carry on the family legacy. Both of them tried hard to persuade him. When persuasion failed, they forced him. As a result, Toan Phuong became more and more resistant. The relationship between parents and child worsened and they could not find common ground.
This was the first time Toan Phuong showed some humility.
Thu Thao placed the stack of test papers on the table and called Kieu Ly.
Kieu Ly was sitting at her student desk studying when her phone rang. She was very surprised to see the caller was Ms. Thu Thao, Toan Phuong's mother.
Kieu Ly carefully answered the call:
"Hello, ma'am. What can I do for you?"
Thu Thao put the phone on speaker so Toan Phuong could hear and began:
"Kieu Ly, this is Ms. Thao. I want to apologize for what happened last time. Today I'm calling to invite you to tutor Phuong again."
Kieu Ly was very surprised. Actually, she was the one who should apologize for accepting payment but not fulfilling the job. Yet Ms. Thao called like this, making her feel even more awkward. She skillfully declined:
"You make me feel embarrassed, ma'am. It's right for me to be let go because I didn't do my job well."
After a pause, she continued:
"As for returning to work, I must politely decline. This school term is very busy, so I cannot take on extra tutoring."
Thu Thao knew very well that her son was extremely mischievous, causing many tutors to quit halfway. So it was understandable that Kieu Ly refused the job. Thu Thao didn't push anymore and gently said:
"I hope whenever you can arrange your time, you will come back to help Toan Phuong."
After the call ended, Toan Phuong looked sadly at Thu Thao:
"Mom, you gave up before even convincing her."
Thu Thao shrugged and said:
"If you did wrong, you must take responsibility. I already did my part. I promised you I'd try one more time, and I did."
Toan Phuong sulked:
"If you don't help, I'll do it myself."
Saying that, he grabbed the test papers and went upstairs. Thu Thao watched him leave, surprised. It had been a long time since she'd seen her son so determined.