THE SILENCE OF OUR LOVE STORY

03

JAI CHOSEN

-How Destiny Find It's Way-

SFX: Page flips*

"I have heart cancer." He whispered while looking up the stars, smiling. 
He looked down for a while, and laughed softly, "But I still want to fly up to the moon. ." He paused. 
"With you." He looked at me with full of sincerity. 

My heart skipped. It felt like any moment, I could melt any second already. Hindi ko alam kung anong ginawa ko para makaramdam ng ganitong feeling. I don't know what I did just to deserve these kind of sweetness from him. 

"How?" Why am I crying? Why are there tears falling from my eyes? Am I hurt? Am I in pain?
Well. . No. I'm not.

He leaned closer to me and gave me kiss on top of my forehead. He smiled again. "Believe."

I'm crying not because I'm hurt. Not because I'm in pain. I'm crying because I know I'm just dreami--

"HINDI KA BA GIGISING DIYAN?! ANONG ORAS NA? MAY BALAK KA PA BANG MAGPAKITA SA TEACHER MO SA ONLINE CLASS? HA?" I gradually opened my eyes as I heard the voice of ate Jia beside me. 

Augh. 

"What time is it?" Tanong ko naman, rolling flat on my back.

"Check it." Ate Jia said. 

I gradually opened my eyes and looked at the clock on to the wall. My eyes suddenly widened, "I'M LATE!" Dali dali naman akong tumayo sa kama, making me dizzy. "Jesus." I murmured.

While I was busy picking clothes inside my cabinet I heard ate Jia scoffed. "You painted like twelve of these kind of paintings already." Ate Jia said while standing in front of a portrait I was busy painting-- An astronaut and me. Ako lang nga ang naka ngiti sa picture, while the man beside me has no face yet. Hindi ko pa maimagine ang mukha niy--- 

OH YEAH! MY DREAM! I dreamt about him again! WHAT WAS HIS FACE AGAIN??

I paused trying to remember what his features were like. He had. . Nice lips. Nice. . . Light blue eyes. He was so handsome in my dream but how come I can't remember him?

"Jai. . I wanna be straight forward with you as much as possible but. ." Ate Jia was about to finish her statement when suddenly,

"Alam ko. I can never fall in love with someone as normal as you." She keeps on telling me this and that. She keeps on telling me that I'm different from her. I'm far from normal. And I can never be like them. 

Ate Jia then laughed softly, "Good thing you know."
Ate Jia then left the room after leaving food on to the table. "Thanks for the food!" I yelled, making sure she could hear that I thanked her. 

Dali dali naman akong pumasok sa CR at nag ayos ng sarili.

 Minutes passed, I opened my laptop and went in the class. Jesus Christ! Just what the heck did I do yesterday making me late today? 

 While waiting for the teacher, umupo ako sa kama ko while combing my hair. Napatingin naman ako sa portrait na nasa harap ko, nakasandig sa salamin. 

Sigh. . .I kept staring on to the boy I always wanted to paint. Pero bakit. . Bakit hindi ko makita ang mukha mo? I dreamt you countless of times now. What. . What do you look like? And. . . Who are you? Wala ka bang plano magpakilala sa akin sa panaginip ko? Kahit sa panaginip lang naman e. Damot mo naman.

Sa panaginip ko nalang nga ako mainlove. Ang damot damot mo pa talaga.

"Good morning, Jai Derosas. May we begin with a prayer first?" Napatingin naman ako sa telebisyon as I heard the voice of my teacher.

.

.

.

.

Hours later, natapos rin ako. 

"Hey, you better prepare. We'll be leaving." Bigla namang pumasok si ate Jia at lumabas naman ulit pagkatapos niyang mag announce sa loob ng kwarto ko. Two nurses then went inside my room with thick masks, covering their noses and mouths as usual.

I lent out another sigh. One nurse was helping me get dressed and the other one helped me took out my oxygen tank along with non-rebreather mask inside my cabinet. 

.

.

.

After brushing my teeth and preparing, I went outside of my room and saw mom tying dad's necktie while talking to dad down stairs. I saw ate Jia sitting on the sofa, sitting, while texting.

They seem. . a bit excited going out with me. . I guess. As I went down the stairs with the two nurses assisting me, both mom and dad smiled at me. White ate Jia, she gave zero shits for me. 

Ate Jia saw and finally felt my presence, kaya lumapit naman siya sa ain with a smile on her eyes, "Well, can't you at least tie your white bushy hair?" Bushy? My hair isn't that bushy unlike hers. Kaya nga nagpa rebond siya, because her hair's too messy.

I sighed, "I don't like tying my hair, remember?" 

"O, ANDITO NA PALA SI JAI? TARA NA!" Ani naman ni dad with a full of excitement on his voice. 

"Asan naman tayo pupunta, dad?" They didn't tell me going to the lake. So maybe we're off to the Derosas Museum? 

Oh, forgot to tell you. We have our own museum. Pero hindi nga lang puro mukha namin ang nakasabit sa mga pader. There are also pictures of animals, people, and places with their fun facts on it. 

It's more like of a fun-facts-museum, than a family museum. 

"We're off to see your grandfather." Mom stated with a cold tone on her voice while walking away.

I lent out a silent sigh and tilted my head a bit. Nurses and doctors told me that the reason why mom's acting that way is because she's. . Fragile. Sa tuwing nakikita niya ako, sa tuwing nakikita niya ang puti kong buhok, she gets hurt. She cries. 

She thinks that the reason why I'm like this is because it's all her fault. She would always put the blame on her shoulders. On to herself. 

.

.

. . The car was filled with silence while we're on our trip. Dad didn't even bother to turn the radio nor the TV on. That's why I decided to just wear my earphone and play music on my phone. I looked outside the window and sighed. 

". . Isn't it funny? How love can find it's own way? How destiny find it's own ways? Is it just me or. . Are we playing hide-and-seek? And the seeker is fate?" (Song's originally composed by XLa_MalditaX) 

I can never fall in love. Pero bakit ito naman ang song dinownload ko? Sira ulo din.

"I guess life can be a joker too. . Such a joke that no matter how much I avoided you, the more you'd just pop out of nowhere. Making me fall for you even more." 

Feel ko ang kanta. Feel na feel ko nga talaga. FEEL KO HINDI TALAGA AKO MAGKAKAJOWA! PONYETA!

"I bet Eros is jealous for the both of us. That's why he kept playing our love story. Love defines anything. This is our love story, baby. A silent love story, if you ask me. This is our silent love story." 

"AY NAKO! ANO BA?!!" Bigla naman akong napatigil sa pag mumuni-muni nang narinig ko namang ang mga sigaw nila ate at mom. Dad suddenly slammed the door.