THREE missed calls appeared on Eleand's phone screen, two from her brother Erone overseas and one from Elida. His phone was always in silent mode, and he was not checking it that much. He tried to make a return call to Elida when her doorbell rang, followed by loud knocks. Did Brandy come back because she forgot to bring something?
His forehead furrowed before he got up from the couch and opened the door. His brow raised in surprise when he saw Elida standing there, trying to catch her breath as if there was something urgent.
"Hey, why in a hurry?" he teased. His sister appeared wasted. Her long hair was disheveled.
Elida gripped his right arm as if getting strength. He suddenly felt worried.
"Pack your things, Eleand. We need to catch the flight going to the Philippines right now." She walked past him and sat down on the couch.
"What's the matter?" he asked and looked more perplexed.
"Erone didn't tell you yet?"
"I wasn't able to answer his calls. What the hell happened?"
He strolled toward her sister. Based on her expression, he knew something was not right. Elida never lost her composure unless something crucial happened.
"Mom had a heart attack. She's in a coma right now." Her face softened in distress.
"Oh, my God!" He sat beside Elida, "Is Mom okay?"
"She's not. We need to be in a hurry. I don't want to think of any bad things. But we have to be ready."
"I understand." He gently massaged his forehead. Great, his wife just divorced him, and now his mother was dying. Why these had to happen all at once?
"Come on, hurry!" There was an urgency in her voice.
"Okay, wait up! I'll just change." He stood up and hurriedly went inside his room.
Elida looked devastated. He watched his sister buried her face in her palms when he got back.
THE plane landed in the Philippines, and they had a connecting flight from Manila to Naga. They did not mind the jet lag and the exhaustion from the long travel. They hastily went to the hospital, where their mother stayed unconscious.
Eleand prayed for their mother's safety. He hoped everything was going well. Both of them were close to their mother. If they had a choice, they would just stay here in the Philippines near their parents. But they had an obligation in California.
They immediately went inside the room where their mother stayed. They had the same reaction when they saw their father cradling the hand of his unconscious beloved wife. Eleand's eyes widened in awe and admiration at the same time as he gazed at them. Their father tried to control his sobs while kissing their mother's forehead.
"Mom, we're here. We are back." Elida hurriedly walked towards their parents.
"What is going on here?" Eleand asked. He glanced in the direction of his other siblings, Erone and Ezekiel, sitting nearby. Both in silence and tears.
"She's gone. She passed away an hour ago," Erone said, almost a murmur, "I guess she tried to wait for you guys, but she didn't make it."
Eleand opened his mouth, but he was out of words to say. He sauntered to his lifeless mother and held her stiff hand.
"Go in peace, Mom. I know you'll be happy to where you are going," he whispered.
"Mommy..." Elida couldn't control her sob while tightly embracing their deceased mother. Their father gently brushed the back of his only daughter.
YOU ARE READING
The Hidden Realm
Fantasy"I will always choose to be with you, to experience the rise and fall of this world together." Eleand Altierra considers himself the luckiest man alive. He is a young multi-billionaire business tycoon from a well-known family, and he is married to a...
