Life Must Go On | Ran TAKAHASHI

HEALER [PART 2]

Peoples in front of me is common, that was my mother with her puffy eyes, my father and my youngest sister since my brother on his another traning camp with his club, he didn't join. I felt my whole body hurts, and I can't moved my left arm. I kept talking where's Yukiko and how is she be. But everyone just silent. Riri, my youngest sister run with his tears and my mother tried to reach my shoulders.

"Calm down, sweetheart", I still remember how's my mom voice on that day. Shaking and full of pity for me. I screamed Yukiko name with my tears followed with my mother hug me tightly.

-

It almost 2 weeks after that incident I locked up myself on my room. Even when my mother give me some drink and food in front of the door, I just rejected that. I just can't though anything. Why it happened to me? I lost my dream with Yukiko. To be the Olympian together, to continue our future life, to did anything just the two of us. And suddenly Yukiko's word on the train flying on my mind "How if I gone before we got married".

I cried and can't stop blame myself about that accident. Maybe if I didn't invited Yukiko to did a vacation. She's here now. We continue to our training camp, prepare ourself to the next year VNL and Olympics as our highest dream. That's was my fault, anything blowed just to blame someone named Ran Takahashi.

Until a couple minutes I heard peoples talked outside my room. It wasn't my mother. It was Nakagaichi-san as my coach in National team. He tried to persuade me, but anything that he said just remember me with Yukiko. I'm dizzy and just silent in the corner of my room. Till I heard another voice joined.

"Takahashi-san, we never talked before. You didn't know me so well, but I knew you because Yukiko kept talking about you", It was Nagahara. I didn't know why she came to my home, but since I remembered Yukiko was closed with her. I knew Nakagaichi-san maybe asked her to come.

"On the sunny day Yukiko come to my apartment, I still on my slept but I wake up since my bell rung. When I open my door Yukiko jump and hug me suddenly. When I said what happen with her, she said you invited her to join short vacation together. She can stop smiling during shopping with me to buy anything that could you like it", I heard it but it just make me to felt more dizzy. I closed my eyes but Nagahara kept talking about Yukiko. I want to screamed but her last long sentence felt like a healer for me.

"Yukiko love you more than everything, and I know so do you. But Takahashi-san, shut yourself like this isn't good idea. You just will make Yukiko sad there. You should come to visit her, bring a baby-breath flower that she like and said anything will be alright. I know it was sad, we also, the world who love Yukiko is crying till today. But, lost a person is enough for us, we won't lose you too. Yukiko won't it happen. Please open the door and let's visit her", yeah. Nagahara was right, since her funeral I didn't come to her to at least say goodbye or give her a bucket of flowers. I just busy with my own mind to blame myself. If Yukiko here, I know she'll pat my head and talked "Stop blaming yourself, it's not your fault". And after a long decision with my feeling I opened the door bring my body to hug my mother and cried together.

-

Padova City, 2023

I see the women with her eyes are close in front of me. I don't know why she's just hobby to wasting her time in front of the tv at the night to watch his favourite serial movie. But before the serial end, she's falling to her sleep. I kept looking at her and and brushed away the remaining hair that covered his eyes.

"Ah..you're home?", she opened her eyes when she felt my hand touch her face. I just nodded.

"I said don't waiting me, just go sleep first", I talked with her who always try to waiting me back from my routine practice with my club even I always remind her not to do it.