As minh sat there,staring at his wrist waiting for that little tattoo that he knew so well will appear at any given moment,as on cue,a little hourglass appeared. He should have been happy,his soulmate is Chris,the guy he loved since he was 8 but why is he seeing tears instead of a smile,why is he glaring at his tattoo as if it's a curse..maybe it is a curse,because why? Why did Chris have to be his soulmate,why now when he knew what that hourglass represents?..no,no it doesn't represents eternity like he thought..it represents the time he has left,as if reminding him his days are near.
He heard the door open but he already knew who it was,she was here..again to remind him of everything he wanted to forget.
"Min...congrats"
He looked up to see the pair of eyes he grow into hating these days,she was starting at him in same way,the same look that is reminding him she won't let him fall into a fantasy world.
"Why...why do I have to be his soulmate? Couldn't he have someone who will stay with him for eternity"
He said as he yet again felt the warm tears wet his cheeks,he wanted comfort,he wanted to be told it was okay,that Chris will have another soulmate but the way his older sister was looking at him,he knew he will he slapped with nothing but harsh words,the words that he knew were right.
"You have to show Chris your tattoo tomorrow,tell him about your condition as well" she said as she looked at him with cold eyes,as if she wasn't even affected with the fact her younger brother was crying his heart out in front of her. Minh wondered,when did she start giving him that harsh look..she always looked at him as if he was the only thing he needed in this world...maybe it has been half a month now,half month since they found out,half a month since she started showing him the reality of the cruel world,the world that she always promised to never let him see...just half a month since that day..
"Hey,why is there a envelope that has minh's name on it?" She asked she walked into the living room to find her mother and younger brother crying on floor,she quickly ran to her brother and hugged him "minh?mom? What happened?" She asked as she waited for her mom to explain why her brother that meant everything to her is crying in her arms right now.
"Lin...minh,he was diagnosed with a heart problem,the doctors said he doesn't have much time left"..as those words came out of her mother's mouth,she just stared at her as if she didn't believe anything she said,more like she refused to believe her.
"You're not going to sit here and cry all day minh,get up and eat your food" suddenly that caring older sister was gone,she was replaced with this harsh sounding person that minh Couldn't handle..."I don't want to,I'm not hungry right now" he said not looking up at her,as if he would die if he met her cold eyes.
"Stop being a child minh,what was decided is decided,this is your reality,the reality that YOU have to wake up and accept" she spat with venom in her words,and minh really wondered why,why is she making it harder for him? It's as if he wasn't already hurting "lin please just leave me alone,I'm not in the mood to deal with you at the moment" he said glaring at the person standing above him,but that glare soon turned into a shocked look when he saw his sister crying while looking at him "please min..don't just lock yourself from everyone,please don't waste the little time you have..!..please let me make this little time a happy memory for you" she said as she held her younger brother's hands in her own,rubbing them gently as she looked at his red puffy eyes.
And well..it's been awhile since all that happened,since then his sister would take him to the weirdest places to do the weirdest things ever,but each time they go somewhere,he remembers that it was a place or something he always wished to do...his sister was making his childhood dreams come true..one by one and he couldn't begin to think how to thank her for everything.
"Hey loser.." minh said to his sister who was looking at the stars next to him,she slowly turned to face him,as if giving him a sign to continue and so he did "thank you lin-ah...thank you for making this little time of mine the happiest" he said with a smile,that smile only got wider when he saw his older sister fighting the tears that were ready to break out at any given moment. He wasn't stupid to not know she was always worried he would leave anytime,she was the first to run to him if he even coughed a little,she was the one to stay awake with him if he said a part of his body hurt and she was the one to hug him when he remembered he can't stay with his soulmate. He knew she was trying to be strong for him..but if only he could stay longer,just a little longer to see his sister's soulmate..wait..his sister is 20,she got her soulmate tattoo 2 years ago but never mentioned it..should he ask? Maybe he should "hey..uh" he said again as his sister waited for him to continue "you never mentioned your soulmate to me before..did you meet them already?" And minh can swear he saw pain flash through her eyes,he became worried,what's wrong with his sister?..he was interpreted when his sister suddenly got him with a smile on her face..that smile wasn't a happy one..not at all.
"My tattoo is an angel minh,what do you think it is?" He looked at her confused,what did she mean? He always thought it meant his sister's soulmate was 'angelic' so what else could it mean?
When she saw he wasn't understanding what she meant,she turned around and started walking to the stairs of the rooftop. Minh felt something in his heart when he heard her answer,as if he was being stabbed from behind
"My soulmate is dead minh"
You know when they say a story always has a happy ending..Well that is wrong,not all stories have a happy ending,some of them have depressing ending..just like this one.
"Loser,play right. It's rock,paper,scissors,that's how you play it!" Minh yelled to his sister as she was laying on the hospital bed.
While minh was smiling and enjoying the game,his sister was silently letting her tears fall as she kept looking up at the beating monitor,seeing the heart bears slow down by each passing second
"Loser,stop looking at the monitor and focus on our game"..that's right,minh took a surgery for his heart disease but as you can see,it didn't go well,minh had a couple of hours left and all those hours,he made his sister suffer by playing with him,he didn't anyone but his older sister with him as he took his final breathe. She looked up at the monitor one last time before she finally dared to look at her brother,only to cry more tears as she saw him smiling at her..
"hey loser,please don't blame yourself..I want you to be happy,I want you to find another soulmate,I want you to open a cat cafe like you always wanted to,even if I'm not here to vist it everday..please stay with Chris and mom,tell them I love them" he said as he took her shaking hand in his,smiling as he laid his head down and closed his eyes
Silence..
She could still hearing the beeping of the machine..
A tear....
One last beep
She smiled as she looked down at her brother's wrist,his soulmate tattoo..the hourglass changed,the sand inside it ran out and now one side was empty..he ran out of time.
The last thing she heard in that hospital was her mother's painful scream.
Eternity never existed..
