That Summer

Prologue

Prologue

Gie's POV

I used to walk home from school, which was about four blocks away. I would put on my earphones and play my favorite songs as I walked. I enjoyed it, though I always felt nervous when a dog from the alley barked at me-I never knew why. As I approached home, just five steps away, I entered our gate and walked to the main door. Inside, I saw my brother sitting on the couch. There was something in his expression that made me anxious; I couldn't tell if he was sad, crying, or both.

"Kuya, Okay ka lang ba?" I asked him. But he just looked at me, and I saw his face full of sorrow and his eyes telling me something was wrong. I asked him again, "Kuya?" as I knelt in front of him and held his hand. He just stared at me. After a few minutes, someone knocked on our door. I stood up to see who it was, leaving my brother still sitting on the couch. When I opened the door, I saw two men in police uniforms, and they began to tell me about-

A few weeks had already passed, and I was lying in my bed, staring at the ceiling of my room. Someone entered, and I caught a glimpse of who it was-it was my aunt. She walked towards me as I remained lying in bed. I felt her sit beside me and start talking. I didn't hear any of her words until she said-

"I talked to your Kuya Gino, sa akin ka muna titira" I just sit on my bed, when I heard it. Ako titira kasama nya sa America, ayoko! Yaan ang nasa isip ko, at narinig ko pa na sinabi nya na may aayusin lang para makapag-aral ako sa America at, in just a few weeks we are going there. To start fresh.

"kasama po ba si kuya Gino?" I asked her

"hindi muna Gie, nakatanggap sya ng trabaho sa Canada, doon muna sya then you gonna stay with me and with your cousins, Jasmine and Clark" she said. I just nod because I don't have an energy to argued.

Late that night, I went to my brother to talk about it. I saw him packing our parents things in their rooms.

"kuya?" I called him.

"oh! Nakapag- usap na ba kayo ni Tita Martha?" tanong nya sa akin, "Oo, per-" hindi ko na natapos ang sasabihin ko, pinutol na nya kaagad ako at pinalapit ako sa kanya. Nakaupo kami sa bed nila Papa at Mama.

"wag kang mag-alala, kukunin kita matapos ko lang yong residency ko sa Canada, you gonna live with me."sabi nya sa akin. "pero kuya, Pa and Ma just died, and then we are gonna separated from each other?"sabi ko sa kanya. He breath in and nakikita ko na naiiyak na sya pero pinipigilan nya. "Gie, this is for the best for us, tita can helps you there, beside Jasmine and Clark also there, you not alone, also I'm gonna call you every time to check you. So, don't worry" he told me and hugged me tight also my tears can't stopped any more, I cried to his shoulder and I felt he also crying.

Our parents died just a few weeks ago due to car accident, my bumangga sa sinasakyan nilang bus papuntang probinsya noon. The bus was fall in the cliff of the road. In a snap of a finger, I lost my father and my mother. We just a middle class family in Manila, Philippine. Tita Martha is my father's older sister, she lived in Los Angeles, USA with her husband Uncle Steve with their twin children, Jasmine and Clark Powell. Close naman ako sa kanila dahil halos sabay na kaming lumalaki, Every summer, they would come here for a vacation, and sometimes I would go there for a vacation when we were kids, I think 10 yrs old lang si kuya Gino that time and I was just 5 yrs old, twice lang kami nagbakasyon sa kanila. And I'm still anxious dahil I lost communication to them when we reached puberty. It just happened. But Tita Martha made ways to still talked to us and to catch up with our cousins, time to time.

Naiwan akong mag- isa sa kwarto ng parents namin dahil si kuya bumaba saglit at may tinatanong sa kanya si Tita Martha. When I saw our family picture framed in front of me, I grab it and I'm looking at it-

Flashback

"Tara na picture tayo ng maayos, Pa ngiti ka naman, pleaseeee!"I teased my father

"nakangiti naman ako ah! Dalian nyo na, magsisimula na NBA!"Papa told me.

I set the timer on the digicam and then I captured that moment, it was my father's birthday celebration. That day was so good and happy, we just celebrating his birthday by watching the NBA game in our tv screen at home. While eating our mother's cooked meals, such as spaghetti, fried lumpia and Papa's favorite dish, dinuguan.

"Ma ang sarap talaga ng luto mo"sabi ko kay Mama then kiss her cheeks, she just smile at me.

"Tay, ang galing talaga ni Kobe!"sabi ni kuya Gino, "naku! Hindi ako lakers, phoenix ako anak, Nash ang bata ko!"sabi naman ni Papa, they just talking about the teams and found out they supporting different teams. They so funny to watched, basta ako kumakain lang. We so happy together-- a simple life.

--------------End of Flashback----------

I smiled and cried when I remembered that day-it was one of our simple yet cherished moments together as a family of four: Papa, Mama, Kuya Gino, and me.

I'm Georgina Kate Ramos Thompson, the youngest in the family, the only daughter, and the only younger sister. I'm just an average person in her senior year of high school, living a simple life in Manila. I'm a typical Filipina girl: morena, chinita, with curly hair and an average body weight.

Everything changed when I moved to America-a young girl struggling to find herself after losing her old life.

Am I losing myself because of everything that's happening, or are they right-Kuya Gino, Tita Martha, and the new place offering a fresh start? Can I really begin a new life without the family I grew up with?

-----------------------Chapter One is Coming-----------------