And then, I left.
Pagkauwi ko sa unit na tinutuluyan namin kinabukasan, nagpahinga lang ako sandali bago muling umalis.
This time, I went to Luna's grave.
The note that kept playing in my head was the reason why I dreamed of my father on that night. It pulled me back to memories I tried to bury, making me visit his grave yesterday. And standing there—finally getting the chance to talk to him after three years—eased the heaviness in my chest, kahit kaunti lang. It gave me a bit of courage. Enough to face her. To face my pain. To finally talk to her.
Nakatayo lang ako sa harap ng puntod niya, tahimik na nakatitig. My heart clenched as that familiar ache resurfaced.
Pero alam kong kailangan kong gawin 'to para makausad. Kung hindi, I'd be stuck in this loop forever—trapped in memories, unable to move forward.
"Wynther?"
Napalingon ako sa tumawag ng pangalan ko at agad na kumabog ang dibdib ko nang makita kung sino iyon.
A woman with short hair, looking eerily similar to Luna.
Her mom.
May dala siyang bouquet ng bulaklak, at sa kabilang kamay naman ay isang paper bag.
Biglang sumikip ang dibdib ko. I felt uncomfortable. Hindi ako umattend sa libing ni Luna, and now, here I am, standing in front of her grave like I had the right to grieve. And now, her mother sees me here—too little, too late.
Kinagat ko ang pang ibabang labi ko bago yumuko.
"G-good afternoon po." Mahina kong bati, halos hindi makatingin sa kanya.
She greeted me back, but I still kept my head down.
"You can lift your head now," sabi niya, kaya dahan-dahan kong inangat ang tingin ko sa kanya.
Ngumiti siya sa akin. "You don't have to feel embarrassed around me."
Napahawak ako sa batok ko, hindi alam ang isasagot.
"I have a feeling I know why you're acting like that. Is it because of the burial?" tanong niya.
Tumango ako.
"You don't have to worry about that," she said before shifting her gaze to Luna's grave. "I understand. And I'm sure Luna would've understood, too."
Then, bumalik ang tingin niya sa akin.
"To be perfectly honest, when I first saw you, I thought you were worse off than us. You took the news about Luna harder than anyone. I could see it in your eyes. You may look emotionless on the outside, but I could feel it—you were breaking inside."
She gave me a small, knowing smile.
"That's why I was worried about you. Your friends were, too. And now, seeing you here... I know that you've decided to move forward."
Nanatili akong tahimik, tinititigan lang siya, sinasalo ang bawat salitang binitawan niya.
Muli siyang tumingin sa puntod ni Luna.
"Luna has always been a bright girl. She always seems so happy that... we didn't even realize that she has a problem."
Huminto siya saglit, bago nagpatuloy.
"But then, one day, bigla na lang niyang sinabi na gagawa siya ng banda. That she would become a professional musician. Syempre, nag-alala kami. It's not an easy path to take. Pero kitang-kita namin kung gaano siya kasaya habang ginagawa 'yon."
YOU ARE READING
Strings of Memory
Teen Fiction"Hating the one thing you love is a pain worse than losing it." - Wynther Fynne Clemenceau Wynther never had a dream-until he heard his father play the bass. In that moment, music became his purpose, his passion, his future. He dreamed of standing o...
Chapter 28
Start from the beginning
