M I R E Y A

I'm walking in the hallway when one of my students approached me. I turned around and smiled at her. Before I can say anything, she showed me her drawing. I clapped my hands and said "Good job! It's beautiful" in sign language. She also replied 'thank you' in sign language and immediately ran off.

My class just finished so I went to the faculty room to take some rest.

"Oh! Sir Ethan! It's unusual to see you rest haha"

"Ah, nagpuyat ho kasi ako kagabi sir." I replied

Yes, I'm a teacher. I'm teaching those special children specially the deaf ones. We are a family of Architects and Engineers, so many are asking me why I chose this profession. Bakit nga ba? Pero may isang sagot lang ako diyan.

I was given the best Miracle Gift ever.

I looked at the Calendar, and smiled when I saw the date September 16. How can I forget this day? It was the day I was given a new life.

And it was all way back in 18 years ago when I was still 7 years old.

I'm just a normal kid studying, playing, and living a healthy life, or so I thought, until I exhausted myself playing basketball with my Dad. I had a hard time breathing, my parents panicked then I blacked out and I found myself admitted in hospital.

The Doctor said that I have an inborn Congenital Heart Disease. I have a hole in my heart. I wasn't shot by a gun or anything, why do I have a hole? Weird. I thought to myself back then.

I was walking around the Hospital when i found that they have a Garden, it was stunning. The wind smelled like the summer breeze perfect with the fragrance of the flowers that reflected beautifully as the Sun grace them with its light and warmth.

As I was standing adoring the Garden, someone poked me at my back. I turned "What?" I said. It is a lovely girl with a long brown hair that has a pink bunny clip and an Amber eye color maybe around my age.

She showed me a sketchbook with words written on it

"Are you new here?"

"I'm sorry, I'm deaf so please reply trough writing here"

Those sentences in consecutive pages then she gave me the sketchbook.

"Yes, I came here about two weeks ago" I wrote.

"It's a beautiful Garden right?" she replied.

"Right. Do you always come here?" I questioned.

"Yeah, it's a warm place that soothes my heart." Then she smiled. That smile shined more brightly than the sun.

I'm still processing her warm smile on my mind when she wrote "I need to go"

"Can you be my friend?" I asked

"Sure!" she smiled again then she walked away. At my age back then, I guess it is not bad to have a crush and she became my crush in an instant. "Snap! I forgot to ask her name"

As soon as I woke up, I went to the Garden. I hope it's not too obvious that I'm waiting for someone there because my eyes kept on roaming around. Then I found her!

She smiled at me and I waved at her.

"The flowers are at bloom again today" she wrote. I looked at the flowers and she's right.