"Goodbye class!"
Every echoes of the little child's voices is a music to an ear... but one particular little boy stands out as he pasted his little big smile on his face while gripping on the strap of his bag, with the big banana tumblr on his palms and running past the door which the parents are waiting. The teacher in front laugh as she stared at the enthusiasm of the boy, gone past his own mother.
"Why is Sid so excited to go home?"
The woman smiled dearly and watched Sid running farther away from them on the hallway, without looking back. "Oh, our son's not going home yet. He still needs to visit the hospital."
A gasp fell from the teacher's mouth. "Another illness? Or just a follow up consultation?"
"Follow up."
"How's his legs? And isn't he supposed to be scared going to a check up?"
The woman laughed lightly, "Sid? Of course he's nervous and scared at the same time, what scares a kid?."
The teacher laughed. "What makes him so happy though?"
The woman remove her gazes from the teacher in front and smiled at the direction of her son, now turning his back at them, jumping with his hands waving extremely for her to get near. Must have realized he doesn't know how to drive.
"Oh, his girlfriend."
The teacher bat her own eyes. "But he's six."
That little boy, Sid, skipped on his feet and travelled from the long long hallway of the school. He smiled upon the car passing by, and in his eyes it looks just like her car.
A hands hold his, and he squeek saying. "My knee needs check up!" over and over again.
In the hallway of the hospital, bench are just around the room that they are passing by. Some people just with their dextrose, in a wheelchair, just casually staring at nowhere. Some, if not in a lab gown, white gown, or patient's gown, are clothed with a swollen eyes and rushed garments.
The little boy, Sid, and his parents are the only one smiling. Until they reach out a room.
Room 307, there's some noise going on behind the door. Sid knows as he stick his ears upon the sliding the entrance. The metal felt cold between his skin but there's a girl with a melody inside he could only think of. Sid smiled. He doesn't know what the title is, nor what the song is about. He just know she's in there, and she's singing.
Means, she's still alive.
"Open the door, Sid. Greet your friend."
The little kid, Sid, opened the door. He was greeted by a sight of the white curtains, seemingly dancing along the winds and the melody produced by the girl layed on the hospital bed. Everything is white, the ceiling, the sheets, pillows, floor, even her lips.
He immediately rush towards and the song is getting louder.
"Eliza...?" The boy's voice suddenly get weakened.
The little girls' eyes threw wide open and smiled a little. "Sid! Is your knees okay now?"
"Yeah." he pouted and sat at the side of the bed to take a peek on her a little more. "Why's your face so white? It's not winter yet."
"It's because my bloods are eating each other."
"In school, they call that cannibalism."
"Oh, here, it's leukemia."
He glance at the book laying at the girls table and pointed it out. "What's that?" He asked. Suddenly in glee.
Eliza sat up straight and reached out for the book, Sid then proceed to sat beside her, closer, the book with the big white flower as the cover opened. "It's a book listed with plalels!" Sid bursted out all the way from his knee going up the bed and crossing it so he could get more closer to the book, and to Eliza.
Eliza flipped some pages and then halted... the pointed out a flower, lilac and red. "Buy me this when you marry me." Eliza said.
He knotted his eyebrows, he knows what marrying is, her parents does that. "But I don't want to marry you."
"Why not?" Her eyebrows lifted up paired from her round hazel nut eyes blinking.
"Because... Just because!" His mom and dad argued all the time, after marrying each other. He doesn't want that to happen with Eliza, she can't shout like her mom does, or can take a shout like what her father does.
"You have to change your mind. If you're not the one I'm gonna marry, I might marry the wrong boy." Eliza said and looked at him with a frown written on her face.
"What does this flower means?" Sid pointed the page. His face tried to look disapproving and disinterested but his voice failed him. Eliza sweetly smile as she stared at the graffiti, with her pale skin, she turn to the sunlight facing her windows.
"White Rose? Innocence, purity, fresh beginnings."
"Something you really like." Sid said in a serious tone and also looked at the window. Though, there's a glimpse of sunshine, the wind passing caught him cold.
He got up from his seat and held the metal handle at the side of the bed and hop a little.
"Sid, you're not allowed to lay beside me."
"It's cold."
"And we're 18."
"Who cares."
Eliza laughed a little. "Unless... You wanna marry me?"
"You wish." Sid said and turn to the left side where he can face Eliza, trying to fit himself and tucking him with the white thin blanket. Underneath, he grasped Eliza's hands.
"Your hands are cold."
"It's always been."
"I'll keep it warm."
"I know you love me, Sid."
"Is hallucination part of your symptoms?"
Eliza laughed a little more but also held his hand firmly.
"What?? Eliza. What do you mean marriage?"
The hospital room is filled with pink baloons, party popper, shredded pieces of colorful papers and letters engraved. Cake, cookies... The family of Eliza had left after he arrived, it's just the two of them. Eliza isn't pale anymore, she can now stood with her feet, mobe it forward and backward.
"I beat leukemia... Sid. I finally did it." Eliza said reaching both of his hands and removing the hardened fist forming while trying to smile sweetly.
"I know. I know. I'm happy... But... What... What marriage are you talking about?"
Eliza looked at him, without eyeing a blink. "I'm marrying him. I've been laying on that bed for the past 13 years, Sid, and I know right there that holding back cannot occupy my life in any ways..."
"But you just met him! For like, five months?!" He said, completely shock, bewilderness is written on his face. But Eliza shook her head.
"That five months is enough, Sid."
"No, it's not!"
"Yes it is! Please don't disapprove anymore... You're my bestfriend, I need your support on this..."
"How can I support a ridiculous idea? How can I agree with something that can ruin your life?!"
"What are you so mad about?" Eliza shut her eyes for a moment. "Sid. I confessed to you a couple of times. I was afraid whenever I would do it, because I know it can ruin what we have build, but you settled with your mediocrity and you've been scared all your life! While I'm not. In falling in love I was always brave, and so I was with moving on."
"While you. Sid. Always been a liar of what he feels, for that reason you've always been stucked. Your cowardness is not making you better but stupid!" Eliza's voice, for the first time, got loud and Sid cannot talk anymore.
"You're bitter. Because you know ti yourself that he did something for five months a thing that you can't do for ten years."
Tears started to roll from her eyes, Sid cannot look anymore. The understanding they had was gone, he need to accept it.
He wasn't ready. Eliza was, and he knew her life was a race from the start, he couldn't keep up. He's defeated from the pace.
"I'm sorry."
"Took you long enough."
Eliza wiped her tears and stop from sniffing. While Sid, grasped the flowers hiding at his back, red rose.
"This was late, but I think I would also regret if I won't give this to you."
Eliza gladly accepted it, as always with a sweet smile, just like how she would conquer the battles in her life.
And in exchange, Eliza gave her a plucked white rose...