"O Messenger of Allah! Who among the people is most deserving of my good company?"
He said,
"Your mother."
He asked,
"Then who?"
He said,
"Your mother."
He asked,
"Then who?"
He said,
"Your mother."
He asked,
"Then who?"
He said,
"Your father."
. . .
After bidding Vernon goodbye, I walked towards Mark's house which was only a few blocks away from school. Afraid that he would fall asleep before I reached there as he usually did after school, I started running. After 10 minutes of sprinting, I ended up in front of his house, gasping for air. Crouching down, I put my hands on my knees, trying to catch my breath. Hearing the door click open, I looked up to find papa tuan staring at me with surprise on his face.
"Oh... Hi, papa tuan!" I enthusiastically greeted him.
Mark's dad was my dad too because he treated me just like his own daughter. He had told be to call him Papa Tuan seven years ago.
He released a booming laugh and thumped me on my back. Very hard, may I add. I winced, biting my lip and grinned at him in pain. Oblivious to my agony, he asked the reason of me blessing him with my presence.
"I-i came here t-to see Mark," I answered groaning.
"Mark?" He asked with confusion evident in his eyes.
"But isn't he supposed to be in school with you?"
I raised an eyebrow. "You mean he isn't here?"
"Uh...no?" He answered, but it came out more like a question.
I immediately made a 180 turn and walked out of the house, with papa tuan's confused voice in the background.
So he didn't come here after going out of the school. Tapping my finger on my chin, I thought about where he could be. Where does he go when he wants to be alone? It suddenly clicked. I snapped my fingers in realization and started walking towards a place I was all too familiar with.
. . .
This place stored a lot of my memories with Mark. Whenever one of us was sad or needed to get away from our daily troubles, this was the place we used to come too. Something about this place was magical, so that it instantly calmed down your nerves and it felt like you were in pure bliss.
I followed my way through Mark's foot prints made by the crumpled autumn leaves that had fallen from the numerous trees in the forest, and was met with a breathtaking sight. The sun was at its peek in the sky, and the weather was perfect for a picnic. The aqua blue sea was glistening like diamonds. The soothing sound of the calm waves crashing on the shore was the perfect remedy for a troubled soul. My favourite was the salty air of the sea that I loved. Gradually, my eyes travelled down and landed on a lone figure silhouetted against the sunlight, emitting sad and lonely vibes all around the place.
My eyes softened as I looked at Mark's figure, shoulders slumped, his long legs dangling off the edge of the hill. I tried to approach him slowly, not wanting him to know I was here but apparently, the crunching of the leaves under my feet alerted him of my presence. However, he didn't turn around to check who it was since he knew we were the only ones knowledgeable about this tranquil place deep inside the forest.
I walked up to him and took a place beside him on the edge, swinging my feet below. I looked at him, and at that moment, my heart completely shattered.
Hot tears were streaming down his face nonstop. He kept biting his lip and clenching and uncleching his fists in an effort to stop them. He turned away from me, not wanting me to see him broken like this. Seconds later, he started hiccuping and sobbing horribly.
I looked at him desperately, not knowing how to comfort him. I hadn't seen him cry like this since seven years. I let out a frustrated curse and wrapped my arms around him tightly. Surprisingly, he didn't pull away, but clutched onto my arm like a scared chid holding onto his mother.
My one hand was around his back, hugging his lanky, shaking frame to me, and the other was on his head, softly stroking his hair. He sobbed onto my shoulder, and I had never felt so disgusted with myself before. I had made my best friend, my brother, my family, my other half cry. I swallowed, something that had suddenly become very hard for me to do.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," I kept muttering to him, craddling him to my chest.
I couldn't tell how long it had been since we were in that position, but Mark had stopped crying, and was now vaguely hiccuping into my chest. I continued to softly stroke his hair while whispering comforting things into his ear.
"Shsh. It's gonna be okay. I promise."
After a while, he straightened up, wiping at his eyes furiously. He gulped, trying to push away the tears at the brim of his eyes. My heart ached beyond imagination when he raised his head to look at me. His eyes held so much pain and a flicker of old memories. The same look that I sometimes had in my eyes. Looking at him helplessly, I reached towards him and put my hand on his cheek, softly caressing him.
"I'm sorry, Markie. Whatever happened in the cafeteria, forget about it. Nothing like that happened between me and Yoongi, I promise," I whispered to him, pleading for him to believe me.
He looked like he did want to believe me, but couldn't bring himself to.
Taking a deep breath, I pulled myself together and stared at him without wavering.
"I know what you're thinking."
His eyes widened at my statement.
"And that's never gonna happen."
He looked down at his lap, causing me to sigh and grab his face gently, lifting his face so that he was looking at me straight in the eyes.
"Mark, I'm never you to leave you," I said to him earnestly.
His lips started trembling as more tears seeped out of his eyes.
And I knew exactly what made those tears come out.
"I-I just wanted to see her one last time, you know? I-It all happened so fast, and I couldn't say goodbye to her. I couldn't hug her, I couldn't tell her that I loved her. And it kills me to this day."
*Flashback starts*
"Yuna, sweetheart, y-your mother was c-caught in a serious accident."
A simple sentence that destroyed the 11 year old girl. The phone fell from her hands as she dropped to her knees. Her distraught wail could be heard from miles around.
. . .
A hospital corridor, where a figure was seated, stroking the head of a smaller figure on his lap. The father was consoling his son who could not bring himself to stop the flow of his tears. How could he? After all, his mother was dying.
A strange place where no one cared for someone else' misery, because they were involved in their own. No one to console, and no one to give false hopes.
Footsteps echoed in the sobbing halls, and a girl came into view. She was wild, like an animal who had just escaped from the zoo. Getting hold of a nurse' arm, she shook him and screamed for her mother. The poor male, who himself was petrified, tried to calm her down, resulting in him being pushed to the ground by the petite, but strong girl.
She ran through the hall, her eyes darting around, looking for a familiar face. At last, she did find a familiar face and ran into his arms. The man engulfed her small form, rubbing his face in her hair.
"Shsh. It's going to be okay, Yuna. She's going to be okay."
But the girl was broken beyond repair, for she knew what fate awaited her mother.
"She's going to die, isn't she?" An innocent question from an innocent girl, that had no answer. Finally, big, fat tears rolled down her cheeks. She fell to the ground and sobbed for her mother, who was fighting between life and death
After some time,when their eyes were no longer capable of tearing up, a call came for the girl.
She was summoned by her mother, who was saving her last breaths to talk to her only child. She both looked at the other and then at the man, who nodded.
Very slowly, with shaky hands, she wiped her tears and walked behind the nurse.
The girl's heart started beating considerably faster, as though it would jump out of her chest any moment. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door that revealed her mother tied to several different machines, one went through her throat, while the other went through her nose amd mouth. She gasped, her hand flying to her mouth when she saw the condition of her dear mother who smiled weakly at her, beckoning her to come sit beside her.
Trembling from head to toe, she walked to her mother, immediately wrapping her arms around the woman. She sobbed and sobbed into her chest, for she knew this was the last time she would be doing any of these things. The woman just smiled and gently stroked her daughter's hair; she was not afraid to say goodbye to this world.
The girl raised her head to met her mother's eyes that looked lovingly at her.
"You're such a sweet girl, Yuna. You're so brave. I'm so proud of you."
This made the girl break down again, but her mother held on to her, for she knew that she didn't have much time left.
"Yuna, listen to me. I don't have much time left. No, don't cry. Every one has to die, sweety. Every one has their time. Mine is now. Just remember what I'm about to tell you, Yuna."
"Mark, don't ever let go of him, ok? He's a very good boy. He's going through the same thing that you're going through. He needs you and you need him. I don't know about your other friends, but Mark, he's always going to be there for you, sweetheart. Just like his mother had always been there for me. Think of his father as your father. He's your family now. Never break relations with the Tuan family. Even when you grow up and have your own children. They are really good people, Yuna. Now that I'm not here, they'll take care of you. You can always trust them. And above all, never leave Mark. Never let anything or anyone come between your childhood friendship, do you understand? I want you to grant this wish of mine. Will you do this for me, Yuna?"
The girl nodded, shaking her head profusely. At that moment, she would do anything that could make her mother stay. The woman smiled at her proudly, and caressed her cheeks with her warm and welcoming hands.
"You've made me so proud. You're such a good girl. You're everythung I've ever asked for. I don't deserve such a good daughter like you," the woman chuckled.
"I love you, mom. You're the best mom in the whole world. Please, don't leave me. Please, mom. I love you. I'll do anything for you, I promise. I'll work hard and get an A in Maths for you. I'll come first in the presentation for you, mom. Anything. Just, please don't go."
Yuna cried in her mother's chest. She never wanted to say goodbye. Her mother was her everything. Her best friend and her sister. What would she do without her?
"Mama loves you, Yuna. Forever and always."
Beep.
The heartbeat lines on the monitor turned straight, the hand holding on to the child fell loose, and the woman's eyes turned void, staring into nothingness.
"No. No, no, no, no, no. Mom! Mom! No, please no. Don't leave me. Please don't leave me, mom. NO! I LOVE YOU, MOM, PLEASE DON'T GO. NO, GOD DAMMIT, NO. I LOVE YOU! Please. Please."
Nothing could be worse than seeing the love of your life die in front of your eyes. Yuna was in hysterics, screaming her lungs out for her mother, who was long gone. The door flew open, and in came a rush of nurses, trying to pry her hands away from the dead woman. But she was too strong. Desperate humans often are. No matter what they did, the girl wouldn't let go of her mother. She hoped it was a dream, and that she would soon wake up with her mother calling her name, saying that breakfast was ready. But deep down, she knew she was hoping for the impossible.
That day, three people had lost someone. A man had lost his wife, and two children had lost their mothers. This was something that could not be found, no matter how much one looked for it. But the greatest loss was for the children; they had lost the person who had made them, who had raised them, made sacrifices for them, made them believe in the beauty of their dreams and hopes. Nothing could replace the absence of their mother in their life. There would forever be an empty spot in their heart that once belonged to her.
But this event had brought the two children closer than ever. They had both lost their mother to the same thing. Now they were a family, sharing the grief of one another.
*Flashback ends*
My cheeks were feeling hot. I touched them, my hand coming back wet. I realized that we were both crying, thinking back to the same day when we said goodbye to our most prized possessions.
I remembered what 11 year old Mark had said to me that night.
"Promise me that you'll stay by my side. Forever. You are really p-precious to me, Yuna. M-mother told me to n-never let you go. And I won't. Let's promise each other that we won't let anyone come between us. Promise?"
"I promise."
And I had no intentions of breaking that promise.
"Mark, you're a piece of me. You're my other half. And I can't live without my other half. You're the most important person to me, Mark. No one can take your place in my heart. I'll never forget you. Even if I get a boyfriend someday. You were afraid that we were drifting apart, weren't you? Don't ever think that. Nothing can snatch me away from you. You're the most precious person to me. You'll always be my number one support, my number one friend, my number one brother and my number one hero. Never forget that."
This time, we both broke down, two childhood friends holding on to each other, the promise safe between us.