Tinapik ni Agustous ang balikat ng nakatulalang si Chastity. Nasa loob sila sa chapel ng hospital. Bumuntong hininga siya at umupo sa tabi nito.
"How's Serene?" He asks.
Walang umimik. Tila ba hindi siya narinig. Nagkatinginan na lang sila sa harapan.
"It's my fault..." Chastity whispered. "Kung sana hindi ko pinairal ang selos ko, naalagaan ko sana siya ng mabuti. Hindi sana 'to nangyari.
"Ako yung Ate eh. I sould have been there for her. Sana nakita ko kung ano ang problema niya. Sana tinanong ko siya. Sana kinausap ko siya. Ni hindi ko nakita na pagod na pagod na pala siya."
"Anong sabi ng doktor?"
"The machines keeping her alive. A rare case of leukemia. They think she had it when she was still young. As she grows older, doon pa lang daw mas lalong lalala. A-and since she doesn't do any treatments, kumalat na daw ito sa utak niya."
Hindi nakapagsalita si Agustous. He was just listening.
"I talked to her friends, sabi nila Serene's been trying to tell us about her condition..." napaiyak si Chastity. "S-si Dad... He's blaming himself. Si M-mom too. All this time, siya pala yung may mas malubhang sakit. We... w-we didn't even notice. Ang galing niyang magtago. Naiinggit pa ako sa kaniya kasi akala ko ang saya ng buhay niya. Turns out mali ako. I'm wrong all this time. Swerte pa rin nga ako because I have Mom and Dad beside me. Y-yet si Serene... she had no one. We f-failed her. I failed her, Agustous. I failed as a sister."
YOU ARE READING
0317: Serenity
Short StorySerenity, as people call Serene, just wants her life clear and free of storms. But it all crumbles down when her sick twin sister had to ruin it for her. BelovedQueenie, 2020
