Love Chromosomes

XXXV. Deja Vu

———

"Mark? We're here. Mark?"

Pran called unto his friend's name after he rightfully parked his car just outside Mark's residence. They have been driving for an hour in silence as the grief of the other made him hesitant to speak words of comfort. Pran would have known how to deal with him when he cries, but the look of apathy in Mark's face somehow scares him.

Pran had received a weird call from Vee asking him a favor to drive Mark back to his home because his mother have passed away. Pran knows that the relationship between the two was almost as clear as the water in the drain. So it never really surprised him to see them together after all those fights and misagreements they had in the past. The two clearly love each other but there were still too many obstacles between them that makes their future still uncertain.

Seeing how Vee handed over Mark to him earlier, it was clear that the two were having a major fight once again. In fact they haven't settled about Mark's past yet so he wasn't so sure about the deal between the two to be spending a night together in the mountains along with Vee's friends. Their relationship was just too erratic to be predicted.

Though it was Pran who drove Mark to his home, Pran can't fail to notice that Vee's car was trailing behind them. So he assumed that this was all Mark's wish to ride with him instead of Vee. The latter still clearly care for his friend that he refused to go home even after handling Mark to him.

Their love  is indeed very confusing to the eyes of the  outsiders.

Mark on the other hand was suffering silently inside his friend's car. His sorrows was too great at the moment that he doesn't even feel any other emotion other than sadness. But he can no longer cry. He had cried enough last night when Vee broke up with him yet again that his tear ducts were left all dried up. It seems that everything in his body have dried up, from his brains to his heart, to all his internal organs, in his veins, just everything! It was even difficult for him to move a single muscle. He's in the height of grieving and he is at his worst.

It was a good thing that Pran understand his friend and chooses to remain in silence as he drives for him. He'd wait for Mark to open up after he is all ready. He'll just stay by his side and when the sun rises, he'd call Jane to come to help him comfort and support Mark.

When Pran was able to reach Mark's residence, he have to shake Mark gently on his shoulder to wake him from his stupor. Mark's face have been drained out of blood as he looked so pale when Pran checked on him. He just nod at Pran and slowly made his way out of his car. Pran followed behind him. He also noticed that the car that have been following them was already parked behind his. Vee had already caught up with them and had been observing them from his car.

From the inside of his car, Vee saw how Mark slowly walked towards the gate of his mother's house. Vee was very familiar of the place. After almost 11 years, he was back in this neighborhood he previously called home. The house just beside Mark's used to belong to his family. He met Mark and his twin Masa right at this place 11 years ago. And now that he is back, he can't understand what he was feeling. The nostalgia was too much to make his stomach churn as he watch Mark's dejected image walk over the lady that was standing right outside the gate.

Mark's body stiffened when he saw his aunt Preeda waiting for him outside the gate. There was an expression on her aunt's face that tells him he was about to get reprimanded.

"Auntie where is my mæ?" Mark asked anyway despite the judging looks his aunt was throwing him.

"Her body was taken by the people from the funeral parlor a few minutes ago. I've waited for you to give you something before going there to settle some things for her funeral service. Here. She asked me to give this to you specifically right after she die." Their was coldness in her voice and Mark wasn't able to missed hearing it.