I still remember that boy...
"It was a year, Win," Bright continued.
After Win heard about his accident, he asked Bright to explain further what happened after that. Nabigla siya sa nalaman. Hindi niya alam na ganoon ang nangyari dito. Kaya pala kahit na ano'y wala na siyang narinig mula dito. Para itong naglahong parang bula. Ang ineexpect kasi ni Win noo ay kahit papaano'y makikita niya pa ito. Pero hindi na bilang asawa niya. Inihanda ni Win ang sarili noon na makita si Bright na may kasama ng iba o kaya nama'y nasa cover ng isang magazine o anu pa man. Pero wala na siyang narinig noon mula dito, kahit na ano pa mang klaseng balita.
"I didn't remember my name. My parents' faces were like strangers' faces to me. Hindi ko alam kung sino ako at kung ano pang mga bagay na tungkol sa akin," Bright's face turned somber. "I was like searching for pieces of puzzle and putting them together, but all of my efforts seemed to be in vain," dugtong pa nito.
"Paano nakabalik ang memories mo?" tanong ni Win kay Bright.
"It was difficult, Win. It took me a year because I was in a place that wasn't even familiar to me. They started giving me pictures of when I was young. Naaalala ko yung mga younger years ko but never my identity. And anything na nangyari when I was in high school till my accident, I don't recall any of them. It was like more than a decade of memories erased from my brain," paliwanag ni Bright.
When Bright saw Win's interest in what he was saying, he continued. "I forced my mom and dad to bring me back kung saan mas maraming memories na pwede ko pang ma-collect. And when we were about to go back here, my dad was diagnosed with stage 1 liver cancer. So, the whole family needs to be there so that we can have dad treated. But as you know, kahit na marami kaming perang pampa gamot sa kanya at sa akin, none of those were able to help us. You see, dad's cancer became worse even with the treatments he had for many years, pabalik balik lang. And me? Look, what happened? Even the best team of doctors cannot bring my memory back."
Huminga muna ng malakas si Bright bago nagpatuloy, "Then, one day, as I was mindlessly looking into my phone, which I would usually do dahil nga baka may mga bagay doon that would trigger my memories to go back, I came across my email. Hindi ko binubuksan ang email ko for a long time because I thought wala naman iyong laman. You know, when we were younger, email was not really the first mode of communication. Mas madalas tayo sa mga messenger apps natin," paliwanag ni Bright.
Tumango si Win bilang pagsang-ayon. So, Bright continued:
"And I came across my saved files. And you know what it was?" tanong ni Bright.
Win just looked at his husband who lovingly stared at him, tila ba masayang masayang makita siya. Kinuha nito ang telepono saka sinimulang magpipindot doon. And when Win's recorded sound of laughter surrounded the entirety of Bright's car, it brought back a loving memory of the past.
FLASHBACK
"Huwag na kasi, baby," Win said to Bright.
Kanina pa ito nangungulit. Magtatatlong araw na silang walang ginagawa kundi mahiga, magsex, kumain, at mahiga ulit. Bright wanted to spend a week with Win. And it surely melted Win's heart. Lumalangoy si Win sa pakiramdam ng kasiyahan. It was as if the world just suddenly became so beautiful that he just wanted it to freeze. Sana habang buhay na lamang silang ganito.
Pagkatapos kumain ay nagtrip naman ito na magrecord daw sila ng mga kanta nila. Yung mga paborito daw nilang kanta para naman daw kapag namimiss nila ang isa't isa, pwede nilang pakinggan ito. Tinatawanan kasi ni Bright ang pagkanta ni Win. Natutuwa daw siya, pero sintunado naman daw ito.
KAMU SEDANG MEMBACA
He Used to be Mine
Fiksi PenggemarThey say that it is better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all. But what if you've lost yourself in the process of loving that person? What if you've turned your back on yourself? What if that love was never a reality? And were j...
