She banged her hand on the table when one of her students was making a noise at the back, "how many times do I have to tell you that eating in my class is not allowed?" All of her students bowed their head, afraid to get scolded by their cold teacher if they tried to interfere. She never tried to be intimidating, it's just came out naturally.
"Sorry, ma'am," Suarez apologized and hid her foods. Before her blood started to boil, the bell rang indicating that it's time to go home. Every students bid their goodbye's until she was left alone in her advisory classroom. Her eyes were glistening while staring at the quiet room. It was like her heart, so empty and lonely. She got up from her seat and shoved her stuffs inside her bag before the loneliness could eat her whole being.
The sun is still up and shining beautifully even though it was already 4 in the afternoon. She decided to grab some coffee at the Starbucks and didn't expect to bumped with Imee, the Senator.
They both hugged each other as they become busy in their own work and forgot that there's still a life behind their loads of works. Imee treat her for a coffee and they decided to sit at the edge part of a café.
"Thanks for this. I really need it after my stressful day at school," they both chuckled but then Imee looked at her seriously.
"How are you?" Imee asked that made her stop from drinking her coffee, "I- I am fine. As I should," her smile didn't reach her eyes and the Senator noticed it. Her tears was abrupt but Imee went on her side and gave her a tight hug.
"Why don't you visit her today? I'll come with you," She looked at the Senator with her glistening eyes and nodded in response.
The Senator was the one who initiated to drive while she was sitting quietly beside her. As they come closer to their destination, she felt a heaviness, heartache, despondency, and deep desolation every time she come to visit her.
Imee caressed her arm to let her know that she is there for her which she's thankful for. She stepped out of the car and left Imee behind. Her pace was slow as if it was one of the hardest thing she could do while carrying a white lilies in her arms until she reached her tombstone.
She carefully put down the flowers and caressed the marble with her name on it. Her tears consecutively fall and couldn't control her own sob.
"It's b- been 3 years, m-my love.." she whispered despite the fact that she could hardly talk as she was crying, "you left me without your proper goodbye's. Did you know how hard for me to live in this world without you? It was a long ago but it pains me a lot..here," she pointed her heart.
She bowed her head as she was crying hard, her tears were falling on her gravestone and her eyes read the name she adored the most.. Irene Celestina.
Flashback
She regained her consciousness despite being in a coma for a weeks. Ariella adjust her vision and finally opened her eyes.
"Where am I?" She weakly whispered, "you're awake!" she heard a familiar voice only to see Imee reacted frantically and called the doctors. After some check ups, the doctors made sure that she was already in a stable state.
"How are you feeling?" Imee worriedly asked but the young woman was looking around the room, looking for someone.
"Where is she?" Ariella looked at her but the woman avoid her gaze as if she was trying to resist herself from crying.
"Sen., where is she?" This time, her voice trembled as she remember vividly that Irene had a gun shot in her back.
"S..she's gone," Imee caressed her wrist but she remain silent as it had not sinked in yet, "No, no you must be kidding," she was waiting for her to say that it was all a joke but the woman flashed her teary eyes, "No..heck, no." Ariella broke down into the woman's arms, only her loud sobs was heard at the four wall of the room.
The moment she stopped crying, Imee held her hands and caressed them, "I know this is not the right time to tell you this-"
"Tell me," Ariella uttered while staring nowhere as if she could not feel anything but so much grief.
" A foreign farmer saw you and Irene soaking wet because of the blood, and he called an ambulance and the cops. They still found a pulse in you but my sister.." Imee paused and breath heavily, "my sister..was dead on arrival," They both couldn't stop themselves from crying, imagining how cruel her situation was.
"Luis confessed the crime and the justice was served," Imee tried to light it up even a little but the young girl didn't say any words. She thought that no justice could ease the pain she felt for losing the woman she loved.
"I miss your touch, your voice-- everything about you, my love," she uttered while caressing her name, "you will forever have a special place in my heart. I will love and always choose you in a hundred lifetimes."
After a moment of silence, she once glanced on her gravestone before decided to went back at the car. Imee gave her another tight embrace, "I'm so proud of you, for being brave despite all the hardship you've been through," Imee smiled at her as she smiled back.
"Manang, can you drop me at the park on the way home?" The Senator looked at her, "what Ariella wants, Ariella gets," she chuckled while the young woman just shook her head as she remembered something silly.
Ariella thanked her and bid her a goodbye before she stepped out of the car. She looked around and the sun was still shining brightly.
She took a seat on the bench and took out her small book photos with a lot of pictures of her and Irene. She smiled seeing each one of them, hurting herself by only thinking those good time with her.
" I will never be happy without you here, but I am resolutely sure of that you are not happy either seeing me grieving because of you," she whispered, "I will continue to love you. It'll always be you, my Celestina."
She finally closed the book and stared from afar.
Ariella
It was excruciatingly to think that the world failed to see our love for each other. How we embraced for comfort, to kiss, to laugh, and just contented of what we have.
I miss you so much, my love.
No matter how we want to shout and show it to the world, there are things that hold us back to do it.
Maybe some things are meant to keep...Hidden.
THE END...
