Shades of Kagan

Chapter 44

Chapter 43

Avian Burn's Point of View

Kagan and I run towards halmeoni's room. Pinagtitinginan na rin kami ng mga tao habang tumatakbo kami sa hallway. I catch my breath when I stop. Even Kagan started to get sweaty on the side of his face. I caught the red paint on his hand, even while he was driving the car. He looked like he was painting when he heard that bad news.

Siya ang nagbukas ng punto at may naabutan kaming isang babae na naglalagay ng mga damit sa isang bag. Napatigil siya sa ginagawa niya at napatingin sa amin.

I noticed that the room was already clean. Even the sheets are properly folded. Pero wala na si halmeoni sa kanyang kama.

"You must be Avian and Kagan, am I right?" The lady said, probably in her late-forties. Nakasuot ito ng itim at mayroong puting pin sa kanyang buhok.

I nodded my head, wondering why she knew our name.

"She was my mother-in-law. I was actually the first one to come here when the news broke out. She was alone in this room when eomeonim died. Sa tingin ko ay ito ang gusto niya. She didn't want to give trauma to the person who would see her death." Tears started to swell in her eyes. It was my first time seeing one of halmeoni's in-laws. That's why she looked unfamiliar to me. Pero sa maikling panahon na nakilala ko si halmeoni ay sa tingin ko ito nga ang gusto niya.

"Before she died, she told me to give this to the two of you." Mula sa cabinet ay may kinuha itong puting envelope at binigay sa amin dalawa ni Kagan. Without uttering a single word, we accepted the envelope.

"Her body is being cremated, and we will travel her to Korea. Ito kasi ang gusto ni eomeonim."

It turns out that halmeoni wished to be buried in her home land. Gripping the letter on my hand, I looked at Kagan. Parehas may lungkot ang mata namin dalawa. Hindi makakaila na napalapit na sa aming dalawa si halmeoni. She acted as our guardian until her last breath.

Nakita ko na lang ang aking sarili sa rooftop ng hospital. There are a lot of empty seats at the rooftop. It was actually designed so you can rest here. May ilang pasyente ang nandito kasama ng kanilang pamilya. But Kagan and I was still quiet. Feeling overwhelmed with the news.

The last time I saw halmeoni was last previous night. It was just a normal night. But I noticed that she wasn't looking good. Her voice rasped, and she couldn't even speak properly. Kinakapos na rin ito sa kanyang hininga. Yet she asked me to put my hand where her heart lies. She informed me to feel her heartbeat. But her heartbeat was weak. I almost couldn't feel anything. She told me that as long as our heart is beating, even how faint it is, it will continue to love because our heart is linked to our strongest emotion, the feeling of love.

Napahinga ako ng malalim habang iniisip ang huling pagkikita namin ni halmeoni. Nanggigilid ang mga luha ko nang simulan kong buksan ang puting envelope na mayroong liham.

To Avianssi.

I flipped the letter.

Dear Avian Ahgassi,

Smile. Don't you know you're beautiful when you smile? So, smile often and light up the world with your smiles. You might not know, but I noticed how sad your eyes were when you entered my room that day. I was the one dying, but you looked like you're the one suffering from illness. Live your life happily, Avian ahgassi. I'll be guiding you wherever I am.

Live. Love. Laugh. That's 3 Ls for you.

Best,

Halmeoni