Chapter One: Visiting Him
Maine's Perspective/ POV
When your time to die is coming, you can't stop it. Either way that you're young or old doesn't matter. But you know what? The most painful and melancholic thing was when you found out that the person you loved dearly passed away and no one was planning to tell you. That you already found out that he's already buried and haven't had a chance to have a last glance to that person.
You'd probably thought I had gone on a rampage when I found out, aren't you? But no, I haven't. Instead, I locked myself in my room and cried myself to sleep that night.
People thinks I'm always happy and carefree. Yes, I am. But not in all time. Everything have it's own right time. To happen. To make it happen. And not to make it happen.
I walked to the grave of Ambrose, cautiously stepping on the slippery grass, balancing the things I'm carrying. It was morning, maybe the morning dew made the grass slippery.
I put down the basket, pulling out a blanket. I layed it flatly on the ground and sat on it. I put my purse on my side and started to light the candles and cleared up his tombstone. I put the flower above the tomb in between the candles.
Right after I was done, I ran my hand on the neatly engraved stone's lettering
Ambrose Norman Alvarez Moore
September 28,1993 to August 10, 2014
I felt my throat burned and my vision blurring. I blinked back the tears that were threatening to escape. I breathed deeply to contain myself. I cleared my throat.
"Hey," I said. "How dare you to leave me without saying goodbye?" I joked. Silence fell. This memorial park might have a large space but the silence seems to make me claustrophobic. "You-you know I am coming back. Why didn't you waited?" A tear fell. I wiped it away hastily.
I sighed. I was about to speak when a yellow butterfly stand on the flower I brought. I felt my hair on my nape stand. "Amb, you better not be scaring me."
The butterfly flew to my leg. "Okay. Okay." I was about to speak again when my phone went off. I took deep breath and composed myself.
I answered. "Hey Dean. You called.?"
"Oh hey. Nanay said that you have to go get Ate Nikki from the hospital," he said.
Ate Nikki was in the hospital because she needed to undergo on an ultrasound. I wonder why her husband didn't came with her. "Okay. I'll come get her. I just need to fix things first." We said our goodbyes and hung up.
When I turned my head back, the butterfly was gone. I looked around but it wasn't in sight. I sighed. "I should get going Ambrose. I'll miss you. And always remember that I'll never forget you. I love you." I choked on the last three words I said.
I cleared my belongings and pray a bit for Ambrose. "Bye Ambrose." I touched his tomb one more time and smiled.
************
I drove over to the hospital where Ate Nikki's waiting. I saw her seating on a bench on the far side. She was rummaging through her phone. I beeped. Her head jerked to my car and she started to stand up and walk to where I am. I unlocked the passenger seat's
door.
She sighed exhaustedly. "So," I said, backing up my car. "How did the check up went?"
I finally resumed to the road. "Exhausting, really," she said, wearily.
"Maybe being a pregnant makes you tired fast," I said, dodging the taxi that just overtakes.
She nodded. "Probably." After the small conversation, silence fell in the car.
"Why didn't you messaged or call me or text me or email me that Ambrose's dead?" I asked.
She shifted uncomfortably by leaning on the window glass and avoided my eyes. After a few deep breaths, she finally was about to say something but a commotion on the street side got our attention. People were hovering on a corner. Most are girls. From behind them, I could see a blue car. A Honda Civic.
"What's that?" I pointed at the group of girls.
Nikki's head jerked to where I pointed. She shrugged. "Probably drooling over a celebrity."
I 'ahh' and resumed on driving just as the traffic loosen up. I opened the stereo, and Meghan Trainor's "Like I'm Gonna Lose You" tuned up. I only reached to the last chorus, though. The next song played was 'God Gave Me You'. I don't know why but I smiled. Weird, right?
There is something in that song that I couldn't explain. Something that stirred me up inside as it's melodies go on. Like it gives me butterflies in the stomach without fine reasons. Ugh. I'm being ridiculous. It's not so me.
Nikki caught my reaction to the song. "Where did that smile came from?" She teased, wriggling her brow.
"I don't know what you're saying. What do you mean?" I said, scanning side to side when I came into intersections. When I was finally sure to cross, I hit my gas a bit to have my car running.
She gave me an amused expression. "You were smiling," she said.
I cocked a brow. "I was smiling. What's wrong with that?" I asked, glancing at her momentarily.
She shrugged. "I don't know," she said.
I dropped the subject off. As I drive to our house, I pulled over to a safe sidewalk and put the X (Multiply) album on the stereo. I searched for Don't and resumed on the road. I noticed Ate Nikki turned to look at me.
I sang with Ed from the radio. I also did the rap although I have a poor rapping skills. "For a couple weeks I..." I sang fast.
"Ed Sheeran," she remarked. "Nice choice of artist."
Oh yeah. A great guy too. I'm a big fan of his. I went to his + (Plus) concert here in Manila and I already reserved a VIP ticket for Multiply. All of his songs are literally all of my favorite songs. But Sunburn was my most favorite song of his. Thinking Out Loud as second and Tenerife Sea as the third.
I smirked at her words. "Of course," I said proudly.
When we reached in front of our house, I saw Dean opened the gate. I parked my car over to the garage then turned the engine off. I opened my stereo to retract the CD and replaced it in its own case carefully. Ate Nikki got out of the car and I followed eventually.
