For Your Eyes Only;

Rainbow

Note: (Opo, wala pa ring author.) If you're still reading this, can I just say how proud I am of you? The worst is over, bes. And you're still alive. Minsan masarap din po yung feeling na kahit parang sobrang unbearable na ng pain, you can still push forward and move on to the next chapter no? So kahit na alam kong I would never be able to fully make up for all the agony and sadness of what you've ben through with Prism, I hope the last chapter tomorrow would still make you smile, because I've thought so hard about it kahit na super weird and lame talaga ng twist pinaghirapan ko yun so sana magets niyo huhu.

Sabi ko sa Chapter Cherry Red there's nothing groundbreaking in this fic, so it's still kinda cliche, but I can guarantee it's ZERO-PAIN, and for me, it's the best happy ending I see fit. I REPEAT: THIS WILL HAVE A HAPPY ENDING. Dahil if you were brave enough to continue this far, you are also worthy to be oriented about the reward that awaits. Excited na po akong mapangiti kayo ulit! You might ask by the end of this chapter, #PAANO? But all I can tell you is #BASTA. #KasiPagibig. Huhu I really worked so hard for the final chapter not just for the readers of this story but also for myself. Maichard fan pa rin naman po ako at the end of the day. Gusto ko rin sila sumaya. Uy bes, thank you ulit sa tiwala, kahit na alam kong di mo na babasahin yung mga susunod kong isusulat kasi HINDI NA AKO MAGSUSULAT ULIT NG FANFIC HAHAHA CHERET. Salamat and I'm so proud of you!

See you at the end tomorrow! (No one has properly guessed the chapter color yet!)

* * *

 I gazed at the mirror and tried to see if you were right or if you were just lying to me.

Do I really look good in a Barong Tagalog, Maine?

Sayang wala ka ngayon to see me wearing it. I would've given anything just for you to see me now, to somehow see you smiling back at me.

Trivia: Have I ever told you that I always feel the handsomest and most confident version of myself whenever you look at me?

It's been twenty one years since you left my life but even now, you're still as alive as ever in my memories. I'm already fifty one years old, and if you were only here, you would've been forty-eight now. Araw-araw iniisip ko kung ano kayang itsura mo kapag tumanda ka, pero kahit ano pang maisip ko, isa lang palagi ang buong buhay kong pinanghahawakan: maganda ka pa rin, Maine.

The first few years were absolute hell but because of my promise to you, I tried to live on.

And now, I'm finally well enough to attend a wedding.

Sana talaga nandito ka, Maine.

I entered the church and took my place at the third row of the leftmost pews towards the front. My heart clenched when the choir sang the wedding song.

Sabi ko sa sarili ko, gagawin ko lahat para hindi umiyak ngayong araw, pero tumulo pa rin ang luha ko nung nagsimula ng lumakad si James papunta kay Daniel.

Kasi naalala ko pa rin yung gabing nawala ka sa akin. Yung gabing nawalan ako ng dahilan para mabuhay pero binigyan mo silang dalawa ng panibagong pag-asa.

Because unbeknownst to me, you have signed up for an organ donor card a week after Grace died, because you've decided that you want to help the kids should anything happen to you. You have specifically nominated and signed a will that you wanted James to be the recipient of your heart and Daniel to be the recipient of your corneas.

That heart transplant surgery was the hardest thing I've ever done in my medical career but I did it for you, Maine. I thought that if that was your last wish and the last chance I have to show you how much I love you, then I will do it no matter how much it kills me. And I did.

Twenty-one years later and here they are, completely in love with each other. Even years after your death, you're still the best wedding planner ever, Maine. You don't know how much I'm proud of you. Always.

As the wedding ceremony went on, my mind drifted back to that night when I kissed you at the hotel banquet hall after I caught the bridal bouquet and gave it to you. I still try to remember the taste of your lips and it breaks my heart every time but I cannot imagine kissing anyone else except you, love.

Halfway through their wedding vows, James paused to wipe away her tears and stepped down from the altar. To my (and everyone's surprise), she together with her husband Daniel started walking towards my direction. They handed me the bunch of flowers with their intertwined and trembling hands.

"Today we just want to honor Dr. Richard Faulkerson Jr. and the loving memory of his wife Maine Mendoza, who gave me her beautiful heart and gave my husband her beautiful eyes. Because of her, we are both standing here, amazed by the many brave and miraculous things that love and the heart are capable of doing. Because of her, we see a beautiful world in all its colors." James said, crying.

Daniel knelt down as he told me:

"Daddy, every day, I feel equally grateful and sorry for wearing your beloved's eyes. Hindi kita matingnan ng diretso madalas dahil ayokong ipaalala sa'yo na wala na siya, pero Daddy, sana alam mo kung gaano kami nagpapasalamat sa buhay ni Mommy Maine. Gustong-gusto ko sana ikwento sa kanya kung gaano kaganda lahat ng kulay ng mundo simula ng nakakita na ako, pero kahit kailan, alam kong hindi ito magiging kasing ganda ng mundo noong nandito pa siya kasama natin. Sana daddy, magkaroon kami ni James ng pag-ibig katulad niyo. Yung pag-ibig na ibibigay ang lahat ng walang kapalit. Yung pag-ibig na maghihintay ng tapat at buong puso sa'yo habang buhay."

Maine, this feels like looking straight into your eyes again. It's my turn now to wipe away your tears. I brushed the tears away on Daniel's cheeks to let him understand that I don't hate him for wearing your eyes. That if you were only here right now, you would've told him that you are so happy for him.

Ang ganda ganda pa rin ng mga mata mo, Mahal.

Hanggang ngayon, naiinlove pa rin ako sa'yo, Maine.

Later on, I would skip the reception and instead do what I usually do during Thursdays: visit you.

I read through all the trivias about you and about us that I have written through the years and I smiled as I see a pretty rainbow in the sky.

I hope you know how my bed is a daily battlefield of will; how I encourage myself to wake up every morning with the hope that no matter where you are, I'm still making you proud.

Today, I add another one in memory of you, love.

Trivia: Your last words to me were, "I love you, RJ. See you soon."

Maine, akala mo nakalimutan ko na no?