(COMPLETED)The Heart Recognizes- MR. STONE BOOK 2

17

Their whole day was amazing. They went places after places. Parang Dora the explorer kasi ang kasama niya. Too adventurous. She is not the all lavish kind of girl. Megan wants to take simple stuff and experiences like normal back packers. Sa buong gala nila ay hindi naramdaman ni Braxton na corporate people sila. She's just spontaneous...

Megan brought her to a very romantic restaurant, the Ophelias on the bay in venice... Its cozy, the foods are all of authentic italian and the breeze from the bay is too nostalgic. 

"Yummy talaga dito noh?"

"Yeah sweety, dito mo rin ako dinala dati diba?bakit parang buong routine natin today ay puros same routine the last time we were here..."

 Tumango siya na naamaze sa lakas ng loob ng babae. He knows is emotionally and mentally stronger than him.  

"Mabuti naman at napansin mo... kasi dati, ako lang ang nag enjoy. Kilig na kilig ako nun eh kahit pa wala ka namang paki. You seem to not care about anything beautiful around you...kaya ngayon I want it to be different... Gusto kong balikan ang alalang yun. That was tragic actually. Imagine..? I was so happy yet alam kong binobola ko ang sarili ko because even if you were physically present...ay alam ko namang mentally absent ka. So I want to RE-LIVE the moment. This time I want us to both cherish this moment. You see braxton? you have wasted years of your life grieving...now I want to help you totally move on from Cara's shadow. I want you to realize that even if you lost your sunshine, there will still be a rainbow after a devastating hurricane. I want to serve as your rainbow Braxton, a new promise for a wider horizon of a new beginning...I love you...more than you can ever imagine."

"Megan...t-thank you... thank you for staying even if I don't deserve you." Guilt is creeping to his core now. Gusto niyang sabihin dito na buhay si Cara. But how? 

"Megan...m-may sasabihin sana ako sayo...and I don't think this is fair to you..." Humugot siya ng malalim na buntong hininga. His guilt is really stabbing him a hundred times now.

Pero nagsalita muli ang babae bago pa siya makapagtapat dito...

"Braxton, here is the thing... before you say anything again. I want you keep in your mind that how I cherish you as a person is boundless... you were too busy and caged in your own world to know whereabouts about me so I guess this is the perfect time to tell you... that...that I have cancer and I'm beaten by a stage 3 of it now. Colon cancer actually. Two years ago I was diagnosed. Almost the same time that you lost Cara. The moment I knew about it, I thought wala nang pag asa para sa akin. But then I am loving you secretly, everyday that I am seeing you weary and helpless, I swore to myself that I will use you as an inspiration... to fight. Alam ko na kung magpapadala ako sa sitwasyon ko walang mag aalaga sa iyo at sa kompanya mo. So I stood strong. Sabi ko, kung kukunin man ako ng panginoon at least I have been an instrument to someone to re-live and revive his life even without him knowing it. And little by little, day by day, I just fell in love with you even more. I bargained with god, sabi ko sa kanya... kung magiging matapang ba ako at lalabanan ko ang sakit ko...? ibibigay ka ba niyang regalo sa akin..? you see? he did! you are my price Braxton... and I couldn't ask for more. God moves in mysterious ways..."

"M-megan?!" Wala siyang masabi. He is speechless. Ano pa bang bomba ang pweding isapak sa pagkakataon sa kanya?!

"Braxton, don't feel guilty at all. That's the least I want you to feel right at this moment. Ang rason kung bakit ipinagtapat ko na sa iyo ito ngayon is because I know you have completely healed from your own agony... Gusto kong mas maging inspirasyon natin itong dalawa. You thought I'm perfect all along right..? well, mister I'm sorry to tell you, I have a much worse situation... but you see? you are my inspiration to never give up with this life... Ang advice nang doktor sa akin ay, never let the idea of having cancer sadden you. Dahil stress ang pinaka malakas mag palaganap ng cancer cells. That's why I make sure, I keep my self happy. Plus having you and seeing you fighting too everyday..It gives me more and more hope. Imagine? it used to be one sided love...masaya nga ako dati eh na ako lang ang nag mamahal. Ngayon pa kaya na akin ka na talaga? So, humanda ang mga cancer cells na ito. Hindi ako papatalo lalo na't hawak mo na ang kamay ko....so much with the sentiments... sayaw nalang tayo...isayaw mo naman ako please...?"

Then the girl smiled widely and stood up in front of him. He is still in shock. HIndi niya maigalaw ang katawan. His brain is totally frozen. His eyes are teary...