Destiny's Game

15

Thinking about the days left before the concert and his eventual departure, Rj tried his best to relearn how to move and walk without his crutches. The day he received the get well note from Nic was also the same day his cast was removed. He was scheduled for therapy a few days later. One of the exercises was relearning how to walk properly and to learn some techniques to avoid future injuries.

If he met or got to speak to Nic in the past, he probably would still be his laid-back self with the 'bahala na' attitude. Although he was aware that he would have a different life when he moved and studied abroad, there was now an impending thought that he would lose contact with her. So, secretly, he would practice and do 'extra' therapies at home and pretended to limp and still be in pain when he 'attempted' to walk independently without his crutches.

"People really heal differently, alam mo yun" Dr. Aragon, Pops' colleague and Rj's doctor said when Pops' asked about Rj's progress. "Hindi naman malala yung pagka-bali ng buto nya. And kung gusto talaga nya, pwede pa syang maglaro ng soccer ulit..."

---

"O, bakit dyan ka papunta e dito tayo dumadaan sa kabila pauwi?" Belle asked Nic as soon as they stepped out of the chapel after rehearsals. Nic was poised to walk in the opposite direction.

"Ah...gusto ko muna mag-isa. Kailangan ko kasing i-memorize yung mga solo ko tapos may voicing pa yung ibang kanta..."

Belle nodded. "Ah...oo..." She said, a little hesitantly. She knew that Nic learned songs very quickly and she just breezed through rehearsals. Before she could say anything else, Nic turned at the next street corner and disappeared.

---

It had been almost a week since Nic sent the note to Rj, and three days since he began therapy. Red-faced and sweaty from slowly walking unaided for the last 20 minutes, Rj decided to get out of house and sit on the curb, something he hadn't done in a long time. Since he lived on the perimeter street of the village, he could hear the traffic of the intersection of the major roads outside the village. He was engrossed with the almost regular sound of vehicles stopping and going because of the traffic light at the nearby intersection that he didn't notice Nic approach.

Bikers and joggers as well as cars had already been passing by even before Rj decided to step out of his gate.

"Rj?"

The voice he heard was different and slightly unfamiliar. He checked his watch. Mama and Pops wouldn't be home early tonight because they were attending another one of those medical cocktails. He glanced toward the voice and was surprised to see Nic standing in front of him. He forgot about his sore foot and tried to immediately stand up.

"Ugh!" Rj winced when the pain shot up his leg when he put weight on his broken foot.