Invisible (QuenLia ft. Daniel Padilla)

20: Twenty Years

The Final Chapter.

Thank you so much for all the support! Love you guys xx

FRANCE

I finally stopped counting the days.

I stopped at one thousand one hundred sixty, five days after the most traumatic incident of my life. Hindi ko alam kung bakit kinailangang mangyari nun, pero wala na akong magagawa pa. Tapos na siya e. Matagal na siyang tapos. I still remember that day, the doctor's words.

"He's okay... for now."

That "for now"'only lasted for three days. I was happy, though; because everything was perfect on those three days. In my twenty years of life, 'yun ang pinaka-masayang tatlong araw ng buhay ko. And that happened two years ago.

I glanced away and wiped my tears. And today... today marks the second year without him. Sa araw na 'to, two years ago, his heart stopped beating. So did mine.

"France?" rinig kong sambit ng isang babae. I wiped my tears and turned around and I saw Czine.

Pilit na ngumiti ako. "Cz-czine, hey," bati ko at napasinghap sa gitna ng iyak ko. "Andito ka?"

Tumango siya at tumayo sa tabi ko. "Second year niya e..." sagot niya kaya naman ngumiti lang din ako at yumuko para makita ang lapida.

Anthony Valdigas

Napapikit ako.

"I'm sorry," bulong ni Czine kaya napamulat ako.

I turned to her. "Sorry for what?" tanong ko naman.

Yumuko siya. "It's my fault he's six feet under," sambit niya kaya naman napapailing na nagpunas ako ng luha.

"Hindi mo kasalanan, Czine," angal ko at hinawakan siya sa balikat. "You were young and hurt and you didn't know what you were doing. Hindi ka na p'wedeng bumalik pa sa nakaraan because it's just impossible." Huminga ako ng malalim at tumingin sa malayo. "Masaya na siya, Czine. He's happy."

"Pero ikaw? Masaya ka ba?" tanong niya at mapaklang ngumiti ako.

"Ever since day one, masaya na ako kapag masaya siya," ani ko at bumaling sakanya. "I'm happy, Czine. Don't worry about me."

Yumuko siya. "Pero hindi mo nakamit 'yung gusto mong happy ending..."

Nagkibit-balikat ako. "Just because we're not together doesn't entirely mean I didn't get that happy ending," komento ko. "My happy ending with him is on-hold. At tsaka, isa pa, nasulit ko 'yung tatlong araw na nakasama ko siya. Those three days are enough to make me happy for a lifetime, you know, until we meet again."

Tumawa si Czine. "Mahal mo talaga siya, ano?"

I grinned. "Aalis na ako, Czine. Baka hanapin na ako ni tita Dalia," paalam ko.

"Sige, France. Sorry ulit," aniya.

Tinapik ko ang balikat niya. "Stop blaming yourself, Czine. It wasn't your fault. Everything happens for a reason, remember that," sambit ko at nagpaalam na.

I made my way to my car and started the engine, kinailangang ko pang buksan ang GPS ko dahil nakalimutan ko na ang ibang daanan sa Maynila. The last time I was here was a year ago. At tulad noon, bakasyon lang. Andito lang ako dahil sine-celebrate namin ang death anniversary ni Tony. I moved to New York with my mom and kuya Earl. I'm currently studying in NYU while working part-time sa office. I'm doing a double-major: Medicine and Business Ad. I want to be a Physician, but I want to help out in the family business.