MISFORTUNE (KathNiel)

Chapter 6

Try and wait

1878, Escolta

Dashi kept on staring at the lady in front of him. He couldn't take off his eyes on her. She was so beautiful and he could stare at her until the end of eternity.

Seirra was very sure that her cheeks were burning as she tried her best to look relaxed in the eyes of her favorite violinist. She knew very well that the said violinist was looking at her intently.

"Dashi, can you play for me?" Seirra asked the handsome violinist.

He stood up and carefully held his violin as he positioned his bow to start playing. The first stride of his bow produced a very soulful sound that made Seirra's eyes watered.

She was in tears while watching the closed eyes-Dashi played the violin. It was the same sound she remembered in her sleep. It was the same sound Dashi played outside their house. The sound was very familar to her, she could hum the piece over and over again.

As soon as Dashi finished the piece, she stood up and clapped her hands. Dashi stared at her shyly but God knew how nervous he was. When he was playing for her when they were younger, all he wanted was to make a good impression and he knew from that moment that he made a very good job.

"Salamat," said Dashi.

"You are definitely my forever favorite violinist, Dashi."
**

2015

Seirra and Renzo were waiting for each other to speak. They were eating in a restaurant and already close to finishing their food, yet no one dared to speak for a long time.

Renzo didn't know how to explain his side, why did he dismiss his girlfriend and followed Seirra. While Seirra, on the other side, hoped that moment would not end. It had been a long time since she ate with her Dashi.

"Dashi," she started the conversation by calling him.

"Call me Renzo," he reminded her, again.

"How's your life?" she asked as she flashed her beautiful smile. Renzo compared her smile to the sun. It seemed to bright up the world, his world. But he chose to keep that realization with himself.

"It's fine. My life is fun," he answered awkwardly, he didn't know if he answered it right.

"Aren't you going to ask mine?" the woman asked. Renzo really admired her confidence. She could say what she wanted and she wasn't afraid to do that.

"But before that, can you tell me your name first?"

The woman stood up and slightly raised her chin up. She extended her hand to him for a handshake and introduced herself, confidently, "In this lifetime, my name's Candy Altona but I prefer Seirra Martinez."

"Nice meeting you, Seirra," Renzo reached for her soft hands and felt something. Like what he felt when he touched the necklace.

He was still holding Seirra's hand, trying to discover the electricty he felt. It was strange. He didn't believe in sparks because he couldn't feel that every time he holds his girlfriend, Hasmine, and even when they make love.

"Magic ba 'to?" he asked, curiously.

"No, that's the evidence that you are my reincarnated Dashi," she answered.

"How? Paano?" Renzo asked again.

"That was a gift from someone when we were together."

"Are you immortal?" Renzo asked.

Seirra looked at her Dashi for a while then she shook her head.

"How come you still remembers your past life if you were reincarnated, too?" he asked a lot of questions, he knew that and he believed he had the rights to do that. His situation was no joke. Renzo didn't want to trust the woman but his heart kept on saying and doing the opposite thing.

"I do think that it's still early for me to say everything," she said, apologetically.

"If you were really my wife, you will tell everything I want to know," Renzo demanded, this was his last card. He wanted to know everything about this woman. He wanted to trust her because his heart said so.

Seirra smiled a little as she remembered that her Dashi would do everything to get the answers he wanted. She sighed before telling him the story.

"I've been reincarnated for two times, already. It means I already lived three lifetimes. My first one is when I first met you. We married but we had no children, we grew old together, and I died before you. In my second life, I was three when my memories of my past life started to flash in my head. And in my third life, I am right here in front of you because I still remember you, Dashi."

Renzo was speechless for a moment. He let all of the information to sink in first. Seirra's trembling hands met Renzo's hand and he felt the sparks again.

"I don't know if someone cursed me or what. Because honestly, I'm very tired. This is the most painful torture. I really wanted this to end. I didn't want to remember you, Dashi. Because you are different now, different memory and different life," Seirra said while her tears fell. All he could do was squeeze her hand gently to, somehow, ease the pain. There was a part of him wanted to tell Seirra that he wouldn't leave her.

They were quiet for a long time. God knew how much Renzo wanted to hug Seirra right now.

"Is there a way for me to remember you, again?" he carefully asked. He was afraid to say anything. He was afraid to hurt her again.

This time, Seirra looked at Renzo with real grief in her eyes. She tried to stop her lips from trembling by biting her lower lip.

"None. There's no possibility that you'll remember me," she told Renzo.

"Then...why are you still trying?"

She smiled a little before she answered that question of her curious Dashi.

"When you are in love, you are fooling yourself for holding on to something even though you know that it is impossible to happen," she smiled again and then closed her eyes to feel Dashi's presence. "When you love, you try and wait."