Standalone

I found you

It's been 8 years since she left. He spent his 8 years waiting to find her, but nothing

"Oscar aalis kananaman ba?" That's Aurora's daily question

"Last na lang to, pakiramdam ko makikita kona sya" he said that 'last' for maybe a hundred times, imagine the effort and time he exerted just to find her

"Sama ako" You know when you feel something, but it doesn't matter because you know that person love someone else

On the way to the given location, no one dares to break the deafening silence, the deadly silence remains as he thinks about something, it's not other matters if you think it is, he just thinking about her, her...

The memories of her is something painful, it's something beautiful yet deadly. In search of her is something he can't tell. He wants to make her pay for her sins, or he wants to see her for closure, he can't move forward if the past is holding him

"Hindi kaba talaga nawawalan ng pagasa Oscar?"

He almost reply 'she's my hope' but he didn't continue, instead he said "sana" that followed by silence. "Sana mawalan ako ng pagasa para tumigil na ko" but it meant 'sana hindi ako mawalan ng pagasa kase gusto ko syang makita'

Here they are, the place is so, something he doesn't like it's a squatter area, there's an open canal on the side, the people move differently and the atmosphere is toxic, "there's no way she's going to stay here" he can tell, "tara na"

"Hindi kaba papasok? Hindi kaba mag tatanong? Sayang yung byahe" even Aurora is hesitant to wander the area

"Wala sya dito, ramdam ko" it's always the gut

"Kung ganyan ka pala katiwala sa gut mo, edi sana yan nalang sinunod mo para mahanap sya" Oscar smile, a sarcastic one

"Malapit na Aurora, malapit kona syang makita"

She scoffed, "talaga lang ah"

Oscar is starting on something else, the figure, shape and height, Aurora see it too, Oscar run "Lily" he calls, he this is best to follow the person, but to his bad luck, it wasn't her "Sorry" he said and the disappointment made way to his face, he goes back to car "tara na"

Back to his house, some of his friends try to make contact with him, but he's the one who doesn't want socialization

"Ang tatay mo Mara, ayun" she knows, they know

He turned quiet, a grumpy old man, a someone no one will like. "Ambo, diba ang sabi ko huwag nyong pakekelaman ang mga ito?!" They heard Oscar shouted from the house

He didn't even eat yet, he brought liquor, Elizabeth runs next door to report that Oscar is being shit again, and here she is Aurora to the rescue, he maybe takes 2-3 glass when she finally reached him. "Umiinom kana naman Oscar!" She scolds

"Eh ano naman sayo?" His phone rings

"Ano sakin?! Nasisiraan kaba?!" He pointed his index finger to shut her, sshh

"Hello" he answered the call, "Edwin"

"Nakita napo namin sya, sir" he said on the other line

"Tutuo na to?"

"Ite text ko po sa inyo yung address at ise send ko ang mapa" what are they gonna do with the map? Tomorrow they'll know

Early in the morning, the moment the sun touches the horizon, he dressed up and ready his car

"Hindi pa po kayo nag aalmusan Mr President" said Elizabeth and he just passed her like she doesn't exist

It takes him half day to reach the said destination, now he needed to look on the map if he wants to see her, it's odd because it's on the middle of the jungle, who would live at the place like this? It's daylight yet it looks so scary. Edwin warned him not to go in there alone, yet he pushes what he wants and here he is. He's sure that he followed the map, but there's nothing, like he's in the middle of nowhere. There's a lot of trees and dry leaf on the land, using his eyes, he travels the area, and when he's about to walk, he stepped on something

Out of curiosity, he checked it, and his world torn apart, he sinks to the ground, kneeling in front of a stone, it reads 'In loving memories of Lily Ann Cortez Hidalgo' suddenly he's having trouble in breathing, he can't feel his body, he can't hear things, he started crying. He spends his life trying to find her, only to find her tomb

Pain...

Regret...

Oblivion...

Questions...

Overcome his soul, he shouted no one can hear him anyways, he cries with all his heart

He cries that as if it can do something, he wants to do something, he wants her, he even hug her tombstone in think that he can feel her, but nothing, the tombstone is cold, the way he is right now. "I can't feel you"

"Oscar" he heard her voice, so clearly, so vividly, with the remaining strength he has, he lifted his body to look where the voice came from, and sure enough

"Nakakakita ba ako ng multo?" It wasn't a joke "patay naba ako?" His thoughts jumbled

The woman started walking, she's so far away from him, he followed, but not enough to reach her, the woman stopped and look at her side, slowly turning around, until she's face to face with him, he runs to hug her, only to feel that he's hallucinating...

If having her is a wildest dream, then he wants to dream forever

He found her...