" WHERE, THE, HELL, HAVE, YOU, BEEN ? "
Tiana's face was the first thing that welcomed me back in DSU. The way she said those words individually with enough time interval already gives me a headache.
I wasnt even stepping inside the classroom when she walked towards the door and stood there until I arrived in front of her. Despite of it, I got surprised by her presence.
For the first time, she wasnt late today. Or maybe because its just the first day of classes. There are new faces in my class but most of it are already familiar. Pero hindi ito ang mas nakatawag ng pansin sa akin. Mas natigil pa ako dahil sa tingin nilang lahat sa akin. Well I think I know why.
*** flashback ***
Luke drove me to the airport and he did not complain, not even once, about how dramatic I am the whole trip. I noticed that he already parked the car but stayed silent in his seat.
I took some time to compose myself for a while.
I did not got out of the car too. I decided to break the silence.
" I need to tell you something Luke. Because I need you to do me a favor. "
Alam kong magugulat talaga siya at kung ako rin naman ang nasa kalagayan niya ay baka parehas din kami ng reaksyon. He said it to me once that my appearance here is mysterious enough. Now his reaction is mixed, like its satisfying at some point because he confirmed his hunch and at the same time confusing because I chose to tell it here.
I figured he doesnt have to answer but I glanced at him because I need an assurance. I am basically forcing him to answer.
" Please dont tell me you want to go back. "
This joke helped me to calm myself somehow before I get straight to it.
" Sorry if I played it with you back then. I just thought that there will be a right time for it. You see, I was never a relative to any of them. I will be honest to you. My plans arent really the way I want it to turn out but I also came to realize that maybe it gave way to better opportunities somehow. You are one of them. "
" What the hell are you talking about River ? I mean yeah, I knew it. There's something odd about how you just pops up out of nowhere and I'm serious. That's how I felt. "
" Yes, I didnt ended up there by coincidence. I looked for them. Those kids, her family. I searched them because I can't live with the guilt. Those kid's mum, Meridith Abdon ... she is a friend of mine. Three years ago, she went missing. Until now, her body cannot be found anywhere. Of course I do not want to think about it but I have to keep my grip on reality Luke. It's been three years. Chances are, she must be dead. "
" M- miss Meridith is- dead ? "
Since he said he used to spend his summer here ever since a child I knew he must have at least knew Meridith as well.
" It's hard but I cannot tell the world to stop while I mourn. Life goes on, and so that's how I ended up looking for her family. I can't bring myself to tell those little kids that their mum wont be coming back anymore. No matter how much preparation I undergo, no matter how much courage I collected, there is no way I can tell those kids their mum is dead. "
