THE BLOSSOMING CAMELLIA FLOWER (カメリア)

chapter 40

50 years later

(cami) in 40 years, a lot has changed In our lives, our children have grown older now and are starting new chapters in their lives, Eliza has become a successful lawyer and just like his dad entered into public service and doing the things that his dad did as well back then, in that span as well she started her own journey with her own family, a few years ago she got married to the person she loved as well, I watched her as she walked down the aisle wearing her wedding dress, thinking to myself that he would be as proud to see her daughter getting married, it is a shame that he wasn't able to walk her down the aisle

A lot has changed since then, a lot of things have gone and pass already throughout the years, but one thing still remains, my love for Alex stays the same.

In that span, I've gotten old now and my body wasn't like it was when I was young, I continue to play the piano in our home and still play the same melody I played for him a long time ago, music have become a part of my life now despite of the pain it has caused me in the past, I still continue to play it

One day as I went for a walk, I decided to go the school were we used to go to, the doors were still open for visitors to come and visit the school, as I walked those hallways I reminiscent the things we used to do in this hallways, while walking down memory lane I stumbled upon an photo our class took back in high school, it was before graduation, I was sitting beside Alyssa at that time, looking back at it I started to be reminded what we used to do back then when we were still young, I miss her a lot this days as well, but one photo struck me the most was our old class photo when we were very young back in high school, on the old class photo I was sitting beside him still wearing the glasses he gifted me back then.

We looked very young and happy back then, those so beautiful days when we were together, suddenly a school staff approached me

*staff* are you looking for something ma'am?

*cami* oh no...I'm just at some old photos here

*staff* oh...you must be an alumni here from long ago?

*cami* I was actually, I studied here for quite some time

(cami) the staff handed me an old yearbook from when I was still in high school, on the yearbook was our old memories we had as a class, then I found his photo...he looked the same as he was still with me back then, looking at his old photo made me miss him a lot.

After my trip through memory lane, I went around the place we been through, from the places we went to on our first date, the park that was full of so much memories, the playground were I told him about my past, the amusement park were we went on our last date, and the restaurants we frequently went to on our anniversary, so much memories flooded into my mind while going around those places, and finally I went to the place where It all began, I opened the door to the old apartment we lived in for quite some time, Eliza bought the place as a memory heaven for us, as a enter the house the beautiful rich memories began to flood my head, the memories we made in this house were all in this small apartment, oh how I miss him so much, someday I can see him again ...someday, as I enter my old room I began to rummage into my old desk to find the photo album I made back then to keep all the photos we used to take on our trips, when I found it I began to flip through the pages and enjoyed seeing all the memories we use to make in a small photo album, from our first date, to our trip to nerima, to high school and even into my graduation in college, it was all in this photo album

Looking back on everything that has happened in my life. I've never regretting anything, I've lived a life that i was given to...i have lived a happy life. Though the journey was rough but in the end it was all worth it...Alex. If you're watching from above there. Just so you know that i am happy right now. I'm happy for the life you have given me.

You know the only thing I regretted the most was I wasn't able to fulfill my youth years, I was so focus on school and work back then that I wasn't able to live a youthful live, because of that I wasn't able to experience those things people my age used to do like go out partying, travel the world and some other things, but maybe it was for the best because I was able to fulfill all my childhood dreams when I was just a small kid, but I think I'm not alone, I know for a fact that there are so many people out there that are so keen to school and work that they aren't able to fulfill those youthful experience they are eager to enjoy so one advice I can give them from what I've learned from my life is that

"live life while you still can, be young while your still young because one day it will all be gone in a instant so live life while you still young"

(narrator) a year later, as she laid on her deathbed, she was surrounded by her love ones, before she passed away her last words were "the moon is beautiful isn't it?" her last sight were out the window as she was looking at the beautiful bright full moon.

At the age of 58 she passed away due to an illness she contracted, she was buried next to her beloved love of her life who passed away a decade before her, before she was laid to rest, her love ones laid an bouquet of camellia flower from their home and laid it on her.

-AT THE PATH-

"no matter what life has for us, no matter the choice we made in this life....it all lead back to us meeting in this path...the choice we made in our life made us meet in this path we walked together...whether we took a different path along the way...it all lead back to us walking again on the same path....in this path we walked...our memories becomes our compass along the journey...

Everything was destined to happened, no matter how we try hard to change our future. We were destined to meet along the journey. We chose to walk the path together. Even if it wasn't hard sometimes but we continued to walk on the path...until we came to the end of the journey. Where the door opens to us. The door that will lead us to our final destination. Which is finding peace in ourselves...our journey may end but we will meet again on the path no matter what.. That is the map of our soul"