Sitio Maravillas

Love Persevering

Circa 2022
Divinigracia Manor
Pueblo Carcel

~ 7:30 AM ~

Mi Último Adios. Also known as "The Last Farewell". Iyan ang huling pyesa na isinulat ni Jose Rizal bago nito inialay ang kanyang buhay at tuluyang namaalam sa lupang sinilangan. Mahirap, ngunit panahon niya na. Goodbyes are like that. They're one of the hardest things to do. But it must be done. That is what the Familia Divinigracia must do in the days to follow.

Giselle's slow yet steady footsteps were audible as she was putting on a silver stud earring on her way out, but those steps slowed and finally came to a halt, as she walked by Liam's bedroom. She was calm and collected. She was ready to say goodbye. Until she came across a reminder of her late son. There is nothing more painful for a mother than losing her child whom she carried for 9 months and risked her life for so as to bring out into this world, her child who will always be a part of her.

She reluctantly entered her son's room, at sa bawat hakbang, unti-unting bumabalik ang kirot sa kanyang puso, unti-unting bumabalik ang pait ng nawala sa kanya. Her eyes glistened in grief as she stifled a sob. Still, she entered the room. Her hands feathered the blue walls of her firstborn's room. Red and black. She remembered. Liam wanted to paint his walls red and black, his favorite colors. It was also hers. Pero hindi ito pinahintulutan ni Matteo. Parang pambakla daw kasi yung kulay.

She then explored all his favorite things and books, every little thing sending her flashbacks of their time together eversince he was a toddler up to his adolescent years, voices echoing in her head. Every little thing had a memory of him, it was a good thing but it pained her, more water pooling in her eyes. Her last stop was his bedside drawer, taking his picture frame that held a their family picture on their first official roadtrip to Baler as kids, her hands shaking as she lightly touched his image as though caressing her son. Then it hit her, she would never be able to hold her baby again. She would never see him again. That was the daunting reality. It hurt when she had first heard of his untimely demise. But the most mortifying part is realizing her life will never be the same again. She will never see him, hold him, talk to him, hear him, or have him in her life again. It was permanent. And the mere thought of that just a day after his farewell killed her. How much more in the next years of her life?

Her whole body weakened and she couldn't stand on her both feet, hence, she fell seated on Liam's bed. Her tears finally fell, overflowing like a never-ending faucet. She gripped his picture tightly, holding it close to him - as if hugging him, as if he were still there... But alas, he wasn't. She thought she was ready for grief. She thought she was ready to face a life without her son. She thought she could handle the pain. She was wrong. She was so wrong.

As her tears fell, so did a piece of paper that seemed to have been clipped in and hidden in the slit of the frame. Napahinto siya saglit sa kanyang paghikbi upang pulutin ito sa sahig atsaka niya na rin nakita ang itinatago ng kanyang anak sa ilalim ng kama - isang gitara. Mangin ito ay kinuha rin ni Giselle, sabay bukas ng papel habang umupo muli sa kama.

Turns out it was a music sheet. He was composing a song, the title read "One Day." Giselle was a lover of music herself, she followed the notes on the sheet as she strung the guitar strings. It started out as a mellow, slightly melancholic tone.

The sun sets, the clouds block the sky,

No light would touch where the birds lie,
Wings clipped, blood spilt, nowhere to go,
Mama said the sun may not shine but I love you so,
Sister said to hide from the cold dark night,
But I want more, I want what's right,
No more flight, it's time to fight...