How to Keep a Friend ~On Hold~

Chapter 2

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I walk past those corridors with a faint smile on my lips.

A sudden feeling of nostalgia covers my whole being. It's as if everything just happened yesterday. Those memories which I try very hard to forget now precipitously come flooding like an avalanche.

These thoughts still keep haunting my sleepless nights no matter how hard I try to suppress my feelings.

If given an option, I would never set foot on this place, for it will just force me to reminisce things and people, but I have to meet with the college dean who contacted me to be the speaker for this coming graduation.

And I am planning to turn that down.

I can say that I am now a successful Architect. Ten years have really molded me to be who I am today-- a  fiery and ruthless boss as what my colleagues would describe me and a cold-hearted bitch as what my little sister would tease me.

I smile as I think of her. She is now a freshman taking Pre-Dentistry. She is my inspiration to keep moving, to keep chasing my dreams and to still love life despite all the hardships that we both went through. I do not notice a tear that suddenly falls down my cheek, I carefully wipe them with my index finger, and again, I faintly smile as Mom crosses my mind.

She left us five years ago. Her body gave up due to alcohol abuse. The doctor said she died of intoxication. I could not blame her though. Dad seemed to have forgotten us the moment he stepped out of the house. That was on my junior year in college. He did not bother to know if we were doing well. He did not care to send us money for our necessities. We have not heard from him up to this moment.  My tuition was sponsored by my Aunt Lizzie then, my Mom's elder sister, and the reason that I survived my college expenses..

I am still lucky, I guess. My Aunt shouldered all the financial responsibilities  that my Dad has left. Mom's just a plain homemaker. Although she graduated as a Nurse, Dad wanted her to just stay at home and take care of us. That made her become socially aloof. We live in an exclusive subdivision where there aren’t too many friendly neighbors. Gossiping is not even a fad.

Mom doesn't have too many friends since she had spent all her life in the province. She is not the kind who tells people what she feels. That made me think that alcohol intoxication did not kill her, depression did..

Because of this, I want my sister to be open to me. I want her to have an outlet. So I always find time for us to bond over movie, dinner, out of town trips despite my heavy workload.

At first, it was hard. We were practically abandoned by our parents. Dead mother, forsaken father, could there be anything worse than that?

I brush my hair with my fingertips as I stop reminiscing. It has been so long ago and we are doing okay now, I guess.

I check my wristwatch and find that I still have a couple of minutes to spare. My mind is battling about going to that certain place.

Finally, I gather all my wits and decide to drop by that particular location in school where I used to stay when I was studying here. My sanctuary, my scapegoat and...

Our hideout...

The bench is still there. And the bougainvillea tree is still as sturdy as ever. It is now being protected by a fence and the flowers bloom just becomingly as they are. I caress the contours of the bench as if I can still see myself sitting on it, a drawing book in my hands while a pair of headset is plugged in my ears. I close my eyes and savour the silence as the wind blows through my hair.

I could not help but sigh. I decide to leave the place before my thoughts would lead me somewhere else.

My feet then take me to the dean's office of the College of Engineering department. I study the whole place and notice how it now looks so fresh and organized. I give my greetings to the secretary and ask for the dean. I have a scheduled appointment and I know she is expecting me today.

"For a second Ma'am, she has a visitor inside, she said she will be out in 15 minutes," the secretary says.

"No it's fine, I can wait," I smile at her in response because she looks a bit nervous.

I don't know why these people easily get intimidated by my presence, but I just shrug my shoulders at that thought.

I pick a beauty magazine and scan through the pages just to keep myself busy. I am not really into reading these kind of stuff because I think that they just make you feel more insecure about yourself and how you look. I could not help but wrinkle my forehead while flipping through its pages. Everything spells vanity and it just bores me.

I am about to check my watch when the door flings open.

Out comes a figure of a man that leaves me dumbfounded.

"Christan..."

The only word I utter as I hear the sudden racing of my heart that seems to cause my ears an instant deafness...