Chapter 26: Sob Stories

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LORELEI

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LORELEI

IF JAMIE could have it her way, she would not want me to join her in this task. Mas gugustuhin niyang mag-solo o 'di kaya'y makasama si Loki o si Alistair. But she had no choice but to bear with my presence. She would be stuck with me until this mission was over.

Nataon na may session ang peer group support na KASAUP ngayong hapon kaya hindi na namin kinailangang maghintay kinabukasan o nang ilang araw. As soon as my afternoon classes were over, I met with Jamie in the clubroom. Nadatnan ko siyang nakasimangot na parang minalas siya sa bunutan. Alistair bade us good luck while Loki only bobbed his head at us before we went on our way to a classroom on the second floor.

"I miss my brother dearly," Jamie shared, her eyes welling up with tears. Napasisinghot pa siya't napatitingin sa ilalim. Her acting prowess was on full display. This role was made for her. "No'ng kasama ko pa siya . . . no'ng nandiyan pa siya, I took his presence for granted. 'Tapos no'ng nawala na siya . . ." Hindi na niya naituloy ang gusto niyang ikuwento.

Everyone around us fell silent as they listened to her sobs. There were ten of us in the room. Naka-korteng pabilog ang mga upuan kaya magkakaharap kaming lahat. Upon arriving here fifteen minutes ago, Jamie and I settled down on the seats just right next to our target Megan. I could not remember what she looked like, but thanks to Jamie's sharp memory, she recalled the face of a female student in ponytail shown to us through a picture by our client. May nametag sticker din siya kung saan nakasulat ang "Meg." We exchanged greetings and smiles earlier.

At dahil kami ang bagong saling estudyante sa session, the facilitator named Shawn asked us to go in first, especially if we wanted to share something. Pwede naman daw na huwag mag-share kung hindi kami comfortable. But Jamie thought that it would be best for us to share a sob story that the members—particularly Megan—could relate to. This was our strategic move to break the ice.

"Thank you for sharing your story, Jamie," Shawn said before his eyes flickered to me. "How about you, Lori? Do you want to share something with us? If you're not comfortable yet, it's fine."

I got no issue with contributing to this group session, but what sob story could I share with them? My recent experience was traumatic and I only told that story to my therapist. I could share it here as well, but that was too personal for me. Isa pa, kailangang maka-relate si Megan sa kuwento namin para makapag-establish kami ng connection sa kanya. She experienced loss, so Jamie shared a story that dealt with the same issue. I was unsure if that's a true story o gawa-gawa lang niya.

Think, Lorelei! Think!

An idea then popped into my head. I remembered a story that tackled the concept of loss. Feeling ko'y makare-relate si Megan doon. It was not my personal experience. It was someone else's. But I would only take a part of that story. Gagawin ko siyang reference. So I hoped that person would not mind if ever he found out about it.

Origins of the QED ClubTahanan ng mga kuwento. Tumuklas ngayon