Disclaimer:
Characters depicted in this story are purely based on fiction,
any characters that resemble real people are purely coincidental.
Early in the morning, John Callahan sits in his rocking chair on the porch, looking out at the sea. A figure out in the distance, walking through the pier... too far to make sense of the person's appearance; as the sun rises, the beauty of the sea becomes evermore clear, sparkling with beauty, boats passing, seagulls flying... he wears a sad smile as if reminiscing the past, then took a sip in his coffee mug. The figure reveals himself to be a mailman, the mailman approaches John; giving him a letter. The mailman bid farewell, "A letter?" John thought "I've not received one in years..." nervous, John opens the letter... his daughter wrote the letter, though in the words of his son. John's heart sank, he hurried inside, packed up his things, locked the door, then went on a journey to go to his wife in Cavite... as he's about to leave; he spotted a young couple, eating on the beach. He stops, vividly remembering his past.
In 1949, 4 years after WW2 ended; 27 year old Lt. John Callahan, visited the Philippines still in repair because of the Japanese Occupation. He spots a beautiful lady in her mid-20s across the street holding a basket full of fruits, talking with her friends. Stunned by her beauty, and cheerfulness; he crosses the street to meet the lady... with a wavering voice he says hello... the lady looks at John with a confused face, her friend smiles saying,
"Talaga naman Abigail..." she smirks,
"Hah?! Bakit?!" Abigail said,
"Hello— I mean, kamuzta! My pangalan is John Callahan... what's yours?"
"Ano?" Abigail's confused, not having learned English,
"Sabi niya... ang pangalan niya daw ay John Callahan, ano daw sayo." Her friend said,
"Nakaka-intindi ka pala ng English..." said Abigail towards Caily her friend,
"Miss? What's your name?" said John,
"Ang pangalan ko ay si Abigail Tutor..."
"Her name's Abigail Tutor..." Abigail's friend translated what she said,
"Abigail! What a beautiful name..." he whispers to himself, "W-would you like to have something to eat? I'll pay."
Abigail's friend translates what John said... Abigail responds.
"Sige, pero kasama ko si Caily." Abigail said, Caily translates,
"Sure, no problem! So, for now... how about you give me a tour around this place?"
"Anong sinabi niya?" whispers to Caily,
"Sabi niya... sige, ayos lang. Pwede mo ba ako bigyan ng tour dito?"
Abigail agrees, together with John, and Caily; they stroll around the town. And little by little, Abigail feels a bit fond of John.
John smiles, continues on his journey to go to his wife... Abigail.
After a while, he travelled from British Columbia to Sydney, Canada. John takes a boat to sail towards Norway. The smell of sea water reminds him of when both him and Abigail left the Philippines to travel across the world.
John sees Abigail looking out in the sea. John embraces her from behind,
"Hey, are you okay?" John asked,
"Hm? Yeah... I'm alright..." Abigail replied,
"I know you're not alright."
"What do you mean?"
YOU ARE READING
Journey's End
Short StoryJohn Callahan receives a letter from his daughter, reminding him of his past love, Abigail. He reminisces about their meeting in the Philippines after World War II and their life together. John embarks on a journey to reunite with Abigail, facing va...
