Between The Lines

The Truth

“Ms. kim?” Bumalik ako sa katinuan nang magsalita ang taong nasa harapan ko. Hindi ako makapaniwala na lahat ng iyon ay inisip ko. Para akong nasiraan ng pag-iisip hanggang sa umiyak.

“It's nice to meet you, again” I said and took her hand. “Oh, magkakilala pala kayo?” Tanong ni Chahee.

“Yes, we know each other. Ms. kim was my professor when I was studying at Harvard University when I was here” She answered without looking away from me.

“Then why did you leave? You don't know how lucky you are if Ms. kim was your professor” Chahee said. I looked down when she said that.

“I guess, I was a lucky student who studied at Harvard University because she was my professor. But I think I also needed to disappear and forget the past” Ibinalik ko ulit ang tingin ko sakaniya. Yung dating tingin nito sa akin ay nag iba na.

“Well, I think we need to take Ms. kim for a tour to your exhibit” Chahee said and took me to an exhibit where Lisa's work was displayed.

It had been five years. Five long, quiet years since the last time I had seen Lisa. Now, here I was, walking through the halls of her art exhibit, my heart heavy with memories. The same woman I had once known—so full of life, passion, and warmth—was now in front of me, guiding me through her work with a cold distance I never thought I would feel from her.

She pointed to each piece of art, explaining the techniques and the meanings behind them, but her voice was detached, like she was speaking to a stranger. And in a way, maybe I was a stranger to her now. The years between us had created a distance that felt impossible to cross.

As we moved from one piece to the next, I couldn’t stop thinking about the night we first met. It had been so unexpected—seeing her at that bar, being so gentle with me when I was far from my best. She had taken care of me that night, without judgment, just kindness. And now, after all these years, I couldn’t help but wonder if she still thought about that moment too.

Lisa stopped in front of a large painting, a beautiful, abstract piece that seemed to pulse with emotion. "This one’s called ‘Echoes,’" she said, her voice clipped, distant. "It’s about memories that never really leave you, no matter how much time passes." Her words hit me harder than I expected.

"Echoes"—a fitting name for what I felt in this moment. Memories of her, of us, had never left me. They haunted me, like shadows following me no matter where I went.

“I think you have something in your heart that's why you made this” Chahee said and Lisa looked at me.

“I think so” she said and turned herself into us. She showed us something, it was a photo of a girl named after her.

“This is my niece, she really looks like me” and that's the reason why her name is after her. And Lisa looked at me again.

I wanted to say something. I wanted to tell her that I had missed her, that not a day had gone by without thinking about her. But the coldness in her eyes, the wall she had built between us, made me hesitate.

Lisa turned and caught me staring, her expression unreadable. "Anything else you want to know?" she asked, as if we were merely acquaintances, nothing more. I shook my head, not trusting my voice.