The second hand of the clock ticks, counting down every moment, testing her understanding, patience and the power of emotions. Tick; promises are made. Tock; people leave. Tick; hearts are broken. Tock; people hurt each other like they're meant to.
...
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"Van... Be a good boy, okay? Take care of your sister."
Their mom smilingly said while patting the young boy's head. On the other hand, their daddy knelt down in front of the young girl who was beside her brother. She sobbed hard when her dad embraced her.
"Don't cry, baby girl. We'll be back." He ran his hand up and down the young girl's small back. "This trip will be quick and we'll be home before you know it. Just a few days and we're back, promise." Their father avowed then hugged both of the children.
Eury was alerted when she heard her dad. Her eyes were full of hope and she will definitely look forward to that day. "Promise?"
"Promise," said both of their parents. Van was silently crying but his failed attempts at hiding his snuffles gave him away. He wiped every single tear that tried to escape his eyes since he knows that he should be the strong kid he is. Truth is, he just doesn't want them to be left.
"Tita Mariella will be here to look out for you," their dad said and the children glanced up to the woman behind their mother who was currently giving them an unpretentious smile.
They both returned their eyes to their parents who are now smiling at them too but they could not hide the sadness it shows. Even if they wanted to take the kids with them on their business trip, they simply could not. The place is too far and they will be extremely busy when they arrive there so they would probably not have the time to attend to the little ones.
"We love you both!" Their mom exclaimed then gave each one of the children a kiss on their forehead and hugged them tightly like there's no tomorrow. She's absolutely going to miss the kids.
"Bye, mommy! Bye, daddy!" Eury's rosy cheeks were wet with tears but she didn't care. She didn't forget to give both their parents a flying kiss each before they entered their vehicle.
Their Tita Mariella made sure to comfort them as she and her brother cried. After bidding their goodbyes, the young girl went inside the house with their tita while the young boy gave a last look at their gate, hoping for the car to come back, but it didn't.
———
"Mom!"
Van jolted up catching his breath when he realized what happened. He brushed his already messy hair with both of his hands then got out of his bed to look at himself in the mirror. He shook his head when he saw his reflection. Stress was evident on his face when he shouldn't be looking like that in the first place.
I dreamt of it again. Damn.
He heaved a sigh. It was painful for him to always dream about that day or the days after that. Recently, he'd get nightmares every night that's why he always carries this heavy feeling in his chest that he couldn't just ignore.
