Once In A Lifetime

Chapter 1: A Child's Cry

"I've never felt so empty,
Just so full of nothing."
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She was standing near the window waiting for the arrival of a man she could hardly remember. Any memory of him was forgotten, erased by time that was robbed from both of them when she was just starting to make wonderful memories. If there was one particular moment in her life that she could not forget, it was then when he left her and never came back leaving a vacuum in her heart that none could ever fill. She remembered everything that day. The memory of those painful years came rushing back...

Denise was only seven years old when her father left to look for greener pastures in a foreign land. She could not understand the reason why he needed to leave. She cried bitterly that day, begging him to stay. "Papa, please don't leave me. "

He reached for her and wiped the tears running uncontrolled from her eyes.

"Don't worry baby. I'll come back soon." Then he kissed Denise goodbye and stood up immediately before his emotion would give way. It was too hard for him to leave seeing all the pain he had caused to his only child.

She tightly clasped around his leg as he walked away from her. "No... I don't want you to go! Please, please, please stay Papa. Promise, I will be a good girl from now on."

Those little arms around his leg, pinned him to the ground. Shrugging them off would surely cause unbearable rejection on her young mind. He loved her more than life. And he promised Linda, his wife, before she died, that he would do anything to make Denise happy.

Now, he was causing her unhappiness. He turned around, leaned forward and carried the child between his arms.

"Okay. Let's make a deal, I will stay but we'll be going back to Mang Johny's shop." The mere mention of that name terrified Denise. "And you know, he'll call the police if I cannot pay him back, right?"

"Yeah, I know. He's a monster. He'll put you back in jail Papa," she was afraid now.

"Denise, baby... Don't be afraid. He cannot harm me anymore, but I have to go to look for money and pay him, so that he won't bring me back to jail. Then, I'll come back to get you."

"Promise? Will you come back soon, Papa?"

"Cross my heart baby. " He made the sign of the cross on his left chest to reassure her. "I always keep my promise, right?"

"Yeah," she hugged him and when she released him, she saw those tiny tears from the corner of his eyes. "Don't cry Papa." She wiped those tears with her right bare hand while the other palm was up and she said, "Promise, I won't cry anymore."

"That's my girl..." he kissed her goodbye and said "I love you baby." His voice quivered.

"I love you too, Papa." He walked away without looking back. Then, he heard his own sobs, while Denise childish chuckle eventually vanished in the air as she was carried by her Lola inside the house.

That was ten years ago.
Now, she could not remember for how many times she hoped for his homecoming. She counted days and nights. Then, the counting seemed endless but still, he did not come home.

There were many nights, she did not want to sleep, she would just lean by the window sill, hoping any minute, a figure of a man would appear, to fulfill his promise. Until, she would be awakened by a loving touch from her Lola urging her to transfer in her room before the coldness of the night got through her.

Slowly, she would close the window and she felt, every time she was doing this, she was also closing her heart and never hope for his return. Finally, she got tired counting the days. She got tired standing by the window every night. She got tired ending the day holding on to the promise of a man she knew once in her life.

Then came the day, when for the first time in seven years since he left, she did not stand by the window and wait for his coming. It was also the day, that a child's cry was heard through out the night.

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Lolo means grandfather.
Lola means grandmother.

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