Chasing Possibilities

4 - Of a Severe Headache and Unexpected Encounters

My weekend came and went by very fast. I didn't even enjoyed it that much. On Sunday morning, I woke up with a headache. All thanks to an interrupted sleep all because of the crazy idea Sydney put me up to the other day. So I took a paracetamol and went back to sleep. By noon, I found Perry outside my house with takeout food. He said Sydney sent him to check up on me. She probably felt guilty for causing the loss of my phone. We stayed in the house for the rest of the afternoon and Sydney came by around dinner time. The three of us watched a movie marathon until almost midnight.

So it's Monday again, beginning of another work week and the headache I was nursing yesterday was still very much painful. I woke up late in the morning with my head closed to bursting. I took another paracetamol and ate whatever my stomach was capable of digesting.

I hated having headaches because it took a long time before the pain went away. I usually had to endure the pain for at least two days or more. So a headache during a work day, especially on a Monday, was a totally dreadful thing. So to relieve the pain I was experiencing, I took a cold shower in the hopes that my condition would get better.

I was pretty lucky I got some rest for the day despite my throbbing head. When I woke up later at night, the headache was still there but it was pretty bearable. I took another paracetamol before I left the house just to be sure. However, I just had this weird reaction to headache medicines, they don't work that fast for me. It usually took some minutes to an hour before the meds finally kicked in.

So I went to work with the makings of a migraine and a very bad mood. I already hated Monday, even more so because of the throbbing on my head. I got on a jeepney with a rock music banging on the background which made my head throb even more. It was like torture. It felt like the music won over the medicine and my headache got worse. My head felt heavier and my skull felt like it would crack open any minute.

I arrived at the office with my head aching profusely. I knew taking another paracetamol tablet was a bad idea considering I just took one less than an hour ago, but I thought I needed another one immediately or else I'd collapse. I was beginning to get an upset stomach and it was never a good sign. My stomach churned and I felt a little nauseated.

I managed to get up the stairs and had my bag checked in to the guard. He eyed me carefully and asked if I was okay. His words were a little blurry but I just nodded, unsure what I just agreed to. He gave me a small smile which told me he wasn't quite sure if he'd believed me or not. I deposited my bag to my locker and went to the entrance door. Right after I swiped my key card, the door opened and a handsome guy appeared in front of me. In my current state, I could still make out the surprised look he gave me. Then he gave me a wide, toothy but cute smile.

"Hello Sarsona! Nice seeing you again." He greeted and all of a sudden everything went black.

* * *

It was a shock seeing him again. The moment I saw him walked out that door, all of my childhood memories came crashing like tidal waves hitting the shore in successive manner. The happy ones first, followed by the painful and bitter memories that changed me forever.

His sudden appearance was more than shock (if that was even possible). I wasn't even sure what happened after. I couldn't remember anything. All I knew was he said something to me which I also couldn't remember.

What was he doing here anyway? The last time I saw him was at the high school graduation. From what I heard, he went to Manila to study. I heard he got scouted by a volleyball coach from one of the prestigious universities in the Metro. I knew that was his greatest dream and that he wouldn't let a chance like that to pass.