After lunch, they went back to Rj's room to relax.
"Sungs....what was that song you were listening to kanina?"
"Ah...my phone please...." Rj reached for Maine's phone which was charging on the side table.
Maine fiddled with her phone and showed Rj a video.
"Chinese?"
"Taiwanese....they used it in the movie 'Mano Po'..."
"Ahhh...what does it mean?"
Maine flicked on the phone screen again and showed it to Rj. "....The Moon Represents My Heart...." Rj read the title then looked at Maine who was leaning on his headboard beside him.
".....it means that yung love, andyan sya lagi kahit di mo sya nakikita....di sya nasusukat....you just know it's there...."
"Wow!....teka....that's my song for you dapat....."
Maine smiled at him. "Yabs....I have a question....actually, questions.....wag ka magagalit, ha?"
"Hmm...is there a reason for me to get mad?"
"Wala naman....siguro...."
"Hmm...o sige...I won't answer nalang if I don't like the question...."
"Fair enough...."
"Shoot!"
"Your scars....what happened?" Maine rubbed her hand along Rj's scars on his leg.
Rj cleared his throat. "I was very malikot and tigas ulo as a kid....I got run over..."
"Is that why you go to therapy?"
"Partly, yes....I've been going to therapy after the accident....if my Lola had it her way, I would probably be stuck to a wheelchair nalang....but I got bored and frustrated....I wanted to run and play with my friends....so I went to therapy.....but it was painful and hard....so, when I thought that I was okay na....I stopped going to therapy na....but, as you noticed, I tend to drag one leg.....so, I decided to go back to therapy to try to fix the problem....so, love....hindi masikip or mali ang brief ko" Rj chuckled and Maine smiled. "....I had to relearn how to walk and move my legs properly.....when you kept on mentioning the way I walked, I realized that I had been putting off therapy for far too lang na...."
"Ahh....sorry for teasing you on how you walk...."
"It's okay....I knew naman that you didn't know the whole story e...."
"Eh Yabs....I heard Yaya Caring and your Mom call you 'Aki'...."
Rj kept silent for a while. Maine thought that it was "the" question that Rj didn't want to answer. He took a deep breath and looked tenderly at Maine before getting her hand and playing with her fingers.
"Your fingers...they're like Maya's....long and slender....do you play the piano?"
"....I try....but I never took lessons...."
"Hmm.....Maya was my baby sister.....but she's gone....." Rj's voice was sombre. "She died when she was 8 years old due to asthma.....We were playing habulan when Yaya told us to stop na because Maya kept on coughing already. I didn't want to listen, I wanted to play. Maya stopped running; then the next thing I saw was that Yaya was carrying her into the house. Then Mommy and Daddy brought her to the hospital; she was blue.....They said her asthma became worse.....I have asthma too, but Maya would sometimes get hospitalized because of her asthma..... I visited her...... I couldn't see her face kasi it was covered with an oxygen mask..... Then, after 2 days, they transferred her to the PICU.....that evening, I remember just hearing a loud, long sound....then Mommy and Daddy hugged each other.....Maya was gone...."
Maine leaned and tilted her head on Rj's shoulder.
"...she used to call me 'Aki' because she couldn't say "Kuya Joaqui"....it stuck....but when she died, I didn't like to be called that because it brought back memories of Maya...."
Maine patted Rj's thigh.
"I'm okay now...." Rj continued. "On the day that I visited you and brought you to the hospital, I had a dream about Maya....we were playing....running....and I told her to stop na kasi I was afraid she'd have an asthma attack....she said, "no Aki....I'm okay na...take care of Ate Maine naman....I'm okay, Aki....I love you...." then she ran off into the direction of something very bright but she was very happy and even waving at me...." Rj sniffed and wiped his eyes. Maine was also crying now. "I love you, Maine...my Sungs...." Rj said as she wrapped his arms around Maine. Maine turned and hugged him as well, burying her face into his chest and crying.
= = = = = = = =
a/n:
Sorry for the drama and hugot in the last chapters. I just feel that it's necessary to explain why things are so. Anyway, once these are out of the way, we can go back to the fluff and cheese :)
Thanks for sticking around.
p.s. i have stories and one-shots that are less heavy. please do check them out.
