"Love, love, dito na lang sa may puno," Maine said, the weakness showing even more in her voice.
"Sure ka, okay na 'yung view mo rito, ha?" Richard asked as he stopped pushing Maine's wheelchair. She simply nodded slowly
Richard put a blanket on Maine, then sat right next to her as she looked towards the horizon.
It was around 5:30pm that day. And one of Maine's final requests was to watch the sunset by the sea. Richard drove to their favourite beach resort south of Manila, which always had a good view.
"Love, ang ganda pa rin ng...ng sunset dito," she whispered. "Still hasn't changed since...since I was a kid."
"Oo nga, eh," Richard said. He then looked at the tree nearby and found a familiar inscription: the letters R and M, enclosed in a heart. "Love, look," he said, pointing to the tree right next to them, "ayan pa 'yung inukit ko, o! Ang tagal na nito."
Maine looked to her right and smiled. "I know! High school pa yata tayo nito, ah..."
There were not too many words between them as the skies gradually changed colour. Only clasped hands and a few sighs. Maine had turned frail from the sickness that seemed to slowly devour her from the inside, and Richard felt that she was at the "sunset" of her own life.
"'Pag...'pag wala na ako, Chard, tapos...tapos nararamdaman mong...nag-iisa ka, hindi mo kaya, just look at the skies. Isipin mo lang na...na I'm there, just...just watching over you."
Richard held Maine's hand tighter as he felt his eyes starting to well up. "Sa totoo lang, love," he said, "feeling ko, 'di ko pa rin kaya. But...but if you have to...to go, you...have to go. 'Di ba?"
"You are one of the strongest people I know, love. Thank you, kasi...kasi inalagaan mo ako. Hindi mo ako iniwan kahit...kahit ganito na 'yung...'yung lagay ko. And I'll leave this world knowing na...na magiging okay ka. Na, sana rin, may...may mag-aalaga at magmamahal sa 'yo nang ganito. Or...or higit pa."
Richard kissed Maine's hand, then the side of her head, as he cried.
There were even less words as they watched the sun slowly disappear.
"Love, halika na," Maine later said, "I want...to...to...go home..."
Richard kissed her hand one more time, then started pushing her wheelchair to their car for the drive home.
****
"Happy birthday, love," Richard whispered as he lit another candle by Maine's grave. "Four years na, pero 'di pa rin ako sanay na dito tayo nagse-celebrate."
He then sat down and prayed for a few minutes. Then stayed a little while longer, as if he was talking to her and update her with what had been going on with his life.
"Uhm, excuse me," went a voice from not too far away.
Richard looked to his left and saw a woman standing by another grave next to Maine's.
"Hi! Could I...uhm...ask for a match? Nakalimutan ko kasi magdala rito, eh," the woman shyly said.
Richard stood up and reached into his pockets. "Sure," he said, handing his matchbox, "eto..."
The woman lit up the candle she brought with her and placed it near the grave she was looking over. She then closed her eyes for a bit to pray.
Richard quietly stood not too far away. "Uhm, miss," he went as the woman did the sign of the cross not too long after.
"Ay, shit, oo nga pala," the woman giggled as she handed Richard's matches back, "I'm sorry."
"No, no worries," he said with a grin. "Wait, I hope you don't mind, ha, pero...you...you seem to look familiar. Parang lagi kasi kitang nakikita rito around this time every year."
"Yeah, I guess," the woman replied. "March 3 kasi 'yung death anniversary ng father ko. Ikaw, who's...who's here?"
"Ahh, my wife," Richard said, looking back at Maine's grave. "Birthday naman niya 'pag March 3." The woman nodded back in acknowledgment.
"By the way, I'm...I'm Richard," he then said, extending his hand towards the woman.
"Katrina," the woman replied, extending hers to shake Richard's.
"So...I guess...it's safe to say...see you here next year?" he quipped.
Katrina giggled again. "Siguro. But I'll make sure may dala akong posporo that time, don't worry."
Richard laughed, "Ano ka ba? Wala 'yon! Hayaan mo, in case you forget again, lagi ako may dala."
They smiled at each other one more time, before looking away and going back to the graves each one of them was looking after. Somehow, Richard felt that it wasn't going to be the last conversation he'd ever have with Katrina...
