yuanfen (completed)

Chuck

"Dei.....sad...?"

"Oo...sad ako....sad ako kasi nami-miss ko ang Papa ko....yung Lolo ko....kahit na hindi ako yung panganay, favourite ako nun....lagi ako ang katabi nya nung bata pa ako....Lolo's girl ako e....."

"Ano ba Faulkner? Chuck! Speak properly! Ugh! Why does it have to be this way?! Dei! I feel for you....I want to hug you and kiss you to comfort you but how?...."

Richard could now utter a few syllables; mostly end syllables of words and Dei seemed to be the only one who could understand what he was saying. Even his siblings, Bianca and Pocholo, could not quite understand him.

"No...cay....k?"

"Oo na....eto na...." Dei said as she wiped her face with her hands. "O, ready ka na to go outside?"

"...dy...side....rrrden...."

"Okay! Let's go!"

"Haaay! How I wish na one day, I'd become normal again. I miss the old me...the happy-go-lucky me. The Chuck who was always smiling and happy.....I wonder how my friends are? What are they doing now? Sam and Nathan, my best buds....where are they? Mom said Sam was going to Spain to visit his family....has he gone already? Did he bring Cherry with him? Oh shoot! I'm supposed to be the Ninong to Nathan and Tine's son, Alden Richard. Did they baptize him na? Who did they get as proxy? Shucks! Sorry man! Maybe next time you visit, you can show me a picture of my godson naman....I miss all of you...."

Richard was lost in his thoughts. He suddenly "came back" when a ball landed on his lap.

"Ay sorry! Sorry! Nasaktan ka ba?....ang kulit kasi nitong si Abi e....Abi, say sorry...." Liezl, a nurse, spoke while holding on to a small-framed young man in printed pajamas.

"...sorry..." Abi said.

".....developmental delay.....double pneumonia...." Liezl spoke to Dei who was seated on the park bench beside Richard's wheelchair.

"Sorry, Tisoy...." Liezl and Abi left.

"No...."

"Anong no? Naramdaman mo ba yung bola sa legs mo?"

"No....no.....Soy.....Uck...."

"Uck?"

"Uck!.....Uck!" Richard said. He lifted his hand and put it on his chest.

Dei stared a while.

"Uck!....Dei...." He looked at Dei and moved his hand from his chest to "point" at Dei. "Uck!" He put his hand up to his chest again.

"Ahh....Chuck?......Tama? Chuck?"