yuanfen (completed)

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"Dei....gising na....bangon na!" Mama shakes Dei's shoulder.

"5 minutes more....please...." Dei replies sleepily pulling her pillow over her head.

"Nag-aantay na si Meng sa baba..."

"Oh shoot!" Dei bolts up from bed and runs to the shower.

"Ang aga mo naman...." Dei says as she comes downstairs. Meng, Dei' bestfriend, is at the dining table with Dei's parents.

"Sus! Nakalimutan mo ba yung plans natin for today? For this week?" Meng "greets" her friend.

"Di naman....naka-one week leave ako....nilalasap ko lang yung bed ko...."

"O ano? Halika na!"

"Tara!.....Ma....Pa....alis na po kami...."

"San nga kayo pupunta?" Mama asks.

"...Batangas po....sa resthouse nina Patrick...." Dei replies.

"Opo, Mama....i-m-meet namin sila sa Shell....kanina pa nga raw sila andun..."

"O, Dei, mag-ingat kayo ha?" Papa reminds them.

"Opo Pa...." Dei hugs Papa and plants a forceful, long kiss on his cheek.

"Asus...o eto....baon....Meng....para sa yo din...."

"Yehey!"

"Wow! Thank you Papa!" Meng hugs Papa and kisses him on the cheek.

"Ang tanda-tanda mo na, may baon pa rin?"

"Shempre! Love nyo ako e...."

"Buti nalang pumasok na si bunso...." Mama laughs.

"Hahaha! Ang harsh nyo kay Pokokoy....." Meng chuckled. "Sige po, Mama...Papa....una na po kami..."

"Bye!"

Dei looked out the window of the bus as the scenery changed from the modern city to the countryside. A slight drizzle started and water droplets ran down the pane.

= = = = = = = =

Chuck liked the sound of rain. The pitter-patter of the raindrops relaxed him.  Dei and his therapists found this out once when he was seated alone in the sun room and it was raining outside. He had been making a lot of noise when the rain started, which the people at the facility labelled as "Chuck's concerto". The quiet alarmed Dei, though, so she rushed to the sun room.

She remembered asking Colleen, a candy striper (hospital volunteer) to watch Chuck while she took a break.  He was just sitting in his wheelchair, also taking a break after his morning therapy.  She attended the staff meeting with her colleagues. Chuck was seated quietly in his wheelchair,  gazing out into the garden. He looked relaxed. He had a smile on his face.

"Today's agenda...patient updates, new patients, therapies, releases.....let's get started...." Christina began during the weekly staff meeting.

As the remaining staff exited the staff room, Christina grabbed Dei's elbow. "....Richard is going home..."

"Home?"

"Oo....uuwi na sya sa bahay nila....the Faulkner's have decided na iuwi na si Richard....he's recovered from the accident na rin e...I didn't want to announce it to the whole staff kasi special case sya....."

"Sabagay...he's been here for a year...." Dei said quietly, a pang of sadness slowly creeping in.

"Oo...and ang laki na ng improvement nya....ang sabi pa nga, mukhang padadala sya sa States...."