Exchange of Hearts

EOH-12

"You're freakin' me out here, Sars! Really???"

"You think I'll joke about this kind of thing?"

"No, I mean, seriously?"

"I am serious Shin!"

"Pero......pero, paano nangyari yun?"

"That's exactly the same question I asked tita Aida, Shin. Apparently, Gerald was the patient dying for a sponsor in that hospital where they brought Lloydie when he met the accident."

"Tita, sigurado po ba kayo sa sinasabi ninyo?"

Hindi pa rin siya tuluyang makapaniwala sa narinig mula sa mommy ni Lloydie. Sinasabi kasi nitong ang puso na na kay Gerald ngayon ay ang pusong idinonate nila mula sa namatay na anak.

"I literally put the heart of my son on his chest, hija, so yes, totoo ang sinasabi ko."

"I'm sorry po for doubting, pero paanong...?"

"Gerald was already dying that time. The last replacement he had was fastly deteriorating, hindi na nasusuportahan ang buong sistema niya. If not for my son's organ, baka hindi na rin natin siya nakakaharap ngayon dahil wala talagang makitang ka-match para sa kanya. As for Lloydie, it was one of his wishes, including that of giving you his ashes, ang i-donate ang mga organs niya in case he dies."

"Does......does he know? I mean alam ba niyang kay Lloydie ang pusong nasa kanya ngayon?"

Umiling ito. "Wala siyang alam. All he knew was the family was aware of it yet didn't want to communicate anymore with the recipient of the organ. At ganun din siya. He felt bad for the one who died yet he keeps telling me to extend his gratitude to the "family", but he doesn't want to know who the sponsor was. He was at the hospital where I worked as the surgeon, and it's my son's organ in his body, so I took his case. What baffles me until now is how perfect fit JL's heart was with Gerald. Walang naging komplikasyon sa kanya nang mailipat sa kanya ang puso. It's as if it's meant to be, my son's heart be Gerald's heart. Ngayon lang humina ang puso niya after operation."

"Ba.....bakit ngayon nyo lang po sinabi sa akin ito? It's been a year and......"

"Alam mo ba na mahal na mahal ka ni JL, hija?" sa halip na sagot nito.

"Mahal na mahal ko rin po ang anak ninyo, tita."

"Long before he died, he asked us to take care of you. In one of our conversations, he mentioned about giving away his organs as donor but he was particular about his heart. He said to give it to someone who could continue loving you."

"Po?"

"I love my son so much gagawin ko lahat ng gusto niyang mangyari. At sana tuluyan nang matupad ang hiling ni JL."

"Ano pong ibig ninyong sabihin tita?"

"Sana matutunan mong mahalin si Gerald tulad ng pagmamahal na ibinigay mo sa anak ko." Her tita Aida didn't know her history with Gerald.

"Tita...."

"I think Gerald is capable of loving you the way my son did. I wouldn't mind at all, in the first place I shouldn't mind, na maging kayo, mas ikatutuwa ko pa nga kung maging kayo in the end tutal puso naman ng anak ko ang nasa kanya."

"Me ganun?" reaksyon ni Shin.

Tumango siya.

"Eh anong reaksyon mo?"

"Hindi na ako nakapag-react. She was called at the nurses' station bago pa man namin matapos usapan namin."

"So, ano na nga reaksyon mo?"