Your Light (Tu Luz) [Joel Pimentel]

Chapter 31

Joel Pimentel de Leon

I took the last flight to California last night. I was convinced by my grandma that I need to go back, to settle whatever left and if it's not meant to be, come back to Mexico and never looked back.

The look on my grandma's face before I left for the airport was unreadable. She was dreading for the fact that I'm going back to California because of Dhianna.

Grandma was the one who saw me, soothe me at night, when I was crying like a little baby I was, when my dreams and heart are pretty much broken at the same time.

She was the one looking after me when I couldn't speak for days because I was punishing myself for not being enough for Dhianna.

So, to say that parting ways, even for a while, with my family, who'd pretty much got my back when I was at my low, is saddening would be an understatement.

The announcement of my flight moving soon, snapped me back to reality and I quickly board the plane.

I got seated at the windows so I quickly make my ways there.

As soon as everyone had gotten inside, the plane started moving and instructions were given by the stewardess.

I, somehow looked out of the windows and my heart soared at the height of this plane.

My heart soared at the thought of in a few hours, I'll be so near to Dhianna. So near that I could reach up to her.

But, as much as I wanted to reach out to her, the pain I went through when she left me crying on her porch are overwhelming.

She was too cruel.

I closed my eyes at that.

She was too cruel, but at the same time I know her actions was purely driven by everything that happened to her.

Suddenly, I felt a small finger poking my side and I opened my eyes to see a toddler looking up at me while giving me a toothy grin.

"Hey there, you little thing." I said, smiling and they girl's mum looked at us fondly.

"Where are you going? Are you going to meet the person you love?" She asked and I raised my eyebrows at that, amused.

"Why, are you going to go see the person you love?" I asked her back.

She laughed, "My mummy said I'm meeting someone secret. She doesn't wanna tell me but she said I would love him."

My heart swelled at this girl's cuteness, "Oh, little thing, what's your name?"

"I'm Diana. You?"

I froze when she told me her name. It was as if something was pulled inside me and when I looked at the girl next to me, she was looking at me with big blue eyes and lush brown hair.

"I'm Joel. Nice to meet you, Diana." I said.
"Mummy, isn't he good looking, mummy?" She asked her mum and I smiled.

Her mum nodded and I laughed, "You're not bad yourself, Diana."

"You didn't answer my question, Uncle Joel. Are you going to meet the person you love?" She asked again.

I searched for something through my messy minds. Somehow, I know that although Dhianna had hurt me the way she did, I'm still hopelessly pinning for her. I'm hopelessly in love with her. No matter how much I try to will myself to accept the fact that she hurt me.

"Uncle Joel..?" She called after me again, small hands on my arms.

"Yes, Diana. I'm meeting the person I love." I said and she smiled.

"Do you have a picture of her?"

I smiled. How could I not have Dhianna's picture? I pretty much have a kodak full of her beautiful candid.

"Yes."

She clapped her hand in excitement, "Can I see her, please?"

"Only if you promise you'll sleep after that. It's past midnight." I said and she nodded vigorously.

I pulled out my phone and opened my gallery to show her a picture I had of Dhianna.

In the picture, Dhianna was standing in the park, hands on her forehead trying to push the sunlight away from her eyes. But even that, the way the sunlight shone upon her, makes her look surreal and I found myself smiling. The picture was beautiful.

She..was beautiful. As beautiful as roses, as pure as the sky.

"What's her name?" Diana's little voice brings me back to reality.

"Her name is Dhianna." I answered.

She looked up from the phone to look at me, "She has the same name as me?"

"Yes, little thing."

"She's beautiful, Uncle Joel. Is she your future wife?" She asked and I, again, froze at the question.

Little children are always so pure and innocent that when they said something, it was true. She is beautiful, too beautiful to be true.

But, I was caught off guard when Diana asked me if Dhianna is my future wife.

It had crossed my mind once but as everyday was filled with beautiful cackles of laughter and genuine smiles from Dhianna, I always thought she was mine and always forgetting that, legally, she's not mine.

But definitely, if I was asked if I wanna marry Dhianna, I would answer yes instantly.

Definitely yes.