My Antagonist

Above My Head

"Madame, there's man trying to chase our car." Saphn, my driver, said.

With my blinded eyes, I could not recognize people by their faces but I can be certain of who are they by their smell, voice and footsteps. I am certain that it was Leandres that I met earlier at the gallery. He could be the only person who would spray perfume just on his upper front clothe for his skin is very sensitive and one thing for sure, he still uses the same perfume, 'One Million Intense' by Paco Rabanne, I gave to him once a Christmas party in our little hometown at Davao del Norte. The way he spoke is very hesitant as if he could not tell if he should continue talking with you or not for he's very critical at some time and overthinks small details, and his footsteps are sharp and fast as if he's always chasing the sun.

"Please, turn back Saphn."

"Yes, madame."

...

3 days later.

"I have to find him first. Its about time." I hanged up. I stare from my window, hoping amidst the hard cry of the heaven that the sun would face me and enlighten my dark grieved for my lost Jang.

She's fully known as Do Jeoga Jang, the name that I adores most but laughable to some. She was nicknamed by others as 'Worst', 'Best', 'Rival' or 'Enemy' because if you were to cut her name as Jeog means 'Enemy' and Gajang means 'Best', you could call her as 'Best Enemy' that doesn't even matches her personality of a soft hearted woman who just speak up silently in any conversation but she could be very bright and deep. By some playful fate, we became friends, close enough for my feelings to bloom, when she entered highschool at the most prestigious school in our town which was just a few blocks away to a public school that I was attending and at the same time her family moved in next door to us. I could always hear her sang her favorite song, 'Foolish Games' by Jewel, and never did I imagined that we could hang out and share our thoughts with one another. We were like the sun and the moon catching up between the night and the day as we tried the hardest for our time to stop whenever we're together amidst rush hour of our youthful days. But as ordinary as it can be, our days we're not always good. We would argue on some ideals that she'd always won. She was very challenging and undefeatable and as an ordinary boy with pride who unthinkably thinks that he leads his own story, I would often told myself that she's my antagonist, my best enemy.

But as playful as our fate can be, she got married to an old rich man that for only God knows how did it end up that way.

And just like any antagonist of a story who gets the bad ending or end up as dead, she fully played her role when she was hit by a truck trying to save my life.

My heart sinks deep down to the abyss and whenever the sun disappear below the horizon, there goes my soul as well, not being able to catch up the moon which is just right above my head that only my eyes could reach.

...

"This is her journal. She had this under her pillow. But to my confusion it has your name written on it." Her younger sister, Jongbowun, handed me a red journal where in my name, Leandres Kolym, was written on its front cover.

...

Reading the red journal where her sorrows were buried, I realized that I have to searched for this man whom she got married to and confirmed the truth behind the reason why she left.

My phone rings.

"Hello Mr. Kolym, its Jong, are you well?"

"Jong, how you've been? Again, my deepest condolence to you and the whole family." I said painfully.

"Mr. Kolym, I watched my sister's sorrows grow during her never ending days away from her beloved. Of all the people, you know who's that."

"I know...and so now, I can't be living my ordinary days....forgive me but I won't be able to attend the funeral tomorrow."

"Mr. Kolym!"

"I have to find him first. Its about time." I hanged up.

Above my head from my window, I could not see the sun nor the moon. But just dark clouds and the heaven's cry joining the fading flame of my heart.