Fly High | Book 2

Chapter II- Commemoration

"Commemoration"

I checked the box of my bucket list written---"Meet my friend for the last time." And I didn't just have met a friend of mine but a new and secret, actually a surprise godmother.

I have only ten lists in my journal right now, but just now. I only have 3 boxes checked; first, for the guitar, second, for meeting Raina, and third for meeting my only godmother, the principal.

The rest lists were to have a credit card someday, and earn money while I still have a young age.

Together with Carlos, I went to my favorite place before where I learnt music.

The surroundings were so fresh but dark, it was green but blue and the air blew coldly but sour in taste. The flowers were colorful but its drying and turned pale like my lips and skin. I looked around kindly but I didn't smile. I felt Carlos was gazing at my emotion, confused of what I felt.

I ignored him and kept on walking through the wet meadow.

I sat down and Carlos stared at me at the back.

It was a long silence after I sat down. It was so long, not just minutes but hour.

I observed that the sky turn gray and the air didn't blew. The surroundings were dry but I'm crying without a sound.

I pulled my bucket list and turned the pages. I looked at it and checked one of the boxes.

"I wish his here with me," I whispered at myself.

"Do you miss him?" Carlos asked surprisingly.

I didn't knew that he heard me.

"Y-yes, I do, I r-really do," I honestly responded.

"Can you tell me what had happened?" He asked.

I cleared my throat and said my words.

It was an afternoon in the last day of June, after the graduation ceremony, I was about to approached and congratulate him, when--- I saw he was gone. His chair was empty and I didn't knew where he went. I asked every person I met I thought who saw him and luckily they gave me some ways to follow. I followed what the crowd said to me. I reached the store, any store like sari-sari store, grocery store, agar-agar store and any shops, until I reached the other district of the province. That was the biggest deeds I thought the mistake I've done for my parents; but, it's alternate for my friend. I followed him till I saw him unwillingly going to the Hollywood with his mom, I thought. I wish my thought didn't mistaken of what it thinks because I think he was unwillingly don't want to go out from the country with his parents, but he didn't have any choice to choose but to leave. He was still dependent of his parents like me, yes! LIKE ME!!!

I paused and my tears fell. He pushed his mom's hand away from his hand and turned back to ran at me with a sad face and voice. He hugged me so tight and was so quiet. I can't say anything like he was. And he said, " Ezra, please--- I'll be leaving but I'm not going to forget about you and please wait for my words I wanna say, till I come back. Make a pledge for me!"

I gave him a pledge and hugged each other again hoping we will see each other again.

I hate goodbyes since that day that my love ones died and leave me. Mom died and he left me.

It was so hard to adjust at the new things in the surroundings. So, I went home and saw mom lied in the cold floor and unconscious. I don't know what to do.

I fell down to her and wrapped my arms around to her body and cried.

"Mom, please wake up!" I cried.

I looked at her and saw her eyes opened and her lips curved and made a smile. She looked at me happily with the eyes crying.

She cried with a raspy and broken voice, "Esang? My daughter--- promise to me, that you will never give up on your dreams. Be kind to everything and be full of courage for facing your thorns in life. And most of all believe in the magic of your dreams. I--- Love--- You, daughter---"

Her eyes shut and her pulses stopped. She was gone. The air dried up like my emotion that time. I can't keep on crying. My grief hurt me much.

And I can't remember the things happened to me that day. I don't want to recall the time that we do after mom's death.

I always stocked to my room with my journal where I wrote my feelings and words in grief, sadness and joys.

I think that was my last day when it was over. I can't dream anymore that time. I didn't even think of such a good things like what I did before. I felt everything was dark and always night and the sun don't shines anymore. Until, one day, an old man walking in our street got my attention when I looked down from my room to my windows outside. He looked at me without an emotion carrying his old brown bag at his back hung on his pole he held. I climbed to the roof of our house and slid myself unto it; and blocked myself to fell down from the roof to the ground. I reached the ladder using my left feet and went into it. I climbed down and walked to the old man without moving from where he stood lately. I hoped he didn't notice my eye bags. And it's impossible if he didn't. I talked to her by asking "why he's there standing and gazing at my house?"

"I knew you're a dreamer and now you can't dream anymore; but, that's your thoughts only who told you to feel the grief and not the courage. Did you forgotten your mom's words before she left? Or you were just not a good listener since before? I think you must cut that off and get away being like that. If you want your mom to be glad wherever she was now---"

"But, wait--- what's your name?" I asked.

Why did he talk to me like this? His raspy and oldy voice got me.

"I'm not an important kind of being, just be a good listener starting now and live your dreams, friend." He said with a bye mark and walked away.

He was so strange and mysterious but, I didn't felt scared about him, instead, I was overpowered and energized. He was really right and very much right! Yes! I must keep on moving on and going on! I must not just stay here and stay in the past, instead, I'll be moving and fly!

Actually, I didn't talked to any strangers but, maybe now, except him. He was totally a stranger and the proof was I didn't even know his name and he didn't even wanted to tell me it and he called me friend.

He was so interesting. I wanna see him again and heard another words of wisdom from his gentle mouth, tongue and words.

After my long commemoration, Carlos asked me for he saw me smiling silently without any clues. "Why are you smiling?" He asked. "Carlos, it was just a sad commemoration and a courageous words of wisdom I remembered in my pasts," I responded a little bit lie. "Aren't you feeling bored here?" He asked with a mad expression of his eyes and he was trying to hid it.

I stood up and he also did. We must to go before midday, my father would really bark at me when I went home late at my last farewells here in my birth town.

Together with Carlos we walked together through the way out from this woods.

And we proceed to the park with a little bench on there we sat down and took a rest. Carlos stood up and went to the ice cream man and bought some ice cream for us. I have nothing to do while waiting the ice cream to come to me and handed by Carlos. I pulled my pen and hardly wrote some words in the bench secretly, of course, it was forbidden. I wrote some of the lines of my dream song and Carlos was approaching when I finished writing. And then, we went home with an ice cream on our mouth. It was about to melt when I saw a garbage can and it's my time to throw my tissue I used in holding the cone of the ice cream.