Streak of White Light (Ongoing)

1 | Hopeful, Hopeless

CHAPTER 1 (Part 2)

Hopeful, Hopeless
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"YOU'RE AWAKE." I heard someone delightedly said. Tiningnan ko ang babae. Maluha-luha pa siya't niyakap ako. Nabigla ako sa kanyang ginawa.

After hugging me, she wiped her tears and looked at me in confusion.

"Ashken, what's wrong?" she asked worriedly.

"I think there's something wrong, Violet. Kailangan nating tawagin ang doktor," narinig kong sabi ng isang lalaki.

Nagpapalipat-lipat ang tingin ko. I was confused. It wasn't only because I can't recognize myself and even these people, what I see around me.

'What happened to my eyes? Why does everything looked so dull?'

Bumukas ang pintuan ng hospital room. Pumasok ang doktor kasama ang isang nurse. They immediately went to me.

"How are you feeling?" tanong agad sa'kin ng doktor. "Are you feeling fine?"

I didn't respond. Naguguluhan ako. Hindi ako okay. Ano ba ang nangyari?

But, I decided to finally speak and asked, "What happened to my vision?"

"Why? What do you see?" the doctor asked.

I didn't respond. I looked around again. I set my eyes on the table, beside my bed. The flowers in the vase. Everything.

"No! This can't be!" I blurted out, being hysterical.

I kept on saying those lines repeatedy. I blinked and cried in disbelief.

I saw the woman who hugged me earlier, crying. Agad naman siyang niyakap ng lalaking katabi niya.

"Why does everything looked dull?! What happened to my eyes?! Why does the surrounding's gray?!" I said with a sudden raise in voice.

"Please, calm down," the doctor said.

'Calm down?!'

I didn't heed what the doctor said. I continued shouting in disbelief, losing my cool. So, that was the time the doctor did the final resort. He injected me something, a sedative perhaps. It made me weak, and the next thing I knew, I fell into slumber.

I STAYED in the hospital for weeks. Na-discharge na si Dad. Pero, binisita naman nila ako.

I have undergone different kind of tests by ophthalmologists and neurologists, to name a few. Aside from amnesia and color blindness, I suffered from recurring moderate to severe headaches, sometimes. Buti na nga lang bakasyon. So, I have time to recover. Pero, malapit na ang pasukan. Ngayon pa kung kailan mag-se-Senior High na 'ko. I'm planning to take the Arts and Design Track 'cause I have a great passion towards art. Though, my Dad would disapprove, I know.

Sana nga transient lang ang pagiging colorblind ko.

I'm really hoping. When I said "transient", it was because days had passed and fortunately, during those days, my memories gradually returned. It was just transient amnesia.

I was about to give up, but that happened. Maybe, it's a sign. Na itong kondisyon ko, transient lang din. 'Yong pansamantala lang. Hindi magtatagal. Kasi wala namang forever. Someone's feeling bitter, eh.

So, here I am now. Pinayagan na ako ng doktor na makauwi at sa bahay na lang na lang magpahinga't makarecover.

Nakasakay ako sa backseat kasama si Mom. Dad's on the shotgun seat. He's not the driver. Magkakaphobia 'ata ako kung siya ang magda-drive. Well, hindi lang phobia ang nararamdaman ko. I admit, medyo distant ako kay Dad. Sinisisi ko pa rin siya sa nangyari.