When The Sun Sets

JUMP

From the beach restaurant, we crossed to a jam packed road with parked cars.

"This doesn't look like a secret to me." John commented seeing the number of tourists walking.

We walked for some more minutes and I could faintly hear the gushing water and loud shrieks from children playing in the water. Alas the towering drop revealed itself. It looked majestic in spite of the number of people enjoying its cool aqua blue waters.

Gab found a local and murmured something to his ear, the kid gestured to us to follow him. We walked past tables, umbrellas, and tourists. He led us to the side of the falls where a concealed earthen flight of stairs led to the top of the waterfalls.

I was beginning to sweat now like a cold drink on a hot summer's day. My hair was getting in the way of my sight so I took out a bandana and tied it around my forehead to keep my hair from falling in front of my eyes.

We walked past another falls, this was shorter than the first one but it had less people in it. Putting down my bag, I readied for a swim when the guide pulled me up. Apparently this wasn't the end of our hike. We walked, swam across a wide stream, and climbed up when the local suddenly stopped leaving me confused. There were no falls here, just a cliff with the river thirty meters below us.

The guide walked up to a cleared area in the cliff and jumped suddenly. We heard a splash of water beneath us and we were left in awe.

"Jump," Gab grinned at me, ordering to follow suit, "it's perfectly safe."

Taken over by my basophobia, I planted my feet on the ground unwilling to move a muscle closer to that cliff.

"No." I said sternly. "I don't like heights."

"Come one, it'll be fun." his words of encouragement were not convincing enough for me.

John ran for the edge and jumped. He screamed on his way down then we heard another splash.

"Woohoo!!! That was so fun! You guys have to try it!" John shouted his recommendation from the water below.

"See?" Gab tried to reassure me.
Tristan took his turn and made his leap and yelled, "Cowabunga!"

I refused to jump holding onto a strong vine I found to my right. Gab decided to jump realising since his words failed to persuade me, perhaps action can..

"Come on, New, jump!"John and Tristan re-emerged from the path we took to get here.

"I'm not jumping!" my heart was beating faster now, my hands sweating, and my feet cold, all effects of my fear.

They took turns to jump and then Gab came back.

"Just come with me and have a look. It's not really that far down."

"What do you mean it's not that far down?! It's taller than any regular house!" His reasoning only irritated me.

"Come on, I'm here." he gently pushed my back to the cliff. I leaned forward to see the drop and it just seemed to extend further than I imagined.

"No, Gab, I can't d--" and just like that, Gab shoved me off the cliff. By instinct, I straightened my legs and pinched my nose as I waited for my impact on the water. It was not the best feeling in the world. I felt weightless, out of control, vulnerable. The air guessed through my skin and up my shorts. I descended down the water and immediately swam up for air and the bank. In my fury, I walked away from the Godfathers.

"New, wait!" Gab called out my name from the cliff. Seeing as I wouldn't turn to acknowledge him he plunged into the water to chase me.

"New, I'm sorry."

"New, come on!" John and Tristan followed suit knowing I was seriously angry.

"New, wait, I'm sorry." Gab ran up to me and grabbed my arm.

"Why the fuck did you push me?" I yelled at his face, tears were forming now.

"You know very well that there are my things I get scared of and when I told you I didn't want to do it you didn't listen! You literally pushed me to my limits!"

Gab was speechless hearing me berate him for doing what he did.

"Why do you enjoy it so much, huh? WHY?!"

"It's fun! It makes me feel alive, like I escaped death." he tried to reason out as softly as he could.

"Feel alive? Escape death? Are you really saying that to my face?"

His realisation was visible on his face. He knew he made a big mistake saying those words to me. My eyes turned from teary to pure evil rage. My boiling blood turned my face as red as a tomato. My heart pounded violently as I connected my fist with his cheek. He fell to the ground, rubbing his hand where I punched him. I looked down at him.

"Let me tell you something you can't understand, you ungrateful git. You don't know what it feels like to be given only a year to live. Your luxury of time has made you ignorant of the struggles of people like me whose... whose only goal in life is to live to see another day. It's not just cancer patients, there are countless others unbeknownst to many people. There are starving children hoping that this one piece of bread a kind stranger gave would be enough for him and his family to live on. Abused women and children who are stricken with fear if they leave or even speak out about the deadly beatings they receive from brutish men and their beastly temperament. Civilians and soldiers trapped in a battlefield hoping that the rain of explosive shells won't, to all that is kind and holy, land on them. Life isn't just about seeking the thrill of escaping death. To some people like me, life is about just living a normal day. To breathe, to see, to hear, to feel, to smell, to taste things that many of you take for granted. So fuck you for saying it's fun to escape death, not many of us have the time for that."

I stormed off from them. Gab stood there, shocked at my outburst and Tristan and John were frozen on their feet behind Gab.

"New, where are you going?!" John asked me while I picked up my backpack.

"Home."

"What about Gab? He won't fit in the car. I only have two seats!" Tristan explained the complication.

"Let the asshole walk."

I drove in silence and pulled up to an empty side of the road by the sea. Overcome now by anger, I banged my hands and head on the steering wheels. Tears came gushing down my cheeks. I trusted him and yet he broke that trust. But what really broke me down was the sudden realisation that I had about five months left to live. I screamed realising my imminent demise. I don't want to go yet, I just want to have a normal life until I turn eighty and regret not doing what I could've done in the past. Not knowing what happens next, life is too precious to only be given twenty three years.

I got out of the car and sat on the seawall. I contemplated on the meaning and purpose of life. But life itself had different meanings and purposes to everyone. I still couldn't understand my purpose on earth. I only hope that by the time I go, I'd have served it.