Chasing the Sun

081

"This is scrumptious!!!", New said in sheer excitement as he forked the blueberry cheesecake and shoved it into his mouth. His eyes glimmered like a kid, and the smile on his face didn't seem to disappear from the overflowing joy that he felt.

"It should be, it took me a long time to find that. Why is blueberry cheesecake a rare sight in Chiang Mai?", I asked as I watched New finish his slice, and proceeded to eat another slice of the dessert. As expected, he just continued munching on his cake as if I wasn't even there.

"Ma, you should probably eat now too, your son doesn't seem like he'll stop soon.", I called for New's mom from the kitchen. We were sitting in one of the stools on the kitchen as I watched New devour the piece of cake that had my skin burning from the intense heat.

"I'll be there in a minute, save some for me!", New's mom shouted from the second floor.

I looked back again at New, who was again, taking another piece of the cake.

"Hey, slow down. You're eating like you want to be in the Guinness World Records."

"saklnxcscasn", He mumbled as he stuffed his already stuffed mouth with another piece of the cake.

I poured him a glass of water so he could push the cake down his throat as his words didn't seem understandable at all.

"I can't, it's too good.", New said when he was finally able to churn the food in his mouth.

Whenever he's eating something he likes, New forgets that he's already an eighteen year-old boy. His face was all messy with all the cake's bits on his face, and his fingers were all drenched with cheesecake. I felt like I was babysitting a big baby, but it was okay. All the fatigue that I felt when I biked through the city just to buy the cake reduced to nothing when I saw his face light up at the sight of the cheesecake. Comparing the fulfilling moment that New gave me when I saw him enjoy the cake, the travel that seemed like an ordeal suddenly became a miniscule task.

"Aren't you going to eat?", New asked.

"Nah, I'm already full just looking at you.", I replied as I winked at him.

"Ew, but no taking back okay? I'm eating your part!", He greedily replied, not minding my pick up line. Even my charms were no match with his complete attraction to sweets, it's like I'm only second next to blueberry cheesecake.

"Figures.", I ended as I rolled my eyes.

After realizing that he had eaten three quarters of the cake already, New decided that he was already full and gave up on the cheesecake. We spent the afternoon inside his room, watching horror movies on Netflix. 

By the time he had finished the final episode of American Horror Stories, the sun was already beginning to set and the sky had painted a gradient of purple and blue.

"We've been here for a few hours now and my feet are getting numb, do you wanna take a stroll?", I said as I stretched my limbs on the bed.

"Sure, we haven't checked out the garden at the back yet. We should go there."

I stood up, tidied myself, and unfolded his wheelchair so I could transfer New to the chair.

When I had transferred him successfully, I turned to his closet and took out a cardigan, then wore it on him.

"It's cold outside, you're gonna catch a cold if you don't wear it."

We made our way out of the room and into the back garden of the house, where the breathtaking view of the sunset was very visible from where we stood. When the doors slid open, we were greeted by the cold breeze that also swept inside the kitchen. 

Stepping out of the house, we got a clear view of the beautiful garden that stood before our eyes. A long ramp made out of wooden planks lay on top of the loam soil, extending to at least ten meters where another long platform that housed two wooden chairs stood at the end. On the side of the ramp, various flowering and non-flowering plants cover the open space, and they were all healthy and in good state. On the far side of the garden where the house meets the other side of the forest, a tall and big birch tree stood. Its white trunk was an outstanding sight with all the other greens, and it was easily the most eye catching ornament in the house because of the unreal beauty it held.

"That tree is as old as me", New said as we looked at the tree.

"My mom planted and named it after me. If you go closer, you'll see that my name is engraved on the tree's trunk.", He continued.

"That's beautiful, planting a tree to commemorate the birth of a blessing. It's like your mom saw your coming to life as her new beginning.", I said as I brushed his hair gently. 

We admired the view a little more before moving forward until we reached the other end of the ramp, closer to the river.

The sound of the water splashing through the rocks created a natural tune that was music to our ears, and as the leaves of the trees bristled against each other, and the forest animals sang, we found ourselves endorsed in the melody that the nature conducted. We were listening to a concert that needed no fancy clothing and money to go on, and it was something we were enjoying as we watched the sun set.

"It's the best place to chase the sun, don't you think?", New said as he looked at the sun that was slowly setting down.

"Yes, you're right. Standing here, it feels like it's only within my reach."

"I'm grateful i'm spending my last moments here, with you. It almost feels like I'm already in heaven even when I haven't gone yet."

I couldn't say anything back as I didn't know how to react with New's words. It was a feeling I felt too, an ethereal moment sitting beside him as we watched the sun set in front of us, like a box-office film was playing right before our eyes and only us were given the tickets to an experience of a lifetime. Still, I couldn't shake off the feeling that like any other films, ours would also come to an end--an epilogue that sadly, won't be a happy ending.

"I don't know how I'll live my life after you're gone. I...I don't know, New.", My voice cracked as I talked. I couldn't bear looking at him because I felt like my tears would immediately fall down, so I tried my best to look still at the sun.

For a minute, he was silent. Not a word came out of our mouths, just the water from the river gushing rapidly as the current intensified. Then, I felt his fingers intertwine with mine, and my heart fluttered just like every time he held my hand.

"Do you still remember why I think of you as my sun? I can't remember the exact words, but I see you as my sun because you're the center of my universe, and I'm a moon that relies solely on the love that you give me."

"Like any other heavenly bodies nestled in the night sky, I am but a moon that will soon cease to shine. And that's a pill I had a hard time swallowing, but now have digested."

"Don't you still get it, Love? You're the sun because you're supposed to live even when a star goes dim. You're a sun regardless of the number of stars on the sky, and you're still the sun even when the moon no longer shines. When the time comes and my existence here on Earth becomes but a memory, you'll continue to rise and bring light to everyone, just like you did to me."

My tears fell before I could even stop it. It wasn't a tumultuous cry that expressed my sheer frustration, but rather a silent weeping of acceptance. No matter how much I denied it, he was right. I hated that he was right, but he always was, and in the end I was again left with no choice but to give credence to the truth that he mouthed. 

"You're right, you always are. But right now, let's just enjoy the paradise that stands before us before it becomes a memory.", I said as I wrapped my arms around him.

Just then, New coughed and looked at me weakly. I looked back at him, and noticed that his hand was covered with blood.

All the blood in my body went dry the moment I saw his hand, a sinister moment that I never prepared myself for.

"I guess i'm really nearing my time now, huh?"