Best Part of Me

34

We were on the way to somewhere I don't know. Dito daw kami magkikita ng sinasabi ni Jordan, and I swear if it was someone I hated, I would really kill this guy beside me.

He parked the car infront of a coffee shop, he opened the door for me so I followed him inside.

"Sinasabi ko sayo Jordan pag yan hindi ako natuwa--" Napatigil ako sa pagsasalita ng tumigil kami sa isang lamesa.

I froze from where I was standing when our eyes met. My mouth gaped open and my eyes widen, she was looking at me sadly, my eyes started to blur so I immediately avoided her eyes and looked somewhere.

"I'll leave the two of you here." Paalam ni Jordan at iniwan na kaming dalawa. I don't know how to act, or what to do.

"Hija." She called me, a tear escaped from my eyes so I immediately wiped it. I looked at her and saw her eyes were still sad.

"G-goodmorning, ma'am." I greeted her. She smiled at me sadly and pointed the chair infront of me. I slowly sat down, avoiding her eyes.

I just can't bare seeing it. It felt like guilt was eating me over and over again.

"K-kamusta?" She asked me, it was evident that she was nervous. I bowed my head and pressed my lips to stop myself from crying.

"I'm sorry." I apologized. She suddenly held my hand, and pressed it gently, she smiled but I saw tear escaped from her eyes.

"I know you never want it to happen, I know you're also having a hard time dealing with it. But... B-but I don't think I could ever live knowing my husband was murdered. I... I d-deserve justice." I sniffed and tears started to flow from my eyes endlessly.

"P-please, help me." She begged. I covered my mouth to stop myself from crying loud.

I thought that letting go of everything would save me. I decided to let go, and just move on, and start all over again. But I realized that was selfish. I was moving on but someone has still been dealing with it, and still stucked into moment.

"M-ma'am, I'm sorry, I lost the evidences." I admitted, she looked surprised, pain, disappointment and sadness were evident in her eyes. She looked down and nodded her head, she smiled warmly and wiped her tears.

She looked so devastating hearing those words, she was filled with pain and I could feel it because I was feeling the same. My guilt was consuming me fully and it dominated my system.

"But we're working on it." Mabilis siyang napatingin sa akin sa sinabi ko. She looked very puzzled so it was my turn to press her hand and smile at her.

"We were working on the murder case. We just need some evidences." I assured her, I saw her face lits up. Jordan and I were actually working on it before, he promised to help me get enough evidences, we just stopped when I decided to stop and let go of everything. We're almost there, and I'm sure we can continue doing it again.

"Thank you!" She suddenly stood up and hugged me tight. She was crying, good thing that there was no other costumer here than us. I hugged her back and smiled at her.

She sat beside me and held my hand.

"Ashton didn't know I went here to see you." She said.

It's been a year since I heard that name again. My heart instantly pounded really fast just hearing his name. His mother suddenly bowed her head and smiled sadly.

"Since you came to his life, I saw how his world lit up once again. We were devastated by the loss of his father, we grew apart from each other, but since you came, he suddenly started telling stories again on how you took care of me, and how you made him laugh with stupid things. It honestly became my therapy, his smiles, his funny stories, and his positivity brought back my sanity." I couldn't contain my emotions anymore, my eyes started to produce tears again as my heart clenched from pain.

God, I miss him so much.

"I... I j-just want to see him smile once again. T-that's one of the reason why I came to see you." I avoided her eyes and bitterly smiled.

"I-if you went here to convince me to talk with him again, I'm sorry ma'am I don't think that would happen." Inunahan ko na siya.

"If you won't see him now, I don't think you'll ever had the chance again." Muli akong napatingin sa kanya, I was in desperate need of explanation, what did she just said? She said those words with too much sadness, and grief.

"W-what do you mean? Is he going somewhere?" I asked nervously. What if he decided to migrate and went abroad for good? Won't I be able to see him again? She suddenly avoided my eyes.

"H-he's..." Hindi niya maituloy ang kanyang nais sabihin, kada ibubukas niya ang bibig niya ay bigla siyang napapatigil. It looks like she wanted to tell something but just stopping herself.

"He's what?" I asked impatiently.

"Zoe..." She called me. I was waiting for it, I was just staring at her, waiting for the bomb to be dropped at me.

Tears started to fell from her eyes again. Her eyes were in deep sorrow, and sadness.

"Ashton is terminally ill."

I was right. It was a bomb.

It felt like a bomb just exploded right infront of me. It made me deaf, and I felt everything in me just collapsed. It was like a cold water splashed over me to wake me up from a dream, it was totally unexpected and I don't know how would I be able to deal with it.

"H-he's what?" I asked, confirming if I heard it correctly.

"He has stage 3 cancer, his condition is getting worse day by day. I... I don't want to say this, but I don't want you to feel the regret of losing someone without seeing him for one last time."

I immediately stood up and massaged my temple.

"P-please stop lying." I tried to deny everything but my tears just won't stop flowing. I was literally trembling from fear.

Fearing that everything she said was true and I don't know what to do if it is.

"D-do you want to see him?" She asked again.