Introvspect

Chapter 6 (Unforgettable Memories)

Raphael frequently repeated his first encounter with Jasie in his mind.

It was a buoyant evening and the moonlight shone so brightly as he and his father were boarding a plane heading towards the capital city within the country of the Philippines.

His father was a widower as his mother died regretfully from a battle against breast cancer. It happened two years after he was born as she was diagnosed too late.

She was just in her late twenties. Her own aunt suffered from the same demise but she was much older when she had.

Raphael did not know her mother that well but he at least felt her warmth and love before she died.

That hazy memory of her gentle touch and soothing voice became a sort of motivation for him to move on and not be sad about it.

His father deeply mourned for her as she was his first and last love.

Her dying wish was for both of them to be happier than they were and to consider her life as a blessing even though how short it might have been.

They should condition their minds that people came and go and it was her time to leave.

On the other hand, it was their time to meet new people and live like they were living her life for her as if she was still there.

His father decided to enjoy every moment with his only son, to travel whenever they could.

He met his wife right at the airport from where they had landed from the same plane.

She was standing by the baggage carousel and as their eyes met, both of them could not resist each other. It was love in first sight.

They were both young and lonely and there they found each other. Both of them loved travelling alone as they were already working adults at 21 years old.

She was a freelance journalist while he was a professional photographer.

Raphael still did not understand their connection from that time as a little innocent boy.

As they boarded the plane at 11:11 pm and went towards their assigned seats in the economy class, Raphael wanted to sit in the middle as it was more comfortable and his father was by the window.

Right then, he saw that the seats beside them were occupied by a single family. The boy who was sitting next to him near the aisle was interacting with his younger sister at the other side.

She had that endearing smile that completely melted him on the spot.

Raphael focused on her throughout the flight while his father was taking a nap. He only was able to give side glances since her brother was either blocking his view or eyeing him suspiciously.

They briefly had their snack, that of a bread with corned beef filling and they could choose either a glass of water or a cup of coffee to go with it. Water should be more beneficial.

A few moments later, the plane was going through a turbulence and as he looked outside through the window, he saw that the city lights from below were sparkling like glitters in the dark abyss.

He looked at the girl who was slowly drifting to sleep and he could not afford to close his eyes.

They were already approaching the airport and landed smoothly.

The seat belt light turned off indicating that they were ready to depart from the plane. People were starting to get their hand carry baggage from the above compartments.

His father stood up from his seat and carried him down to stand beside him while holding his hand.

Raphael saw that the girl was right next to him holding her mother's hand. Her older brother was busy helping their father.