Love after Death

Chapter 10

7 YEARS AGO

"Sweetie!!!! Sweetie!!! Come here...." The young woman, Monique, turned her attention to the voice coming from the doorway. It was the woman who had raised her for eleven years as though she were her daughter. "Hurry up, Monique... The call will die!!" the woman added in a frantic tone. Monique paused her writing and walked toward the door of her room, puzzled yet amused by the voice she had heard from the woman. "Wave, hurry!!" The woman instructed, and Monique faced the phone screen, smiling at the man on the other side, but the surprise hit her when she recognized who it was.

"Hello," Monique greeted shyly but with a smile, glancing at the woman who had been grinning from ear to ear, clearly overjoyed to speak with the man on the screen. "How are you?"

"How many times should I tell you not to use 'po' with me?" the man on the other side of the screen responded, laughing. Instead of answering her question, he tossed a question back at her. "How are you? I heard you fainted again?"

"Hmmn, sorry..." Monique replied with a lowered gaze and then raised her eyes. Her bashfulness added to her beauty, one of the reasons Liam had been driven crazy about her. "But I'm fine now," she added quickly to assure him, aware that both Liam and Michael didn't like it when she said those words without a real reason.

"As we said, you should see a doctor, but my sweetie is stubborn and doesn't want to," the woman interjected into the conversation, which caused Monique to look at her.

She turned back to the phone screen as the man called her name, "Monique..." His voice was teasing as he stretched her name out.

"I'm fine," Monique insisted but was interrupted.

"Monique." He said sharply again, causing her to fall silent. "You have to see a doctor, okay? I'll be mad at you if you don't get checked out." He pouted, looking away as if trying to hide his worry. "Alright! We have a new patient. I just had to call. I might come home in two days." He looked to the side as someone spoke to him off-screen, and realizing he had to wrap up the call, he added, "Monique, see a doctor tomorrow. I can't take care of it because I'm needed here. Is that clear? I'll be upset with you."

Monique nodded again with a smile, feeling a little guilty but amused by his genuine care.

The woman beside Monique spoke up once more, "Take care of yourself, Michael. Don't skip meals, okay? It's bad for your health." She smiled lovingly at her son, who just scrunched his face and ended the call.

Turning back to Monique, the woman said, "Did you hear what your brother said? So tomorrow, before you go to school, we'll stop by the hospital, clear?" She held Monique's hand and continued, "Monique, my sweetie, don't overwork your mind with studying. As long as you finish school, that's enough for me. Medals and achievements aren't as important as your health."

"I love you, my sweetie," she said and kissed Monique on the cheek. Monique smiled widely at the affectionate gesture.

"Thank you for caring. I love you too," Monique replied, pulling the woman into a tight embrace, almost as though it were the last time she could give such a hug. She pulled away and held the woman's hands. "I'll make sure to repay you with my best efforts. I promise to do everything I can to finish my studies." Her emotions overwhelmed her as she spoke, and it was hard to hide the sorrow that suddenly filled her heart. "Mama?"

For the first time, she called her 'Mama.' The woman, who had always treated her as her daughter, was taken aback, her eyes filled with tears of joy.

"You called me mama?" the woman asked, almost crying with happiness. Monique nodded, wiping away the tears on her cheeks.