Heartstrings

| last string |

VII.

"Ano na, Ina! Male-late na ako! Saan mo ba kasi inilagay 'yong dress? Isa na nga lang 'yon, e!" inis kong sigaw sa kapatid ko na naghahalukay sa tila lumang baul.

"Ito na kasi, ito na! Ikaw na mag-plantsa ha!" aniya sabay hagis sa mukha ko ng dress.

Sinipa ko siya agad palabas ng kuwarto at isinuot ang dress. Bakit fitted!?

Busy ako sa paga-apply ng light make-up at pagkukulot sa buhok ko nang marinig ko ang ringtone message ng phone ko.

Clair:
Nagpapaganda ka pa yata?

Jazz:
Hindi ikaw 'yong ikakasal, ha.

Via:
Girlll, baka maunahan ka pa ng bride sa pagdating.

I didn't bothered replying to their messages. Nagmadali na agad ako at kinuha ang aking pouch na wala namang halos laman.

"Ay, teh? Saan ka galing?" salubong sa akin ni Sayi.

Iniharang ko ang mukha ko sa kanila dahil alam kong pagpye-piyestahan na ang mukha kong mayroong kolorete. Inabutan ako ng tissue ni Val na mukhang stressed, nag-away kasi yata sila ni Clair.

I shoo them away and headed immediately to the spot where I was going to sing.

When I heard the familiar melody, I closed my eyes for a second and feel the cold microphone slightly touching my lips.

How long will I love you

As long as stars are above you

And longer if I can.

How long will I need you

As long as the seasons need to

Follow their plan.

From this distance.. I can see how Gil's lips curved to form a genuine smile. And when the door opened and his bride came out from it, I saw the tears in his eyes.

How long will I be with you

As long as the sea is bound to

Wash up on the sand

How long will I want you

As long as you want me to

And longer by far.

He's happy.

And I'm sincerely happy for him, without lying and trying, without finding a trace of bitterness I used to taste at the tip of my tongue by just saying those words.

How long will I hold you

As long as your father told you,

As long as you can

How long will I give to you

As long as I live through you.

I can't hear the sound of my own voice but the sound of some strings connecting was audible in my ears.

It's a new strings.. stronger than the strings we attached to ourselves because this time, it was unbreakable.

The strings I used to hold on to? It's now invisible in my eyes. All I can see is them.. the red string of their love.

I wanted to write a letter to my past self about the things she overcame, the scars that's now healed.. that she's now free from ties, from painful memories. I wanted to say how much she'd grown into a better person and that her present self was proud of her.

When I sang that song and saw him connecting the strings I broke with her, slowly and little by little, I realized that it's really over.  And there is one thing that finally rush down to my system.. I'm not holding on to the person. I'm holding on to the connection.. to the precious memories I shared with him.

By this time.. I can now move on and bid farewell to the pain.. to my almost.

Hearts will get wither for having broken strings but it will soon grow and bloom again when another string gets attached to it. It might show a different color, an unfamiliar sound of its pumping, but trust me.. it's much better.