That Golden Boy: Collection of Random Short Stories

51: PARALLEL UNIVERSES: UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN

The pale full moon shone like a silvery circular pendant in the night, oozed by the blanket of stars that stretched to infinity.

"A magnificent scenery it is. Isn't it?" I turned down my gaze to the man whom I love the most. His eyes popping against mine.

"Among the stars up above, your eyes seemed to possess the highest apparent brightness—hypnotizing me to enter those doors into your deepest thoughts and into the depths of your soul," he earnestly said.

My heart lept after hearing those words from him. "Bigla-bigla ka talagang babanat ano?" Marahan kong dinunggol ng aking kamao ang balikat niya.

He gave me a wide, sweet smile. "Just trying to make you smile. I love you so much my baby..." I felt his kiss on my forehead. "Is there anything that bothers you?"

"Laurence, hindi kasi mawala-wala sa isip ko yung mga napapanaginipan ko nitong mga nakaraan." Dinama ko ang lamig ng hangin habang pareho naming pinagmamasdan ang liwanag ng langit dito sa rooftop.

"Like what Claire?" He snaked his arms around my waist. "Yung una, may humahabol sa'kin. Ako rin siya Laurence. Gets mo ba?" Maski ako nawe-weird-uhan sa sarili ko.

"A doppelganger, I think?"

"Oo, iyon nga. Tapos meron ding naglalakad ako sa bakuran namin, dapit-hapon na 'yon tapos pagtingala ko may eight full moons sa langit. Naka-align pa nga e. Ang galing ko 'di ba? Nabilang ko pa." Pagmamalaki ko na ikinatawa naman niya.

"Minsan kasi subukan mo ring mag-research ng mga napapanaginipan mo...." He held my hand. "May naalala tuloy ako..." Interesante akong humarap sa kaniya. "Do you believe that there's really another you out there?" he asked.

"Parang narinig ko na 'yan dati...Pero sa tingin ko baka meron nga. Binisita nga ako sa panaginip 'di ba?" pagbibiro ko.

"That's one of the concepts of Parallel Universes baby. It's the idea that there's another universes with different versions of ourselves, different histories and alternate outcomes, than our own." Ano kayang buhay ko sa ibang universe kung totoo ngang mayroon niyan?

"Sa tingin mo ba Laurence, sa ibang universe tayo pa rin?" I asked him with great curiousity then he nodded automatically. "Wherever universe you are, I'll search for you baby...."

***
"But how could you start a search if you're already gone?" My eyes seemed to be so dried because of endless melancholy.

He didn't made it. He didn't survived. He died because of a car accident.

My world stopped spinning with the thought, that he'll never come back again. I spent years with him, it seems like there's a piece of me that's now missing.

Hinalikan kong muli ang larawan niya habang nakatitig sa buwan na naging saksi ng aming pagmamahalan. Nami-miss ko na siya, gusto ko na muling makita ang mga ngiti niya, mahagkan ang kaniyang mga yakap at halik na magmula ngayo'y hindi ko na muling mararamdaman pa.

Dahil kahit anong pagpipigil ng isip ko, at pagtanggi ng aking puso hindi no'n mababago ang katotohanan na narating na namin ang dulo. Dulong naging sanhi ng pagkawasak ko...

Then suddenly, I felt a searing pain 'round in my head making my eyes squeezed to shut with penetrating agony.

I saw my doppelganger again, she's striding fast into my direction that made me scream badly until the scene became buzzy like that of a movie transition. I'm staring now again at the eight moons perfectly aligned beyond the pinkish sky.

My body's shaking from a great state of shock.

I held my breath and then moments later, I found myself facing my cabinet at my bedroom.