|Chapter 10: Father|
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|KADENA CHAIN|
I stared into space for a while after calming my nerves down until I feel the need to go back.
It's already dark and I am thankful that there are streetlights on the way out of the cemetery. If there's not, I don't know how to go back.
After crying out loud for minutes, I think the souls around that I can't see with my naked eyes are probably waiting for me somewhere for disturbing their peace. I shudder in cold with that thought in mind.
I pick up the small paper bag beside me as I bid goodbye to the two of them.
"I'm leaving. I might visit some other time," I weakly tell them as I walk away from the place.
I can feel how heavy my head and my eyes are after crying. I bet it's already puffy red, making it look like I have chinky eyes.
I breathe heavily and continue walking in silence.
I was too drowned in my thoughts that I accidentally bumped into someone as I cross right and pass the gate.
"I'm sorry," I apologize as I bow my head a bit.
I bit my lower lip as I raise my head to look at the person I bump into. The streetlight on both sides of the pathway comes in hand for me to recognize the person in front of me.
That I wish, it didn't.
"I'm sorry too. Are you alright?" His baritone voice booms around the corner of the place causing me to gulp down the lump in my throat.
"I-I'm fine. Excuse me-," I tell him and am about to continue walking when he blocks my way.
"Wait!" My heart starts to pound loudly inside my chest as I clench my fist into a ball.
My knuckles turning white, I supposed.
"I need to go, Sir. Excuse me,"
I try to walk past him but he's so persistent and he blocks my way whenever I turn right and left. I stop and can't help but give him an annoyed look.
"Wait, young lady. I don't know but you're familiar with me. Have we met before?"
His question strikes something inside me. Something that I can't disclose to anybody.
I shake my head and look at him with a stern look.
"I don't know you, Sir. Can you please let me go now?" I ask him, trying my best not to sound disrespectful.
"But-,"
"Excuse me," he doesn't have a choice when I half run, half walk to escape from him.
I don't even want to talk to him a bit. He's so persistent!
I'm catching my breath when I stop at a nearby waiting shed after leaving the cemetery. I clench my shirt over my chest as I try to calm myself.
"That's close," I breathed out.
I exhale and inhale until my breathing comes back to normal. I even fan myself using my hands as it feels kind of hot. Sweats roll down my back from my neck.
The tension all over my body disappear as I calmed down.
I don't even know why I reacted that way. I just know, I needed to be out of his sight. To be out from getting him, recognizing me as someone I know too well.
"Who will he visit at this kind of time?" I ask myself as I look back in the direction of the cemetery behind me.
Does he know?
I silently ask myself.
I sigh and look at the few stars above me. I bit my lower lip as I take a seat on the bench beside me. It seems like my energy ran out after meeting that old man. He's not that old but I think he's in his 50's.
Like my mother.
I rest for minutes until I decided to grab a cab to the hospital. I reached the hospital, safe.
Time checked ten-thirty PM.
"Foren," I call her name as I walk inside Chazer's room.
He will be discharged soon. I think, the day after tomorrow. Real quick.
"Hey...," I look around and find her resting on the couch in the middle of the room.
"How is he?" I ask her while walking near her.
I glance at Chazer who's already sleeping on his bed. He no longer has something in his hand. I'm glad.
"He's okay, thank God. By the way, where did you go?" She asks as she yawns making me see how her mouth opens like a lion. It's so big.
Kiddin'.
"I visited Mom and my brother. And I want to tell you something," I immediately take a seat beside her on the couch as I lean sideways on its backrest.
"You cried," it's not a question but a statement.
She looks into my eyes. Even if the room's a bit dark, the light coming from the moon outside the window behind her helps us see each other in the dark.
I roll my eyes at her as I fix myself to tell her what happened before I went here.
"It's nothing. You know who I bumped with at the cemetery?" I ask her, trying to find words to say to her.
Because I feel like my brain can't function well after my interaction with that man.
"Obviously I don't, Kad. I was here the whole time," I squint my eyes as I look at her in irritation.
She just can't stop her mouth from breaking the atmosphere and being sarcastic as hell. But, never mind.
"I met him, Foren. After years of looking at him on the television, I've met him first hand," my voice is shaking and I know she knows how tensed I am right now.
She holds my hands and grips them tightly. Giving me the courage that I need to continue.
"I mean, yea. It's been years but it feels... Surreal~ Foren, I met him," this time, she pulls me to give me a hug that I needed in times like this.
Tears cascade down my face as I tremble in too many emotions that I'm feeling at this moment.
I'm crying, again.
When do I stop crying?
"Did he recognize you?" She softly asks as I sniff on her shoulder.
My cheek resting on hers. My tears are still flowing from my eyes. I can't help but be emotional and confused at the same time.
"No, not me...," I whisper in her ears.
"My mother is," I tell her as a new batch of tears freely flows down my face.
"Oh, silly me. How did I forget that he doesn't know your existence?"
We chuckled after what she said.
Yes. I met my father just earlier in the cemetery. I don't know how will I react the moment I recognized him when I bumped into him.
I was too nervous that I didn't know I acted that way. Tensed about how will I act in front of him. I yearned to be able to meet him one day and it doesn't help that I came from a breakdown.
I didn't know what to do. I feel lost.
"He looks handsome. My father looks handsome," I blurt out as Foren continuous to caress my back.
I look and act like a kid who was deprived of going out from home.
"Shh, it's okay. It's okay," I close my eyes as I feel hot liquids run down my cheeks.
"I want to tell him he's my father. I badly want to tell him he had twins from my mother. Me, as his daughter, and my brother as my twin. Yet, why does it needs to be this hard?"
I cried and cried on her shoulders that night until I fell asleep from crying so hard.
I woke up from the noise coming from my left.
I slowly open my eyes and wait for them to adjust to the light in the room. I can hear Foren's voice talking to his son who's also laughing his ass out.
First thing in the morning they're too noisy!
"Morning, Tita Kad!"
A smile automatically etched on my lips as my little boy Chazer greets me after getting up from the couch. I bet Foren gave me a blanket yesterday night as I get it out from my body.
"Morning~,"
I greet them as I get inside the bathroom while yawning.
I look at the mirror in front of me after washing up. I blink and stare at my reflection. My eyes are puffy red, but not that much already. It lessens probably because I slept for hours. My nose is a bit red as well as my cheeks.
I sigh and wash my face again. Trying to shake the scenes of what happened yesterday.
What a nice happy birthday, Kadena Chain Crimson.
What a day.
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Note: How are you after reading? Kidding, I hope you enjoyed it. Thank you!