Chapter 23

23 DRENCHED BY DOLOR ARIEL’S POV Luke and I stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity, and I noticed a woman sitting close to him, deep in prayer. It wouldn’t be a bad idea if he joined her. He needed to pray too, so God could give him a sense of how to handle situations in his life.

By the way, I wondered why he was at the hospital. The expression on his face wasn’t reassuring, and I must admit, this was the first time I had seen him like this. Or was it? I couldn’t recall.

I continued to gaze at Luke, but he shifted his gaze away from me, and I followed suit without hesitation.

“Ma’am, please have a seat. We’re already taking care of that little girl. She will be alright; there is no need to worry,” the nurse assured me. She was the one who directed me to this bench.

“Could you find me another place to sit? I don’t think I’ll be too comfortable here,” I said to the nurse, though my eyes remained fixed on Luke. He also looked at me, aware of what I was referring to.

“I’m afraid the other chairs are occupied. Please, ma’am, just sit here,” the nurse gestured towards the bench.

“Thank you, but I’d rather stand,” I replied, crossing my arms.

“Are you sure about that, ma’am?” the nurse inquired.

“Yes, don’t worry. You can go now.” I smiled at her, and she returned the gesture before walking away.

I turned to Luke once again, and he quickly averted his gaze. He didn’t want me to know he had been staring at me the whole time..

DRUNCHED BY LO “What brought you here, anyway?” I asked Luke, but he didn’t respond. Either he heard me and chose to ignore me, or his mind was elsewhere, “I asked you a question, mister.” I spoke up loudly, and he looked at me immediately.

“Are you talking to me?” He asked, pointing at himself.

“Who else does it look like I’m talking to?”

“Oh, sorry, what were you saying?” He raised an eyebrow.

“Nevermind,” I replied in a hushed tone.

A man approached us, tears streaming down his face, and he kneeled down beside the woman who had been praying moments ago.

“What’s wrong, Simon? Why are you crying?” the woman asked, resting her hand on his cheek.

“He’s… he’s… he’s no more, Martha,” the man replied, his words barely coming out of his mouth. “Terry is gone; he’s dead.”

Hearing the news, the woman burst into tears. They held each other’s hands and drowned in sorrow. I wanted to cry just watching them.

LUKE’S POV As these two shed tears, a surge of pain went through my heart. This was indeed a sad moment losing someone you loved so much. It reminded me of the time my parents died. Back then, I was completely broken. The people who loved and cherished me the most had left me, and at in sorrow, and felt like there was no need to live that moment, I was filled with pain, trapped in sorrow, anymore.

My father was my role model. He was one in a million, the best out of thousands, and the star that shone the brightest among all others. My mother, too, was the best–a lovely character as beautiful as her face. She was one of a kind, and the love she gave me has been unmatched since she died. She was my diamond and my angel.

OPENCHED BY DOLOR The couple walked away in tears, leaving just me and Ariel at the scene. Ariel couldn’t take her eyes off them, and I knew she felt really sorry and could burst into tears any minute. She was still the soft Ariel I knew five years ago, although she was trying to act extremely vigorously.

I did nothing but watch Ariel. Tears were about to come out of her eyes, but she held herself together and sat down, not close to me.

We both stayed quiet for minutes, with no one talking to each other. I had no idea who she was waiting for, but it wasn’t someone she loved that much that I knew for sure.

I let out a deep sigh, closed my eyes, and leaned the back of my head against the wall. It was time to go and check on Harriet. I had spent too much time in the hospital, don’t you think?

I stood up and couldn’t help but notice how Ariel looked at me. But I walked away from her and made my way to the room where Harriet was. She had finally regained consciousness. I was really glad to see her eyes open once again.

I slowly opened the door and walked inside the room in the same manner.

“Luke?” Harriet uttered it softly. I could barely hear her, as she was really weakened by what had happened to her.

I sat on the edge of the bed, our eyes locked, and I gently held her hands. “Why, Harriet? Why did you have to do such a thing? You almost gave me a heart attack.”

She sighed, looking in her direction for a moment before turning to me. “You made it clear to me that it was over, so I felt like there was no need to live in this world anymore.”

“Don’t say that.” I gently caressed her cheek. “Please don’t think like that. You have every reason to live, even if I’m not with you.”

“I’m not so sure about that.” Harriet said it faintly, with a pained smile on her face. “I love you so much, Luke. But I’m sorry; I know I messed up big time. Please, I’m really, really sorry.”

“No, no, it’s okay.” I held her hands tightly together, gently rubbing her forehead. “I’m the one who should be apologizing here. The whole thing was all my fault. If I were a better boyfriend and treated you nicely, you wouldn’t have done that. If I had given you love and affection, you wouldn’t have go ahead and done such a thing.‘

C “Who said you weren’t giving me love and affection?” Harriet kept her fragmented smile. You were treating me nicely; you’re one of the best boyfriends I’ve ever seen.”

“Come on now, Harriet, don’t lie to yourself, and don’t lie to me as well. I knew I caused so much pain, both directly and indirectly. I threw our love into an ocean, but I’m ready to dive into that water and bring those feelings back.” I held her hand really tight, lost in at moment of both mirth and despondency.

“So that means you want us to get back together?” Harriet asked softly.

you “Of course. I’d really love it if things went back to the way they were. When I first met you, I felt the powerful connection we had back then. The lively spirit and heavenly conversations. I promise to always put a smile on your face.”

“Thanks, Luke,” she uttered, and we both gazed at each other for quite a long time. “I love you,” was what she said to break the silence.

“I love you too.” I kissed her forehead and slowly stood up. “I’ll be back, okay?”

“Okay.” Harriet nodded, and then I left the room.

I walked back to the bench where I was moments ago, but Ariel was not there anymore. I didn’t know why, but for some reason, I wanted her presence.