CLAYTON is currently resting under a narra tree in the back of the BSU gymnasium. He was now lying on the grass where he had turned his left arm into a pillow. His tutor class just ended, and he still has one hour vacant. He opened his eyes when he felt someone approaching.“Why is my boyfriend frowning, huh?” Barbara asked, who was now massaging his forehead. She was on the side of his head as he knelt to level his face.He didn’t answer.“Hey! What are you thinking?” she added.His mind has been racing with possibilities over the last few days. Particularly in their relationship. He still couldn’t get out of his mind what he and her father had talked about. And until now he does not tell this to his girlfriend.Not seeing Barbara for a day made him almost crazy, what more if her father took her to another country just to take her away from her? That was too much for him.“N-nothing,” he answered, frugal. Then closed his eyes again.As long as Barbara loves him, he’s not afraid of h
“WHY are you always looking up at the night sky?” Clayton consciously asked Barbara when they decided to go for a walk on the beach.“Clay, how often does a shooting stars occur?” Barbara asked back out of nowhere.Clayton stopped and looked up at the night sky. “About one every ten minutes is the normal rate for them to be seen, I guessed. Why did you ask?”“Does wishing upon a star make your wishes come true?”“Seeing a meteor was thought to be a sign of hope, luck, and fortune. So, yes! I believe it will make your dream come true.”Barbara closes her eyes as she started to whisper her wish.“Love and peace,” she whispered three times when she saw a shooting star appeared unexpectedly in the night sky.Clayton smiled when he heard what Barbara was whispering so he looked up at the night sky, closed his eyes, and said his girlfriend’s wish as well three times while the star remained visible.____________________“HAPPY third monthsary!” Randall said as they finally reached the top of
AFTER Randall saw Barbara’s sketch, he hurried home to his condo to look for Barbara and Clayton’s sketch he also hid for almost six months before Meredith’s debut came.He even consulted with the good facial detectors at the facial recognition center in the country but he failed. He didn’t find any database about Barbara and Clayton.His hands were shaking as he compared his and Meredith’s copies of Barbara’s sketch. And there’s no doubt, they dreaming of the same person.So, Meredith had known Barbara all along? How? Why do they both dreaming about her? What do they have to do with Clayton and Barbara’s love affair? Who are they really? He turned his fingers into a fist. He couldn’t accept the fact that their nightmare will haunt them again when he and Meredith are now happy and contented with their lives.He needs someone who can help him find the reason of Barbara’s suicide.‘What about Clayton? Is Meredith also dreaming about him?’ his conscience asked.He shook his head. If Me
A WEEK later Randall got a phone call from Eilyas.“Is there any update?” he asked as he answered the call.“I have all the information you need right now.”He closes his eyes for a moment. Can he accept whatever the result is? What if it leads to a misunderstanding between him and Meredith?“Dude, are you still there?”He came back to his senses when he heard his friend’s voice.He swallowed the lump in his throat. “Yeah! Let’s meet at our old hang-out place. “Okay,” Eilyas responded before hanging up the call.“DUDE, I think you and Meredith are really the reincarnated souls of Clayton and Barbara.”“H-how did that happen?”Eilyas handed him the brown envelope. “Everything you need to know is inside that envelope.” When Randall opened it, the first thing that caught his eyes was a ripped and old photo of a girl sitting on the sofa. Barbara.That’s the woman he sees in his dreams. Behind that, he could clearly see the bed that he thought was in a room or condo where that photo was
WHEN Randall arrived at his condo, he immediately hugged his wife. He could no longer hide his tears and sobs. He was very afraid that if he let go of her, she would also disappear. And he didn’t want them to end up like Barbara and Clayton.“Randall, w-what’s going on? Why are you crying?” Meredith asked after breaking their hugs.“I-I already know the reason why Clayton and Barbara keep appearing in our dreams. Clayton is—”“Shhh. . .” She stopped what he wanted to say.She held both of his cheeks and gently wiped away his tears. “You don’t have to tell me if you can’t.”“But—”“If I find out about Barbara and Clayton’s history, will it change our lives?” she asked. “Randall, if you think your findings are going to hurt both of us, maybe it’s better if we just forget all about it,” she added when she didn’t get any response from him.He was stunned for a moment. Surely the relationship between the two of them will be destroyed. And that is something he does not want to happen. Tha
“WHO told you to tamper with my other stuff, huh? I told you to get my wallet only,” Meredith’s mother yelled angrily as she stormed into the room, hastily grabbing the photo and placing it back in the box.”“I-it fell while I was searching for your wallet, mom. I had no intention of tampering with your other stuff.“But you still shouldn’t tamper with things that aren’t yours! Get out of my room now and buy what I’m asking you to buy!” Mrs. Ebelte said, tremblingly returning the contents of the box.“Mom, are you okay? You’re shaking.”“I said get out of my room, now!”Meredith just did what her mother wanted and didn’t ask anymore about what she saw. She couldn’t understand why her mother suddenly reacted like that. Who’s the man in the photo and the baby he was holding?A few hours later, Meredith returned to their shop and didn’t talk to her mother. She was afraid of being yelled at again. Until her mother approached her. “I-I’m sorry if I yelled at you earlier. I-I didn’t mean t
“W-WHAT did you say?” Mrs. Briones asked.“Randall!” Ranier interfere.The Abuela looked at her son as if he was the one to blame why Randall found out about Barbara.“Did Dad tell you anything about her?” he asked.Randall shook his head. “No one told me about her.”Ranier and Mrs. Briones looked at each other, perplexed by what was going on.He knelt in front of his Abuela and held her hand. “I’m sorry!"The old lady frowned. “W-why are you apologizing, grandson?”“Barbara died because of me. . .”“Grandson. . . what are you saying I-I don’t get you.”He closed his eyes, causing all of his tears to fall. Randall couldn’t understand himself at the moment, either. He no longer appears to be the one speaking. “Because of my fear, she was able to take her own life—”“Randall! This is not the right time for you to make up stories,” Ranier retorted fiercely.“No, Dad! I’m not creating a story! Everything that happened to Barbara and Clayton was witnessed by me!” he said, surprising his fa
“THIS place. . . It seems familiar to me.” Meredith said when Randall took her to a park where Christmas Lantern was now being held.Every year, that place is opened for families that want to spend Christmas together. And she had never been there before.'Barbara and Clayton used to go there on Christmas day,’ Randall wanted to voice out but he didn’t.“Did you like it?” he asked instead.“Of course! I like this place! It’s so beautiful!”“Like you,” he added.She narrowed her eyes at him. “Are you collecting our debt that’s why you’re flattering me so much?”“Debt? I don’t recall you owing me anything.” “Hey! I’m not joking around here.”“Are we going to fight over that matter again?”“But—”“Fine! If that makes you feel better, then just pay the interest so you don’t have to worry about it anymore.”She turned to face him right away. “Interest? I thought you weren’t going to charge us interest on our debt?”“I’m sorry to inform you, but I’ve changed my mind.”She folded her arms. “