Chapter 34

(VANGIE'S POV)

"Oh, why aren't those grandmas here yet? It looks like they enjoyed the outing a lot." I said to myself as I folded Aling Susan's blanket and arranged her clothes.

I would have liked her to find that her bed and things were in order when she and Nasher arrived. I'm excited to talk to him again. They were gone for almost two days at the hospital to go for a walk, while I was left here alone and just milked.

I heard from a nurse that they are returning to the hospital today. So I meditated outside the room while still holding a glass of hot milk.

"Hello, good morning!" I greet the people I meet one by one, be it patients, doctors or nurses. Because I can't wait to see the two of them and my thoughts about them have accumulated in my mind.

"Nurse. Lea, are they still there?" I asked the beautiful nurse Lea who had a desire for Nasher.

"Oh, they're not there yet. I'm really nervous, I hope they can return safely." It seemed that I was also suddenly nervous at what he said.

"What are you doing, Aling Susan's smile is sure to be ear-to-ear when they come back. So just calm down there, okay?" I just told him even though I was even more nervous than him.

"But," he suddenly stopped speaking with a look of doubt on his face.

"But?" I'm curious about him.

"I heard what the doctor told Nash, about his grandmother's condition." After that he told me about what he heard. I was so shocked that I accidentally dropped the glass I was holding and it broke on the floor.

I'm just drooling and my hands are shaking. Stage 4 brain cancer, that's his current condition. All he told me then was that he had diabetes but he didn't mention his real illness to me. I just found out that he is going through much worse than me.

You really can't see the mask behind a person's smile. In the days, weeks and months I spent with him in the hospital, I thought he was stronger than me. I thought he had a longer life than me. My heart is almost close to him. Even for a short time I considered him more than a friend. Whenever I find someone to lean on and talk to about a problem, they will take it back from me.

Tears suddenly fell from the corner of my eyes. I ran to our room and when I opened the door, I immediately came to his bed. Lately, I've been complacent that they're still happy to come. But now that I know about his real illness, I don't know how else to face him like this.

Dusk had come but they were still gone. I just sat on my bed and just looked at the door. I look forward to their arrival and if they do, I will hug him very tightly.

I can't rest anymore. Walk around inside the room and take a peek outside the door as well as by the window. I can't even sleep well thinking about them.

Is he okay? Why hasn't Nasher brought him here yet? my mind is confused. Whatever comes to my mind. I can't make up my mind until I see him all right.

All the patients I was with inside had fallen asleep. But my eyes and spirit are still awake. Because I couldn't sleep and was restless, I stood up first and went to the opposite door.

I slowly opened the door. I took a peek before going out. I went to the restroom and secretly took out the cellphone from the patient blouse I was wearing.

I immediately looked for Nasher's phone number in contacts and dialed. I was waiting for him to answer my call to him while my heart was beating faster and faster, because I was so nervous. But no matter what calls I make, he still doesn't answer it and is always unattended.

So I decided to just go back to our room and lie down on the bed. I just prayed that they would return safely and when I opened my eyes, he was the first thing I saw.

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"Which Susan?" I smiled almost from ear to ear when I saw him. I hugged him tightly while he caressed my back.

"Why are you here now? Where is Nasher? Oh, I'm going to tell that boy and you've been waiting for me for days." I said, but he just smiled and held both of my hands.

As I looked into his eyes, I felt something strange. I don't know but I feel sad.

"Hija, Vangie." He said and I seemed shocked by what he called me.

"Hey?" I asked with a hint of surprise on my face. He just smiled again and nodded his head. I just looked around us. I immediately wondered because we were not in the hospital and we were just in the middle of the forest.

I also bent down and looked at myself. I was very surprised to see that I returned to my virginity. Skin, body, hair, face and everything about me looked fourteen years old.

I looked at Aling Susan again and watched her from head to toe, back. I wonder why nothing has changed in him and why I am the only one who has changed form.

Until he gradually disappeared like ashes. I was confused by what was happening and tears started to fall in my eyes without realizing it.

"Wh-which Susan? w-what's going on with you guys?" I asked but he just smiled and disappeared completely.

"Which Susan!" I shouted while crying.

Until I realized it was all just a dream. When I woke up, I found myself crying and saying his name over and over again. When I noticed the sunrise, I suddenly got up and turned to his bed.

I noticed that his things were being removed from there, including his clothes that I had folded for him.

"Wait a minute! Where are you going to take Aling Susan's stuff? Are they coming back?" I stammered a question to a male nurse but he ignored me and they left the room carrying Aling Susan's things. When Nasher suddenly came inside, I immediately ran to him.

I looked at the heavy burden he was carrying. He was all black and his eyes were puffy. I could clearly see the sadness and depression on his face. I didn't want to think about anything so I held her hand and drew a smile on my lips.

"When did you come? Did you come last night? Or just now? By the way, where is Aling Susan and why are you removing her things? Maybe she will be moved to a bigger room and it will be cold? Hey, I really hope there is someone I'm a good nurse like you." I joked but instead of smiling, he just bowed and cried.

"Wait, Nasher. Why are you crying? Is there something wrong with what I said?" I said when he suddenly hugged me tightly, making me even more afraid and nervous.

"Oh my, you must have missed me too much, right? Did you miss this old woman's chatter and insults to you?" I said to him again but all I heard from him was heavy crying. So I couldn't speak anymore and buried my face in his shoulder.

"N-n... where is he, N-nash?" I forced myself to speak even though I didn't want to open my mouth.

"Aling Susana.. she's gone." He replied that my knees softened even more. I was so shocked that I almost collapsed. I sat on the floor and Nasher supported me. I pulled him over his long sleeves and he sat in front of me.

"W-why? How?... why did you leave him, Nash? You said, you'll only be gone for two days, right? b-why is that, Nash? s-Maybe, you're just fooling me? Wait, maybe he's out just him." I suddenly stood up and left the room. Nash followed me and held me by the arm.

"Which Susan? Which Susan, get out of there! I know you and Nash are just fooling me." I shouted and several nurses there as well as patients turned to me.

Until I saw Nurse Lea, she was crying while being hugged by her co-worker. I was just stunned and faced Nash. I held tightly to his arm and my chest seemed to tighten.

"Nash.. Nash.." I kept calling him as I struggled to breathe. Some nurses and doctors immediately came to us. Then I suddenly fell down and lost consciousness.

August 01, 2021 is the day I lost two women who were part of my heart. They are almost the only reason why I am always excited to go home and wait for the clock to turn. I've gotten used to it. After class, I go straight to the bakery and buy our favorite Spanish bread. Then I will run and rush inside the hospital.

"Which Susan! Which Vangie!" and as soon as I entered the room I was waving at them from the opposite side of the door. My day is always like that, but I'm not bored, but I'm even more excited to see them and talk.

But today, I don't know if I can wake up and get up in the morning after what happened. I don't know if I'll be okay, after all.

It's hard, very hard to forget the person who has been a part of your life. I almost considered them more like my family members, compared to my own blood relatives.

Today I just knelt on the ground and cried like a child. I don't care about my surroundings or what other people think of me. I feel so sad, even the sky is saddened by my feelings. I think I'm the saddest person in the world. I think, nothing will hurt more than what I feel. Almost as if I just wanted to join them and I kept blaming myself.

The graves of Aling Susana and Aling Vangie are currently being buried in the deepest soil. The day Aling Vangie found out about Aling Susan's death, he could hardly bear the sadness and eventually gave up.

Aling Susan even told me that if she were to disappear from this world, she wanted to give Aling Vangie all the money she had saved, just to add to her hospital expenses. And when I found his heart donor, he suddenly gave up.

I want to get angry and scream out loud. But I couldn't do it, I didn't even want to open my mouth and I just knelt on the ground. I can't stand, I can't move either. My whole body seemed to be numb because of the mixed emotions that accumulated in my chest.

Dad also repeatedly called me and forced me to stay away from their grave, but I was still stubborn and did not leave my place. Heavy rain poured down, the few who attended and sympathized. But I'm still on my knees and crying.

I was the only one there and soaked from the heavy rain. When suddenly someone came to me and sheltered me under his umbrella. I just looked up at him but I couldn't see his face clearly because of the tears forming in my eyes.

When she suddenly sat in front of me and that's when I realized that it was Furi. He was just looking at me while I was also looking into his eyes. Tears fell from my eyes and he wiped them away.

His arrival was perfect, because at those times I needed someone to lean on. I think my body is about to give up and whatever else is running through my mind I feel like I just want to disappear from this world.

But when he suddenly appeared in front of me, it was as if he had saved someone like me who was running out of hope to live. He hugged me and put me on his shoulder. There I poured all my feelings. I sobbed loudly and clung to his arm very tightly. But in those moments, my mood seemed to lighten and the weight in my chest lessened.

Which Susana, Which Vangie. She is the girl I wanted to introduce to you before. The woman who captured the heart of this young man of yours. What I said in my mind and the words I wanted to say in front of them, but what's the point if the two people I'm talking to are gone?

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It's been more than two weeks since Aling Vangie and Aling Susana were buried. I still almost miss them. I still go to their graves after our class and leave them their favorite Spanish bread.

Sometimes it's Sunday and I don't have school, I just hang out there and then I just talk to them like I used to do when I went to the hospital.

I will never get tired of visiting them and even if I go there every day I will not get tired. At least sometimes I fall asleep there and the night catches up. But it's okay, the important thing is that I can still be with them even though they are no longer in this world.

Until one day I suddenly met Furi while I was leaving the cemetery. We both looked at each other but I just bowed and avoided him. Not because I was ashamed, after I cried and sobbed in front of him that day. But because I don't want to look deeper for him. In addition to that, he already has a girlfriend, I don't want to ruin someone else's relationship even though sometimes I feel like I'm trying to convince myself to steal him.

However, I just tried to avoid and stay away from him. That's the only way I can think of so that neither of us get hurt.

But at that moment, he suddenly stopped me and held me by the arm. I stopped walking and turned to him.

"Nash," he called me softly. I just avoided looking at him and removed his hand that was clinging to me.

I just ignored him and passed by like the wind. But I stopped walking again when he called me by my name again.

"Nasher!" he said. I didn't look at him and I just let him come to me.

"Nasher, is there a problem? Did I do something wrong to you? Why are you acting like this?" I looked him in the eye and he was obviously angry with me.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Furi." I just told him and I avoided him again. Suddenly a bag hit my head. I stopped walking and grabbed my neck as I turned to him.

"What? Let's just fight! You thought, I'm not going to kill you, my friend? What? Are you afraid?" he challenged while his fists were ready and his two legs were separated as if he was challenging me to fight.

I just grinned and picked up his bag.

"That's right! You should always smile to make yourself even more beautiful!" he said so I just laughed as I reached for his bag.

"You know you," I didn't finish what I was going to say when he came closer to me.

"What? what? what?" he said as his face came closer to mine. I just fell in love with him and stared into his eyes.

"Gosh! You're a coward." After saying that he walked away from me shaking his bag. At that moment, my heart beat even faster. Nervous mixed with eagerness in my feelings. So when I called him by his name,..

"Furi."

"Oh?" just as he turned around, I took him by the arm and kissed him on the lips. He seemed shocked by what I did but I just didn't pay much attention and closed my eyes.

I expected him to push me away or push me away. But I can't believe it took more than ten seconds to apply our lips to each other. He didn't move from where he was standing and the expression on his face was still shocked. So I grabbed her behind and pulled her closer to me. With the strength of my superiority over him, he suddenly let go of his bag and grabbed my shoulders.

I stopped for a moment and watched his face. I just grinned when I saw his shocked expression and round eyes again. He just stared at me like a stake that didn't move. The second time I kissed her and kissed her lower lip. Until suddenly his hands moved and he moved a little closer to me. Because of that, I suddenly opened my eyes and it seems that now I am the one who is surprised and can't believe it. When I saw his eyes closed and his lips moving touching mine.

"Nash? hey, Nash! are you alright?" I seemed to suddenly come to my senses when I heard his voice and I just looked at him.

"Why are you going to be dumb and just stare at that? Come on!" he said as he grabbed my arm and pulled me.

currently Furi takes the young Nasher to a gotohan. The two of them sat at an empty table while Nasher observed everything around them.

"What kind of place is this?" he asked the girl with a trace of surprise on her face.

"Huh? what do you mean? don't say you just got here?" he said and the innocent young man just nodded his head. Furi grabbed her mouth and poked her cheek.

"Oh my gosh! is it true?"

"Yes why?"

"Wait a minute, are you really the Nasher I met?"

"Huh?" he wondered at the same time he just scratched his head.

"Tell me, who are you really?" he asked when the shopkeeper suddenly approached them and placed two bowls full of hot goto on the table.

"Thank you!" said the young woman to the old shopkeeper as she stood up and took two spoons.

"Or what are you waiting for? Don't say you've never tasted that." He told Nasher that he was just looking at the food and not even touching it.

"Huh? no. I know what it is." He pointed to a bowl of goto.

"Really? or come on, what is that? don't say it's rice soup." He said jokingly to the young man.

"Porridge?" he replied with one eyebrow still raised and as if he wasn't sure of what he answered. The girl laughed loudly and even hit the table, which is why Nasher was surprised when he grabbed the table that it might suddenly give way because of her.

"Why? What's so funny? Isn't it really porridge?" Nasher said to him with a serious face. The girl stopped laughing and picked up her spoon from the table again.

"This is not porridge, Nash. It's called goto."

"Yeah, I know."

"You know? Why did you answer earlier that it was porridge?" he asked but she didn't answer him and just took a spoonful of goto. The girl pursed her lips and tasted his goto too.

"But, do you know the difference between goto and porridge?" Furi said suddenly but he ignored her and was just busy with what he was eating.

"The porridge you're talking about is porridge. That's what our mothers often feed us when we're sick, isn't it? but you can only see it as goto in corners and in this kind of restaurant. But the porridge is white , as in plain rice only. It's like goto, mixed with toppings. There's pork, there's pepper, there's egg, there's liver, it's bloodied, just inside." After he said that, the young man suddenly stopped chewing and looked at him.

"Or why? Is yours lacking? Do you want us to add more toppings?" he said to him which surprised Nasher and he suddenly stood up.

"Where are you going? You haven't finished your food yet." He pointed to its bowl. Nasher just grabbed his mouth and ran outside while throwing up in the trash.

"What happened there?" the girl was curious about herself but she didn't pay much attention to him and just finished eating the goto they were eating.

After a while he finished eating and found Nasher smoking outside.

"Ay!" he quickly approached the young man and put the cigarette he was smoking in his mouth and threw it where his cigarette was, which angered Nasher.

"What are you doing?!" he said with his two eyebrows meeting.

"You, what do you think you're doing? Don't you know that smoking is bad for your body?" he just said as he turned his back on her. The young man was following behind him with both of his hands clasped.

Furi stopped walking for a moment so he stopped too. He turned to Nasher but he turned in another direction and tried to avoid looking at him.

The girl just nodded at him and continued walking again. Until they stumbled upon a public contest. Where the participants will pair up and must wear wedding gowns or groom suits that are already prepared there and then they will touch a plate of flour together until they both get the wedding ring hidden in the flour.

It seems that the mischievous young man Nasher became interested in that game especially when he heard that the prize would be 5 thousand cash for first place. One thousand pesos for the second place and the last place is just a couple kiss. It seems that the radar of his mischievousness was working again so he looked at Furi who also turned to him. A smile appeared on his lips as he winked in one of his eyes. It seemed that the girl immediately got what she wanted to convey to him, she quickly turned around and was about to run, but Nasher immediately grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her towards him.

"What the hell, Nash! I don't want it, I don't want it!" he struggled but he couldn't do anything else because their names were already listed and Nash had already written him down.

He just looked at the young man evilly but he smiled at him and even gave him a peace sign.

"Where are you from? because if we get first place, I'll free you wherever you want to go." He whispered to the girl while winking again. Furi just looked at him with a frown on his face. The staff there separated the two of them, because men and women dress differently.

"Please welcome our five couple contestants for tonight!" said the host or announcer on stage. Dusk almost overtook them because there was a bit of confusion in the list of couples and also because there were many people joining. But they only chose five couples and if they were lucky, Nasher and Furi were one of the chosen ones. They are the final couple and contestant to be introduced by the Host.

"Okay, the last but not the least couple is Mr. Nasher and Ms. Furi! let's welcome our last couple!" Nasher came out first and appeared on stage, more confident in himself compared to Furi, who was still in two minds about whether to show or not, because of the fitted dress she was wearing and also because she was uncomfortable.

"Wow! I didn't think we had a model here." The announcer said when the handsome Nasher appeared in front of them all, especially in his hot-red suit and pencil cut plain black-trousers. The women watching them were almost amazed and thrilled. Even some staff and organizers of the event could not believe that what Nasher was wearing would look like luxury items, even though it was not that expensive and also came from an unknown brand. But when he wore it, it seemed that more and more men became interested in the clothes he was wearing, and women also wanted to buy what he was wearing.

"Okay, to be honest. A while ago, behind the stage, the staff and stylists and I were arguing about something. There was a suit there that was not to my taste and I didn't want to include it in what our contestants will wear, for tonight. Not because I belittle their taste when it comes to fashion, but for my own opinion. I told them, no! don't include that or else I'll just be embarrassed in front of a lot of people. But do you know what a groom suit is? That's what I'm trying to push away from them? That's it." The host said as he pointed to what Nasher was wearing.

"But, look! look closely at how beautiful it is on the eyes when worn by a handsome man like him, Mr. Nasher. Isn't it like, the priest hasn't asked you yet but you will get an answer that immediately, YES I DO!" he added and they all laughed at the same time. The young man just smiled and bowed.

"And that's it, that's it! That's it, look closely at that smile. Isn't that what playboy boys smile like?" they laughed together again.

"But, now that we've seen the groom. Whether you admit it or not, our expectations have risen a bit when it comes to the bride, right?"

"Okay, let's not delay any longer and let's call Ms. Furi, the soon to be bride of Prince este Mr. Nasher." After he announced, the people there applauded while some whistled, screamed and looked forward to his exit.

Nasher turned back stage, even he couldn't wait to see the girl.

Meanwhile, Furi's chest is full of fear and he doesn't know what to do.

"Furi, just get up. You can do it! It's just a game, it's all just pretend so just calm down." The girl said to herself and tried to calm herself down. First he took a deep breath and made the sign of the cross. Then he stepped out from the back stage.