Chapter 33

"That's true, I do have a girl I like." Nasher shyly yielded to the two ladies.

"Oh, I already said it! But who is this lucky girl who captured the heart of our young man?" he jokingly promised him. The young man just smiled and turned to Furi's place for a moment. The girl seemed to notice that so she immediately covered her face with a blanket. But Nasher didn't pay much attention to him and he just ignored him.

"Oh him, Nash. Leave the two of us here and maybe you'll do something else. By the way, aren't you off work today?" Aling Susan asked him. Suddenly the teenager looked at his watch and stood up when he realized that he was more than two hours late for his class.

"Oh, yes it is! I lost my mind that I was just passing by here. Alright, I can leave you." He said goodbye to the two ladies, then he turned and headed out the door. But it happened that young Matt had just entered the room and the two of them collided, causing the fruits he was carrying to fall to the floor.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to." Nasher said to Matt, as he helped him pick up the fruits that were scattered on the floor.

"No, it's fine. I didn't even notice you earlier, so I'm sorry." It answered him. When he reached the last apple he picked, he suddenly looked at his face and only then did he realize that Matt was the man he bumped into earlier.

"Thank you!" smiling knowingly at him, he turned his back and went to the girl. Nasher was surprised and followed him with his gaze. He didn't expect to see him there again and it just so happened that he was actually the man he met.

Then he turned around and was about to go out the door when he heard Matt's voice and he mentioned the girl's name.

"Furi, what are you doing there? Aren't you hot?" he said to the girl as he removed the blanket covering her face.

"Furi?" He turned to where it was for a moment. He was shocked to see the girl there with a neck brace supporting her neck.

Furry? Wait, what is he doing here in the hospital? and so what happened to his neck? he wondered in his mind. He was about to approach her but he suddenly stopped when he remembered that her boyfriend was there.

So he thought of turning around and leaving the room.

While he was walking towards their school, he still seemed to be troubled by the girl and the injury she sustained in her neck.

He couldn't help being curious and wondering how he ended up in the hospital, when he was still fine when he last saw him.

He stopped walking for a moment. He grabbed his cell phone from his pocket and just stared at the girl's phone number, whether he would call her or not.

Hey! Whatever.

But in the end he still called her but no one answered.

Just don't! maybe she is busy with her boyfriend right now. He said and he continued his walk again. But after only a few steps, he stopped walking again and looked at his phone screen.

If I just call him again? maybe he won't answer.

But, could he really be the one I saw earlier in the hospital?

It turns out that her boyfriend went there with another woman.

But, why didn't he even tell us about his condition?

Can I just say hello to him? maybe there's nothing wrong if I say hello to him and him anyway, we're still friends.

Even though he was wandering in his mind, he was called by his phone number again, but this time it was Matt's mom who answered his call.

Because the girl left her cellphone in the bathroom and the lady happened to be there, while she was cleaning up the mess there.

"Hello? who is this?" the young man was about to let go of the cellphone he was holding when he heard a voice from the old woman who answered his call.

Who is that? is that furi? but, why did I hear an old woman's voice? he wondered in his mind. He brought his cellphone to his ear again and listened carefully to her voice.

"Hello? who's this? if you're looking for Furi, he's not here at home right now. He left his cellphone behind so I'll answer." The lady said to him.

At home? can't she be Furi's mom?

"Hey, hello. I'm in Furi's class. I just got called because it looks like he won't be able to come in today. Our Prof. was just asking." That's all he said and simply took a deep breath.

"Ahh, is that so? Oh, it's unlikely that he will get into your class now."

"Yes? W-why? Is he feeling bad?"

"Oh, not like that son. Wait, how can I explain this to you?"

"Did something bad happen to him?" after asking this, the lady was silent for a moment. He seemed suddenly nervous and swallowed deeply in his saliva.

"That's how it is. But his situation isn't bad, he's fine now and he just called me earlier to say that he needs to stay in the hospital for more than a week." When he heard what the lady said, it was as if he had been enlightened on what had been bothering him. He seemed to realize that it was really Furi that he saw there earlier inside the hospital.

"Hospital? He's in the hospital now? Which hospital?" he's just pretending.

"He was taken to We Care Hospital." He hadn't gone far from the hospital he went to earlier, so when he turned around, he saw that the place he was referring to matched.

"Oh, is that so? Go ahead and let our Prof. know."

"Okay, okay. Thank you son."

"Nothing."

"Oh hey, I have something else to do and maybe your class will start."

"Alright, alright Aunt. Thank you and be careful." Then he hung up. Nasher did the same and put his cellphone in his pants pocket again.

He continued to walk again, his hands clasped together and deep in thought. After he heard what the lady told him, he became even more worried about the girl's condition.

"Bro! what's up?" Kiko told him openly when he arrived at their school. It was hanging on his shoulder but he removed it immediately.

"O why, it seems like your face is long now, bro? Do you have a problem or are you going through something serious right now? Why does it seem like you are carrying the whole world?" he jokingly promised him.

"I'm just not in the mood right now, Kiko." He lazily responded to the mischievous young man.

"What do you mean by that? we're friends don't you remember? actually, not just friends but bestfriends right? so, what's bestfriend are for?" he said to him but Nasher just ignored him and continued inside the canteen.

He followed her and sat next to her.

"Why are you taking it personally, bro? You don't trust me?" after he said that, the young man turned to him and just nodded his head.

"What?! seriously? oh, come on!" he squealed again but was suddenly silenced when someone suddenly hit him on the head with a book.

"Ouch! who the hell is that?" he complained while holding one hand to his own head. He turned behind him and saw that it was Tanya who had slapped the book at him earlier.

"It's me, it's me! why are you moaning?" the girl said to him and sat down at their table.

"Thank you, you woman." He said firmly and softly, but the girl still heard him.

"So, you think of me as a girl?"

"Huh? What? You're a girl? I guess I just found out about that. Anyway, at least you have something to be proud of." He was mocking and referring to Tanya's bulging breasts.

The girl immediately stood up and hit him on the head with the book again.

"You! thank you because you're ugly! so even if lightning strikes me here now or even you, you're the best man in the world, I'll never kill you right?!" the young man was acutely aware of this. Some students behind them laughed and turned to Kiko.

"Hey! Let me tell you, if I were the only man left in the world.. well! I'd rather kill myself than be with a witch and a freaking woman like you!" he replied. The scream that Nasher hears is almost like a cross. Because he is in the middle of the two. That's why the imitation of them also goes in and out of his ears. He just covered his ears with his two hands while closing his eyes.

Did Nasher see me? sailing through the girl's mind as she covered herself with a blanket.

"Hey, what are you doing there? and why are you covered with a blanket over there? aren't you hot?" her boyfriend, Matt, asked as he removed the blanket covering him. The girl looked at him evilly and covered herself again.

"What are you doing there? It's like you saw a ghost? And who are you hiding?" he promised her. Matt's gaze followed him from across the door but there was no one else there.

Is he okay? Couldn't he have been brainwashed as well? the young man whispered in his mind and he turned to the girl again.

"What, are you going to eat or just spend the day like that?" he asked. Furi seemed to notice that Nasher was no longer there. So he removed the blanket that was covering him.

"What are you carrying?" said the young man who just grinned and sat in front of him.

"I bought you fruit and a sandwich. Eat all of that, or I'll make you pay for it." The boyfriend said to her.

"Aysus! just say you don't want to feed me."

"There you go again. You're starting again. Just eat."

"Yes, master!" he said as he took a bite of a siopao and sipped water with a straw.

Old Aling Susan turned to see the two lovers. He just smiled as he watched them.

"Vangie, look at that couple. Aren't they perfect for each other?" the old man pointed to the lady whose bed was next to him. Vangie turned to what he was referring to, even he smiled when he saw that the young man was taking care of his girlfriend.

"Oh, yes. I remember when I was young. There was also a young man who took care of me when I got sick." Revealing it to him. The old man looked at him and smiled.

"Or where is that young man now?"

"Unfortunately, we didn't stay together. His family is against me because I'm poor and I didn't finish school." The lady informed sadly.

"Do you still remember him to this day?"

"Well, of course. My first love is Fernando (the man she refers to in the story), I see Nasher in him. Handsome, clean, kind and above all not arrogant even though he comes from a rich family."

"If he loves you too, why didn't he fight for you in his family?"

"He made Aling Susan. He fought me with his parents before but I just gave up and chose to stay away from him. I thought that would be better for all of us and so that he wouldn't have to suffer because of me."

"After now, you are the one who is sad and misses her?"

"Human life is like that. Sometimes you're happy, sometimes you're not. Fate only favors a select few."

"Now do you still long for him? or do you at least regret the decision you chose?" the old man was curious about him. He bent down for a moment and sighed.

"Sometimes yes, sometimes no. I'm thinking because if I hadn't left him then, would we still be able to live together until now or is his family still belittling and trampling on my personality?" she said with a forced smile on her lips while her eyes said that she misses the man she first loved completely and truly.

Aling Susan held her in both hands with a smile on her lips.

"I understand how you feel. I know how difficult it is for you to choose between the two important things to you. But just like you said earlier, that's how our people live. There is no permanent happiness in the world, sometimes we have to hurt so we can learn." The old man said softly to him. Vergie just smiled and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"You know, Aling Susan. Ever since I was brought here in the hospital, I've always thought to myself, when will I die? or how long will my life last? but since I met you by Nasher, it was as if my heart was revived and my heart was strengthened. I thought that I would just be sad for the rest of my life and just die here without my life being meaningful. That's why I'm very lucky because I met you two of your grandchildren." The lady joyfully informed Aling Susan.

"The truth is that Nasher is not my grandson. He is the son of my boss. I was just a maid in their house. That boy has become close to me, maybe because since he was a child I have been his constant companion and play. As much as his father was very strict with him, the last time he went out of the house to play with the children outside, he was forbidden and kept locked up inside their house. But when he got to college and When I became a young man, my old age caught up with me. I forgot that I was getting old and neglected myself." After he said that, the lady burst into tears and just bowed her head. He feels the sadness and hardship that he went through in each of his stories.

"Wait a minute, I'm the one telling you this story, but it seems like you're the one who's more affected." Aling Susan joked with him.

"I just now thought that I wasted a lot of time in my life and I didn't even value it." He responded tearfully. The old man just hugged him and gently caressed his back.

Vergie De Guzman or Vergie for short. Forty-seven years old and a widow. His wife died of liver cancer, at the age of forty-nine. And he is currently experiencing Cardiovascluar disease or CVDs. It is a serious heart disease where he has to go through various operations such as heart transplantation. But due to poverty and not having enough finances, it was better for him to stay in that hospital and wait for his death.

The doctor also told him that his illness is getting worse so he has to go through surgery' but he refused and because he didn't have enough money to pay for his surgery.

So even though it was painful and difficult for him, he just accepted his own fate.

He thought that he would not be left with any wealth in this world. He has no children and he doesn't even know where his relatives are, because since he moved away and married someone else, he hasn't heard anything about his real families. So it occurred to him that nothing would be lost if he suddenly disappeared from this world.

WHILE Susana Ibañez or better known as Aling Susan, is sixty-nine years old. Nasher then worked as a personal nanny for over eighteen years. But later he retired from his job when he discovered that there was a tumor growing in his brain or Brain Cancer.

Even if he wants to stay with the young man until he sees him marry the woman he loves, it seems that fate does not agree with him. He is getting old, his skin is getting old and wrinkled. His body is also weak and he is not the same as before. Besides that, his remaining hours and days in this world are numbered. He is not sure how long his illness will last him.

As the days and months passed, his life was getting shorter and shorter. Therefore, she makes the most of every moment she has, especially when she is with young Nasher. That he considered his blood and best friend. Only he understands the old man. Because Aling Susan grew up in an orphanage, she has no relatives and she doesn't even know her real families. He grew up on his own feet. He also did not get an education because he did not earn enough from selling food to support his own needs. In addition to that, he only works with other people so that he can satisfy himself with hunger and thirst for a day.

He grew up in poverty and at a young age learned to stand on his own two feet. In the long time he lived in this world, he only did scraping at work. He never had the experience of playing with other children or going to different sights.

He has spent almost his entire life in search of life. Because he was afraid of going hungry again and experiencing his complicated life before, where he first had to beg on the streets just to get over his boiling stomach.

However, since Nasher's family accepted her as their maid, her life has been peaceful and abundant. He gave him his own house and some other necessities. He is also satisfied with the salary he receives because it is not so small or large, the important thing is that he has kind bosses who help him and consider him as their real family member.

***

"Where are you taking me son?" Aling Susan asked Nasher. It is currently inside the cinema. Her eyes were covered with a white handkerchief while the young man gently supported her in his arm.

"Just go. Or just take it easy, huh?" he said as they went down the stairs. When they reached their place, he immediately removed the handkerchief covering his eyes.

The old man was almost amazed at what he saw. There was a big screen in front of him and only the two of them were there.

"Why are we here? Why did you bring me to this place? Isn't this place just for lovers?" Aling Susan was curious about him. The young man grinned at him and took out a bunch of flowers that he had been hiding behind him.

"Charan! beautiful flowers for a beautiful young lady." He smiled knowingly at the old man while reaching for the flower he was holding. A wide smile appeared on Aling Susan's lips. She almost slapped the young man's arm out of shame and smelled the flowers.

"Did you like my little surprise for you, Miss Susan?" he said jokingly. He just grinned at her and sat down in their place.

"It's really you. I've been waiting for you to bring me to this place and why do you have flowers!"

"As for you. Miss Susana. I only care about you once, so just accept it."

"Oh, it's okay, but I hope next time there will be chocolate with you, right?" he joked and they both laughed at the same time.

"Yes ma'am!" replied the young man and then saluted his forehead.

The show has started. The genre of the movie they are watching is comedy-romance. Nasher also suggested it because he didn't want to watch a sad show. He wants to see her happy more than to see every tear in her eyes.

While they were watching the show, he kept glancing at the old man. He carefully observed her wide smile on her lips. It seemed that he suddenly felt sadness and pain in his heart when he remembered what his doctor told him.

"Her brain cancer is getting worse. The patient is also old so at any time she can lose her life. The only thing I can suggest to you, Nasher. Give her the best that you can do. Make the most of every time he has. Surprise him, take him for a walk or take him to a place that will make him happy. Then he will leave this world peacefully and happily." What the doctor told him.

That's why when he heard what he said, he immediately said goodbye to their professor. He told about Aling Susan's condition, so he also sent her home immediately.

After watching the movie, they both went to an amusement park. The place where he has been dreaming to go for a long time.

They were almost stunned and amazed by what they saw. There are many rides, such as ferris wheel, roller coaster, carousel and many others.

"Nash, how about we go home?" the old man was wary of him and kept looking around him.

The young man seemed to notice that she was anxious and seemed uncomfortable in that place. So he took her by the hand and smiled on her lips.

"Don't worry. I'm right here by your side and I'll never leave you." After he said that, the old man's heart seemed to lighten up. He just smiled and followed him.

However, judgmental eyes are still unavoidable. The other people there were looking at and talking about them, especially when Nasher held his hand.

"Ticket, for two people." He said to the teller and he paid.

After he got the ticket, they both went to the carousel. The queue was quite long and mostly only children were boarding.

"Hold on, son, are you sure we're going to ride that fake horse?" the old man was curious about him. The man turned around hearing what he said but Nasher just smiled and put his arm around the old man's shoulder.

"What are you doing, miss Susana. That's not a fake horse, they call it a carousel." He replied while still looking at the man who turned to them earlier.

"Car.. Carsusel? ah, that's it! there's no difference there. It's still a fake horse that just goes around." This said the young man just laughed at him.

A few moments later, they both entered inside. The young man was supporting him and still holding him on the bed. It seems that other people there are laughing and cheering them. But Nasher is just a jerk and doesn't care about the two of them. Until Aling Susana noticed that others were looking at them and laughing at them.

That's why he felt lost and just bowed his head. The young man immediately noticed that he was uncomfortable around them, especially with judgmental eyes. So he approached her and just stood in front of her.

"Why, my princess Susana seems sad?" the young man joked to him. The old man raised his head when he heard his strong voice.

"Nash, I don't want to be in this place anymore. Can we just leave?" he seemed to feel sad when he saw the expression on his face. He could clearly see in her eyes how much he was afraid and afraid of the people around them.

So when the carousel stopped, they sat for a while in the empty seats. He handed water to the old man and he breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'm sorry, Aling Susana if I brought you to this place." He apologized as he bowed. Aling Susan looked at him and placed one of her palms on his shoulder.

"You don't have to apologize to me, son. In fact, I should ask for your forgiveness. I'm old and my age doesn't belong in this place. My knees are weak and I get bored of something quickly. So I'm sorry if I ruined your plans." He weakly promised. The young man turned to him and held him in one hand.

"But still I'm still sorry." He said when suddenly his cellphone rang and vibrated from his pocket. He picked it up and peeked to see who was calling him.

"Dad." The first thing he said when he looked at his phone screen.

"Answer it, son. It might be important."

"Alright, just a moment, huh?" after saying that he stood up and distanced himself a little from the old man. He just turned his back while talking to her on the cellphone. After a while, suddenly a toddler tripped right in front of Aling Susana. So he quickly approached him and helped him stand up.

"Sssh~ hold on, hold on. Are you lost? where's your mommy?" he tries to settle the child but he just keeps crying and mentioning his mommy. After a few moments, his mother also found him.

"Alexa!" he said and hurriedly approached the child. He first looked at the old man and pushed him away.

"I'm telling you! people can't really be trusted these days! young or OLD." He said it emphatically in front of Aling Susan. He seemed shocked by the judgment he told him. So he stood up and stopped the lady by his arm.

"Wait a minute hija. Are you accusing me of neglecting your son?" he angrily told the woman but she just pushed him away. He pushed her so hard that she sat on the floor and scratched her arm that hit the ground first.

"Hey, Ale! the next time you touch me again, I'm going to report you to the police!" then he left, carrying his daughter. It seems that the old man did not expect the woman to do that to him. That's why tears suddenly fell from the corner of his eyes and he just stood up.

He was about to follow the lady who pushed and judged him but he suddenly stopped when he felt dizzy and blurred his vision.

"My God, what is happening to me?" He softly promised himself as he held one hand to his own forehead.

MEANWHILE, Nasher immediately turned around when he finished talking to his father on the cellphone. He was surprised when he noticed that the old man was not around him.

"Where did he go?" he asked himself. He has searched everywhere for the old man but he is having a hard time finding him. With the breadth and size of the amusement park, one night is not enough for him to find it.

However, he still did not give up. He jumped everywhere and shouted his name over and over again.

Until he was stopped by the chaos of the years there. He interjected and inquired as soon as he heard something bad about that gathering.

"Hey! what's that!"

"Still inserting!"

"Damn it!"

There were various complaints about him from other people there when he had sex with them. When he got to the front, he realized that he had gone to lie.

That's why he immediately turned around and slipped out of there again.

"Excuse me, just excuse me, excuse me!"

"Hayss! what the hell is that, come on!" a woman complained to him. He just ignored it and continued walking.

When he left that gathering, he thought of going in another direction to continue his search for the missing old man.

Until he heard a loud scream from a woman's voice that was not far from him. He quickly ran and approached what they were confusing. He immediately stopped when he found Aling Susana walking in the middle of the highway.

The cars were going by very fast and they didn't seem to care about the old man. Not even one of them was willing to stop or help him. Instead, the drivers there seemed to be making fun of him and repeatedly honked their horns.

The young man almost trembled with anger when he saw such a scene, especially with the people around him who were just watching and even taking videos of him. He suddenly felt depressed and pitied by what he saw. He couldn't believe that they were still feasting on the old man, when he was suffering from severe pain.

That road is strict. No one is allowed to cross, unless you really want to make your life easier. The driver is not liable if he accidentally runs over you, because that is what is stated in the law. He will not be held responsible nor will he be imprisoned because it is strictly forbidden to cross that dangerous road.

But in Aling Susan's situation, she didn't know anything about that dangerous place. He wasn't in his right mind and he didn't know what to do.

Until Nasher decided to try to save him. He knew it was very dangerous and there was a possibility that he would lose his own life the moment he crossed it.

That's why when he was about to approach it, the people there suddenly stopped him. He pulled her by her clothes and held her by the arm.

"What are you doing? let me go! let me go!" what he repeated in his mouth. The old man stopped walking for a moment, he turned to where he was and just looked him in the eye.

"S-usana, " he shouted and he struggled in the hands of the people who stopped him.

Until a terrible tragedy suddenly silenced them all.