Chapter 2 : " Woman In Black"

                 Traffic congestion, busy streets and noisy horns was all you could see and heard that moment in the city of Cebu. It was five o’clock in the afternoon and the clouds was getting darker and darker, it was about to rain anytime soon. Everyone in the streets were rushing to go home. Almost all drivers were in a hurry but there was one car that moved so slow. It was a white ford ranger. It made the drivers behind that car goes crazy and became impatient. They kept horning to that car to signal the driver to move faster. Luckily the driver listened and tried to moved a little faster. There was a traffic light ahead and was beeping red, the driver in that white ford ranger failed to noticed it. A loud crashed followed, the noisy street became silent for a little while.

      “Call an ambulance”, uttered the concerned citizens.

There were two vehicles that was included with that incident. The ten-wheeler truck and the white ford ranger. The driver from the ten-wheeler truck was safe but the unknown driver from the other vehicle was left unconscious. Few minutes later, the ambulance came, they placed the driver on a jump bag. Blood was all over her body. Her black jacket was covered with red stain.

(FLASHBACKS)

         Flash Report:  a plane from Hongkong airport crashed around two o’clock in the afternoon. All the passengers were reported dead. Here’s the list of the passengers.

            “Mommy, daddy”, cried by the pale pretty girl.

           “Mommy, daddy”, she cried in agony while hugging here teddy bear, it was a gift from her father for her sixth birthday.

  The crowd from the memorial pitied the child. She has no other relatives left. His two uncles died from that plane crashed too.

         The company that her father owned filed a bankruptcy a month before the accident happened, including all their properties, all was sold. The girl has nothing left but just that teddy bear on her hand.

     “Kristine, lets go home, mommy and daddy are now in heaven with God, they are happy up there, so stop crying baby girl”, said by a woman behind her. She was the only friend of her mother and their business partner as well, she’s Mrs. Matilde Sandiego.

      “Honey, turn on the car, we will leave now, it seems like it well rain sooner”, ordered Matilde to her husband, Rodrigo Sandiego.

    “Bring the child in”, replied Rodrigo.

    “Baby lets go, we will bring you home”, said Matilde to Kristine.

  The little girl followed the order of Matilde. As soon as they entered the car, the rain poured out heavily from heaven. It seems like the universe was weeping with Kristine. When the car left the Memorial area, Kristine watched the tomb of her parents from the distance. Cold tears were  running from her eyes.

    “Kristine? Kris? Kris? can you hear us?”, asked by a worried woman.

Kristine blinked her eyes for a minute, trying to understand what was happening around.

   “Oh my God, she’s awake”, uttered by a sobbing voice coming from another woman.

“You made us worry to death Kris, you are unconscious for a week now, you had a car accident at Fuente Osmena”, stated by another woman from the left side.

          Kristine was still blessed for having three best friends that was always on her side. They were all high school besties.

           Angel was a Principal that runs her own school. Myla was a famous Psychologist and Des was the head administrator of social workers for the whole province of Cebu.

The three ladies gathered immediately when they heard the news. They knew that Kristine has nothing left but them.

  “I am so sorry, I know all of you are busy at work”, replied Kristine in a low voice.

 “Cut the crap, how are you feeling Doc. Kris?”, replied Angel with a slight smirk.

  “We thought Doctors should be the one checking patients, but there you are”, added Angel and the four laughed out loud together. Angel was really good for making an environment lighter.

  And Yes, Kristine managed to finished college and became a Doctor. She helped less fortunate families who can’t afford medical procedures. She was kind and warm to those who are in need because she knew the feeling of having nothing.

    “I think I felt better now, thank you so much Megs”, Kristine replied.

“what do you want to eat? We’ll buy anything for you”, said Myla. She was the sweetest of them all. She always see’s beauty in everything. She’s perfect for her profession. You can talk to her everything under the sun.

  “I’ll call my fiancée, maybe he can drop something for us”, offered Des. She was the most practical among the rest. She thinks first before doing anything. She’s getting married to her longtime boyfriend. She’s boldly honest and overthinker too.

 “Ladies, thank you so much but I am all fine, I think I will just need some rest”, replied Kristine in a sincere voice.

 “Thank you so much guys, I do not know what to do if you are not around”. She added.

“Too much drama is bad for your health Doc, so ladies, let’s go out and leave her so that she can sleep”, stated Angel, trying to stop Kristine from being too emotional.

“We’ll be back on the day you get discharge from the Hospital, Doctor Sandoval promised us that he will be the one responsible while you are still his patient Doc. Kris”, said Des.

 The three laughed maliciously. They knew that Kristine was the ultimate crush of Dr. Sandoval since High school. To their speculation, he took medicine degree so that he could still be with Kristine until college. It was not a coincidence as well that they worked in the same hospital.

“Speaking of, he’s here”, exclaimed Myla.

“Hello Doc!”, greeted Angel.

“Hi, Ladies”, Sandoval responded.

“the patient is awake doc. I think we need to leave”, Des stated.

“Yup, sure, she’s in good hands”, replied the Doctor.

 The three moved towards the door and gave a meaningful smile to their friend Kristine before closing the door.

 “How are you?”, the Doctor asked.

“my head is slightly aching, but I think am fine”, replied Kris, not looking to the doctor, her eyes gazed towards the window of the hospital room.

“Good, just take the pain reliever then go back to sleep, anything you want to eat?”, he asked in a concerned voice.

“nothing, am good, I think I will just get some rest and I will be fine” Kristine replied, trying to cut the conversation as soon as possible.

 The Doctor noticed the uneasy feeling of Kristine, so he decided to leave.

“okay, I will go then, just ring the phone if you need anything else”, he stated.

  Kristine just nodded and closed her eyes. She was cold and lifeless when she was with other people except her friends.

   Alfe Sandoval knew, it would take a miracle just to have a minute conversation with Kristine.

      Doctor Alfe, returned to his room and seated on his chair, sipped his cup of coffee, closed his eyes and flashbacks came to his mind.

    “Good morning everyone, today I will introduce to you, your knew classmate, her name is Kristine Alfarez, be nice to her”, said the teacher.

    Alfe felt uneasy for the very first time, his heart beat so fast. It was this moment he knew, she’s the woman for him. Kristine was white as snow, she’s perfectly gorgeous. Her dark round eyes made her more stunning. She could be the next miss Universe if she wasn’t an introvert. She never talked to anyone. She only speaks if she was asked to recite. Alfe never saw her smiles nor opened her mouth, she just stared at the classroom window waiting for the bell to rang.

   One afternoon, while Alfe hurried to go home, she saw Kristine smiling and shining while talking to a tall masculine handsome man. Her eyes were glowing as she gazed at him. Alfe felt butterflies all over his stomach. How can this man made Kris that alive. She was totally a different person when she’s with this guy. Who could it be?

 The next morning, Alfe came to school early to investigate who was that guy from yesterday. He asked his father since he was the principal of the school that time.

  “oh that guy, he is Alfe Sandiego, he transferred here two months ago with his sister”, his father answered.

“Kristine is the name of his sister, right?”, alfe asked again.

“Oh yes”, his father replied.

 When Alfe heard the news, he was in cloud nine, good thing that was just his brother.

 Years has past, Kristine was still the same, except for having three best friends. Aside from them she doesn’t talked to anybody specially to him.

       Two days before the graduation, Alfe decided to talked to Kristine and asked her where she was planning to go college. He gathered all his strength and followed Kristine down the stairs. His heart was racing fast due to fear and excitement, at last he found the courage to approach Kristine after so many years. Kristine turned left, he followed but before he made his next stepped, he heard a voice came from a man.

 “Congratulations baby girl”, greeted the man to Kristine.

  Alfe was just hiding from a wall behind them, he could hear everything.

 “will you come on my graduation day? Studying medicine made you so busy, you are forgetting about me”, Kristine stated in a sour voice.

 “of course, I will come, it is your special day, it is your birthday too, how can I miss special days of my beloved woman”, he replied with joy.

“Promise?”, asked Kristine.

“since when did I break promises to you?”, the man replied.

Kristine just giggled.

 The two became silent, Alfe got curious and checked it out, to his surprised, Alfe saw Kristine and her brother Alex, passionately kissing to each other.

    Alfe felt so weak that moment, the pain was indescribable.

“I Love you Kris”, said Alex.

“I love you more”, kris whispered.

   Alfe opened his eyes, the pain was still the same. Years had past but the tears on his eyes still shed every time he remembered that day. He sipped his cold bitter coffee. It tasted just like his loved to a woman who never glance at him just for once.

    “for Christ sake Alex Sandiego, stop this stupidity”, shouted by Mr. Sandiego. He was trying his best to control his temper. His angry voice echoed all over the house.

 “of all woman, how can you afford to slept with your sister, if the media will know this it will ruin my candidacy”, he added, his eyes was bloody red. Stop this craziness or I will”, he stopped.

“or what dad, what will you do? kill Kristine just like what you did to her parents sixteen years ago?” answered Alex in great furious.

“I am not his brother, she is not my sister, from the day you brought her to this house I never looked at her as my sister. In the first place, why you brought her here? Are you dying in guilt that’s why you are trying to compensate the sin you have done by adopting her?”, Alex added in great pain.

“I should have reported everything you have done to the police but I chose not to because you are my father. I am only asking for one thing. Leave us alone. Protecting her was my only way of saying sorry to everything you have done to her life”, Alex exclaimed.

“Stop this Alex, you don’t know what else I am capable of doing”, Mr. Sandiego replied with devilish eyes.

“you will not marry her, you will marry the daughter of the Chairman, that is an order Alex, if you will not abide in me, your beloved Kristine will follow her parents sooner in heaven”, Mr. Sandiego added in a whisper voice.

Kristine was shaking from everything she had heard, the glass of water slipped from her hands.

Tears kept falling from her eyes. The pain was beyond comprehension.

She looked the two men in front of her with great remorse. She felt betrayed. As if the whole world abandoned her.

Alex did not notice that Kristine was behind their back. He was completely lost what to do. He loved Kristine so much. Seeing the woman in great agony because of him, teared his whole soul.

Alex was about to moved towards Kristine but he saw from her eyes the fire of hatred that can burn all his being.

Kristine immediately left the house, she grabbed everything she could and called her friends to rescue her.

  Kristine doesn’t know what to do, she felt empty inside of her. How come the man she loved, betrayed her like that. The rain poured heavily. It seems like the universe was weeping with her. Just like the day her parents left her too.

How life seems no color for her. How life seems no joy at all.

Three days after the revelation, Kristine received a call from her friend,Myla.

“Kris”, Myla was sobbing from the other line.

“I want you to switch on the TV”, she added.

Kristine hurriedly grabbed the remote control while her body was shaking in fear.

Flash News: Dr. Alex Sandiego found dead at his condo around nine in the morning. The autopsy reported that the Doctor committed suicide.

    Kristine became speechless. No tears fall from her face. She felt like her soul was gone long time ago. Her mind refused to comprehend. She laid down on the floor. She closed her eyes, then suddenly, she heard a familiar voice saying, “I love you Kris”.

   It takes her a few minutes to fully understand that the man she promised to live with for the rest of her life was gone. Totally gone. Her heart was terribly broken. How can he leave her just like that, how dare him to leave her in great agony.

    Kristine woke up from the sound of loud knock behind her door. For sure it was her friend. She managed to stand up and open the door but to her surprised, it was a mail man who handed her a letter.

     She opened the letter and read it in silent.

         My beloved Kristine, 

                  My heart is greatly troubled, there are no words left to say. I am so sorry for everything. I am so sorry if I could not keep my promise to you this time. I couldn’t afford to breath each day knowing that my woman is living in agony because of me. I have to leave you like this.

             My love, I will be watching you from above. Every time the rain falls, it is me. Saying, how much I miss you, how much I long to be with you. If you feel so alone, close your eyes. I will come to you. I will send my love to you even from the other side.

           The sun will come forth soon.

                                                                                                                          Love,

                                                           Alex

               Kristine opened her eyes, it has been two years but the pain was still the same. She still missed him. Every time it rained, she would go out and opened her arms, believing that it was Alex who was missing her.

        To her eyes, the world was gloomy, the only thing she knew was black and white. White because that was Alex favorite color and black for her. She will cloth herself with that black jacket until she will meet the sun that Alex had promised for her.

Will she be forever a woman in black?