Take 22

I don’t know what I am doing. I thought of it as the last thing I can do for him at the moment, to give him comfort through this.

I didn’t expect him to respond to my hug, but he did.

“Ang tapang mo nga eh,” I whispered. I don’t have the strength to do anything but give him my comfort.

“Hmm, sa lagay kong ‘to?” he asked.

I nodded, alam kong hindi niya kita, pero ramdam nya. “Oo naman. Mas pinili ng asawa ni manang Tasing na iwan siya kesa ang lumaban at mag isip ng ibang paraan para sumaya silang dalawa. Kaya saludo pa rin ako sa’yo.”

“Ikaw, kahit sa tagal nang mahirap makipagsapalaran, kahit hindi tama ang naisip mong solusyon o armas para lumaban, hanggang ngayon nandito ka pa rin. Kaya saludo ako sa’yo dahil matapang ka.”

This time, hinarap ko siya. His eyes are full of awe.

“So from now on, don’t give me reasons for you to do it again. You have a lot of reasons to live, and to live by it is to forgive yourself first before the people who have hurt you. Alam ko hindi madali but