Fragile

Hello, Goodbye.

As the eyes of Jack locked onto Miss Summers', he thought of what exactly to ask, or to be more precise, how to properly word the question that was stuck on his mind. As he tried to arrange his thoughts, the aroma of burgers being cooked wafted in the air. Coupled with the sizzling of the steaks being grilled, Jack's hunger was much more dominant than his nervousness.

He thought about the sad look in his teacher's eyes when he had encountered her in the park last Sunday. That look was enough to make him lose a bit of sleep as he thought of the reasons for those sad eyes. He was prepared to set aside his assumptions due to this opportunity of finally having a one-on-one conversation with Miss Summers.

"When I encountered you in the park yesterday, you asked me if I had someone to be with in there, right? However, when it was my turn to ask you the same, you...did not really give me a direct answer, so I kind of thought, that-"

Miss Summers' sudden laugh interrupted Jack. She seemed more amused than bothered by Jack's question, a question unable to be finished.

"Oh? Why are you interested in such? I did not take you to be one of the people who enjoyed gossip. As much as it hurts me to say it, I am rather ashamed of myself for thinking of you as someone like that" , Jack's History teacher jokingly said.

With a deep sigh, Jack wondered to himself if his teacher was, again, evading his question, just as she had done yesterday. It is true that Miss Summers did not mean anything by what she just said, but it did hurt a bit. The discouraged student simply remained silent, and waited for the answer.

Miss Summers cleared her throat, and yawned, covering her mouth this time with a plain, peach-colored handkerchief.

Like a proper lady, Jack silently thought to himself.

"Gosh, where should I even begin? Hmm, I know."

Miss Summers' eyes turned its attention to the table. She suddenly seemed interested in the knives, spoons and forks that were wrapped with tissue and set on top of the plates. Then, she began to speak.

"When I was not a teacher yet, but a student just like you, I would meet my friends in the park to do whatever we want. That was the first time I met them, too. To play cards and gamble, sometimes, but mostly to study. Back then the park was not really filled with much people, so we were there to retreat into the quiet place. College was stressful, of course, but due to how lonely the park was, it was the perfect place to focus. If you are curious about my friends, I will not say the names, but I will just tell you what they were. Two guys, four girls. That's all I will say about them.

The two guys were studious and intelligent, and those four girls were the same. I am the type to hang out with what I would call the 'intellectuals', so I went with their group. As I went to live my college life with those friends of mine, little by little, I learned that although they did have the smarts, they were not unblemished.

Like opening a gift box that was wrapped perfectly and beautifully, only to find out that the insides were messed up. That was how I felt towards them, but I had no other people to talk to, to enjoy life with, so I remained. I got caught up in their mess one time, when one of the two guys drove us around the city while intoxicated. Pretty dangerous, yes, but I thought that it would be the last time.

I was wrong, dead wrong. One September day, some years back, the same guy decided to try out the same antic, after we celebrated the birthday party of one of the four girls. I must admit, I was drunk too, so I did not really care about my surroundings that time. It was twelve in the morning, and we just sped by the few cars on the streets. The i***t was doing speeds up from one-eighty to two hundred. All I remembered was, crossroads, a flash of light, a truck and a wall, and bang... I opened my eyes and saw that I was lying on a hospital bed.

I was dizzy, and all I could hear was a doctor sitting in front of me, telling me that my left arm had fractures, and my back had been stitched up. As the nurses poured inside my room, I felt the thing the doctor was talking about as pain, deep, terrible pain shot up my whole back, from bottom to top. Then, I remembered that I had been with my friends, so I hesitantly asked how they were.

I regretted doing so. Three of my girl-friends dead, both guys dead. Only one girl remained. I cried, and cried on that bed, until my parents arrived. They didn't give a damn, all they gave was this one-hour lecture. No more partying with friends. Don't let anyone know about this, and continue your studies once you're okay. It was as if nothing happened.

But that one girl, the other survivor? Dead after two months, the period of time I had for recovery. As dead as the rest, as she was seen hanging on her ceiling inside her house. She was rich, had a big house,and had all the space in the world to prepare a stool, tie a rope to one of the beams in the ceiling, and that was it. That girl was not able to bear the shock and pain from losing her friends, is what they said. I am still here, what about me? That was what I thought to myself.

Now, I wander around the park every Sunday, remembering how it began, but at the same time trying to forget how it ended. When no one's looking, I reach for my back, and touch the very long scar that spanned my entire back. It was thin, maybe, but it was rather painful when I got it.

That's the story of the park, that is all, really..."

Jack was silent the entire time, not bothering to interrupt. Even as the story of Miss Summers concluded, he could not find the words to say. He felt disgusted at himself once more for being curious, and for thinking that the sad look was because of a boyfriend, or someone like that.

He noticed that the eyes of Miss Summers were moist. He had to resists the urge to wipe her eyes with his own handkerchief,and to embrace her and comfort her. Minutes passed by, and yet, silence was the only one talking. Miss Summers noticed his discomfort, and she gave him a sad smile, and then began to speak.

"You know, your silence feels more genuine than the usual 'sorry'. Thanks for bothering to listen to me...", Miss Summers responded to Jack's continued silence as she wiped her eyes with her handkerchief.

Jack simply uttered a soft 'uh-huh' and averted his gaze from Miss Summers. His teacher sighed a sad, heavy sigh, and stood up.

"I'm going to order now. Let's eat, and I hope my story did not affect your appetite", Miss Summers said as she began walking towards the counter.

Jack stood up with her. 'Oh not, not at all, I really appreciate you telling me your story, though I am just a student of yours...I promise not to tell anyone."

Time passed by and they finally were able to eat. Jack approved of the double-patty bacon and cheese burger that he had ordered, and as he ate, he was able to see why his History teacher loved the place. No words were ever said by the student and teacher as they ate.

After they had finished their meal, they bade each other goodbye. The two did not bother saying their farewells with words. Smiles to each other were given, and that was all right with Jack. For this Monday night, no other words were needed to be spoken. The two stepped outside, and began to walk opposite directions, on their separate ways. As Jack looked back, he saw that his teacher looked back at him, too. He gave her a wave, and she waved back at him. After the small but meaningful interaction with each other, they walked on.

The moment Jack arrived at his apartment, he took out his notebook from his backpack, then began to write on his desk.

The moment we say hello to people we meet, deep inside us, we eventually know that we will have to say goodbye.