THE FORTUNATE EVENT

KHALI'S POV (alarm ringing)...... I got up immediately, walked through my bathroom, and washed my face before brushing my teeth. I need to get up extra early today because I wasn't able to finish my homework last night. I dozed off to sleep almost immediately as I was physically and mentally drained. I got a part-time job because I wanted to help my parents, not by force, but because I just wanted to. After working on my homework, I prepared and went to school. Wake up early-go to school-work at the jollibee. This is my everyday routine. You may be wondering if I have a boyfriend and, yeah, despite my busy schedule, I still manage to have a love-life which is perfectly fine for me because we are in a long-distance relationship. It's hard, yeah, sometimes I feel as if I don't have one, but I never intended to end our relationship because he is my ideal man. He considers me as his future and so do I. I've been with him for 3years and 3 months, and we've been through a lot together, so why would I want to replace him, right? I mean, we're getting old and playing games is not really in my vocabulary. I am committed to him. He's very loving, considerate, and he takes care of me like no others can. He isn't perfect, yet he makes me smile so perfectly. We were made for each other, destined if that's what you call it. "Hey, okay ka lang?" I was brought back to reality when my friend Cassie snapped her finger. I looked at her and gave her a quick smile, then nodded. "You're zoning out" she said. I was so engrossed in admiring my perfect relationship that I totally zoned out. I mean all these years, I never even complimented my boyfriend and never even thanked him for not giving up on me. I know I am hard to deal with sometimes, and I mostly give him a hard time, yet he never leaves me. He was the only person who tried to understand me, and tried to break my walls, then rebuilt them even stronger. Thinking about it made me feel guilty. How come I never realized these before? "ms. Alcantara" my teacher called out my name. I stood up quickly even though I didn't hear what she just said. Laughter filled the room, and confusion painted all over my face. Cassie nudged me and I looked at her. She mouthed the word 'sit', so I did. The laughter continued, and I understood why they were laughing. The teacher was just checking our attendance. s**t! She might think I wasn't listening, which was true. I didn't utter another word and just let our class finish, but to my surprise, Mrs. Castro asked me to help her bring her things back to her office as punishment for not paying attention to her class. Napakamot nalang ako sa batok ko. I apologized and helped her. The day went so fast, and I was already at my job. It was a busy night to the point that I didn't even have the time to check my cellphone. FAST FORWARD My shift finished around 2 am. I changed my uniform and that's when I opened my phone, missed calls and texts from my friends popped up. I checked their texts and nanlumo oak sa nabasa ko. Earl got into an accident, my boyfriend!. I immediately called his sister, and thank God she answered right away. She was in the hospital with them, she and their parents. I asked how Earl was, my voice shaking, and my tears streaming down my cheek when she answered that he was in the ICU. We talked for a while but eventually ended the call with her cheering me on. She advised me to be optimistic. I couldn't do anything nor go to the hospital where he is because I was too far away, so I decided to just go home and wait for their update. I couldn't bring myself to sleep even though I was physically tired, as I was still anxious. After sometimes, a call from Earl's sister came again. She was crying, and at that moment I just stood there frozen. I fell to my knees and just cried loudly. I didn't care if I would wake my neighbors up. I cried and cried, I wanted to go see him. I repeatedly uttered his name between my sobs. I tried calling his number. Maybe I was just having a nightmare and I wanted to wake up, but it was of no use. He didn't answer the phone, which made me even more upset. I was questioning why this was happening to me. I turned to God and begged for an answer, but all I could hear was my sobs all over the room. I stood on my knees crying, and cried myself to sleep. I was woken up by a hand gently touching my cheeks. As I opened my eyes, I saw him sitting beside me smiling. I was about to pull him for a hug, but there was no one there. Suddenly, pain filled my heart. It was like there was a knife being pierced in my chest and I felt my tears again. I just sat there crying. I couldn't seem to move my body. (riiinnnnnnnnggggggg, riinnnnngggggg) I picked up the phone without looking at the caller's ID. The caller wasn't talking, but I could hear her sobbing. It was my best friend, and she was a cousin of my boyfriend. "We're leaving later at around 12 noon, are you coming?" she managed to say between her sobs. I didn't say a word as I couldn't seem to open my mouth, but I just nodded as if she could see that. I cried and stayed silent. She seemed to understand, that's why she suggested packing my things, which I did after the call ended. Although I didn't have the strength to stand up, I did exactly what she told me. I took a bath, but I didn't eat. I had no appetite. Kim called me again to let me know they were on their way to pick me up, so I waited in front of my house. Soon, nighttime fell and we were at the funeral. I didn't say any word and just went beside the coffin and cried and cried.