Theory Of The Constant Melody

CHAPTER 18

APPLYING PRESSURE WITH A SMALL ADHESIVE STRIP ON MY FACE, my mom was humming isochronous with the classical music in the background.

“By the way, I saw Warren Jones across the boulevard three nights ago. Upon seeing me, he dashed along meters and helped me out to lift my bags. He had told me that he polished off a bottle of vodka at the bar every Saturday,” she narrated with a smile stained upon her lips.

“Pardon?” Acherous interjected who just packed away the discs into the plastic casing before emptying them. He just got through it after buying those online.

I only knew it when I threw a glance at the paper bags. Discovering it was his order, he told me that those will be added as his movie collection.

Wearing a puzzled expression, he stood up and padded toward us.

“Uhm… bro, it’s been about half-decade when we had moved in Texas and I and Warren never palled around after so many years. I guess I already told you that,” I reckoned and touched gently my face when it rankled.

“Yes. But you haven’t told me about Warren. Who’s he?” he questioned that sounded interrogating which he demanded the factual data he must know what would it be.

“Bro, he was my childhood friend. Actually, we already have rubbed along and saw each other…” I stared at my mom who was arranging her belongings inside her bag.

“Oh, really? I just wondered if I would gone to be using he or she because Warren has changed, son,” my mom babbled and giggled after.

“S—she?” Acherous stuttered and tilted his head to my mom; eyes narrowing in vexation.

“Yes. He’s transsexual. From Warren to Geneva Jones. It would be better to use ‘she’ as a pronoun,” my mom replied.

“Ah…” Acherous faked a laugh and scratched his back head.

“Mom, amongst other things, when do you plan to go back to Texas? I mean… you’ve been staying here for days and dad was surely busy running the mobile food truck by himself. You’re aware that my siblings are more studious that me,” I opened up to pass on to the subject which Acherous flew into a suspense.

“Supposedly, I would have left yesterday but hanging around here could be the right decision,” she replied and held my lower arm.

Days had slipped by while my mom has been looking after me. Undoubtedly, I missed being with her actual care. In a photograph, she may be the silhouette against the light that was always returning in quiet moments. She never wanted so much to keep me close and her absence was down to me. Thus, life can, by no means, be easy as people will encounter plenty of dilemmas.

Moreover, we made no move amid the yell of wind gushing. Because she said that all will be healed as long as you’re with Him.

Remembering the days that I had to put to a halt dwelling in life which the fraction of minutes, my tears streamed down my cheeks as they had reached into my cracked lips—warm and salty.

“Before I leave you two, I’ll just pay the hospital bill and—”

I spoke crossly, “Mom, do not spend your own money for me. I mean… I have some savings here. Just keep that for future needs at home.”

Acherous earned a stare from me; head pounding back against the headrest of the couch—distant as to be much more lengthy. In the right pocket was his phone plugged with earphone. His mouth formed a rigid grimace as the soft panic came flooding in.

“I wouldn’t let you, son. That’s yours. Besides—”

“Uhm…” Acherous butted in, finding out that he’s playing nothing on his phone. Believing he was blaring out a music not to listen my conversation with mom was not necessarily needed.

“You wish to talk about something, Acherous?” my mom inquired and sat down at the edge of the hospital bed.

Fixing my eyes could be the best thing to persuade and ease him off. As he looked at me, his words seemed to be circulating in the mind and not permitted to rill outward through activity.

Moreover, for this instance, he ran his fingers through his hair which gave me a hint to have a few moments longer to prepare what he’s going to say.

“I know you’ll get mad, Auntie Karen, but I have to tell you this…” he paused as his courage faltered when I spotted my mom’s reaction shifting to bewilderment.

“Then…” I asked.

 “My mom already paid the bill,” he revealed that immediately dribbled the details in my acuity.

I contorted. Surely, peeve clouded up my face. And it decisively approached with my forehead creasing.

“It was—”

I snapped, “Dusty doughnuts! Bro, here we go… again.”

“I swore down that I haven’t done it by myself, bro. And then, my mom truly insisted. I looked for a way just—”

“Ache, stop explaining,” I groused.

“What’s the problem, Cyan? Acherous just aids us financially. I never taught you to become prideful,” my mom admonished.

I gesticulated appearing to fail myself from expressing my side. My hand just shaped a fist and vapidly collapsed on the bed.

“But, Acherous… I’ll call your mom since I got her number and tell her that I’ll be paying her bit by bit—just the half of the bill, okay?” my mom offered and carried her two bags with both hands.

“Sure, Auntie Karen,” Acherous replied.

Mom stared at me and scurried about a half meter then grabbed me by the hand. “Son… please contact me if you needed something, okay? Don’t hesitate. I have consulted with your physician that you must take the antibiotic ointment to get your wounds and contusion moist. And please, son, watch attentively in the alley,” she instructed with pleads.

“Mom, put your mind at ease. I’ll be fine,” I responded with a certain smile as the touch of valor along the warmth guarantee rushed through me.

“Always pray, okay? I love you.” She kissed me on the forehead that even words would comfort me.

There’s no rule to contain the dreams in us; parents will always be the first supporter who joins us to fly into the clear blue skies, ever grateful to be such they have been here by our side.

“Mom, I will. I love you, too.”

HIS VOICE COULD BE ECSTATIC to the melody I’ve ever heard. Attraction is profound as if it were the threshold of the tune which really captivated and rejoiced with me.

It’s been two days when I discharged from the hospital and fortunately, I’ve been doing well. My mom who just left four days ago never failed to keep on calling me how were things going.

Acherous’ gaze slid to the side. He’s the sea I love—or he is more mesmerizing than that of the flowers with petals falling on the ground. He’s the rain that I’d rather choose to watch all night and enjoy the breeze drifting and swaying the trees.

“Bro, do you still love Shandria?” I asked out of nowhere.

Sitting on the floor doing our missed projects, he sneaked a peek at me before laughing hesitantly. “What kind of ques—”

“I guess it wouldn’t be as terrible as answering my query straightway,” I interjected.

His eyes explored through the window with a tight-lipped smile and he subsequently released his hand from the finger holes of a scissor.

Then, even he hasn’t uttered any words yet, lies were already swirling all around him. I have this couple of hopes that truth would slip out.

“Uhm… Cyan,” he drawled.

“Bro, I got it.”

To suss out the situation over two weeks ago, Forest had mentioned Shandria, giving me these dots that led me to conclusion. In either case, what had happened to me was all planned. Previously, we conversed with my mom about the incident. They toyed over the decision to take an action against Forest and his comrades, but eventually selected not to go ahead with it as my wish.

Within the hour of waiting for each other, Acherous would have supposedly meandered with me down the avenue to my workplace. Also, he needed to withdraw his monthly allowance in the bank. Meanwhile, he excused himself that he couldn’t go with me which turned the reason to be evident. He exposed that Shandria talked to him about their relationship, even so I acted not being green with envy.

In other words, Shandria used a tactic of using Acherous to divert his attention from me for Forest could accomplish their plans against me. In contrary, I haven’t informed Acherous regarding this—Forest and Shandria are close cousins.

“Bro, I was just wondering… I believe you still love her and restraining yourself from it will not rely on what you wish, neither beneath nor beyond your favor,” I imparted.

He couldn’t have mastered concealing the pain that clouded his feature. When ache naturally seeped out in words, but this instance, his eyes were trapped with vulnerability.

“Additionally, the universe creates a prelude of every lover that may last depending on how it would like to be. And undoubtedly, there can be a partner whom you’ll share your life with. And it’s… her,” I added.

“How do you say that you are actually loving a person?” he asked like the feeling of in love is uneven for him.

“Bro… go back to the start when you love Shandria. Because until now, you can’t get over her…” I answered with my body felt as if I had been bruised in every edge.

He clasped her fingers behind back and titled his head downward. “Tell me, bro… have you fell in love?” Afterwards, his eyes swiveled up to me and he passed his hand through his hair.

The clock is constantly measured but this situation can be regarded as a reason when the millisecond showed one at a time.

My limbs slightly moved. The phase of my cognitive analyzed the pattern—it was almost indifferent—requiring chaotic enough to come to scene to hide this inexplicable feeling.

“Yes,” I replied, seemingly to be usual to hear from a question as this. “And until now…” I continued.

“How would you feel, bro?” he questioned; eyes seeking for nearly inspecting what truly love means.

“If you’re in love, you’re just in love that is bound to happen. No words can explain it. But when we talk about the repetitive sentiment, we can say that there can be three…” I paused then my shoulders held back.

Then, he held his head high and uttered, “What are the three, then?”

I painted a ray of sunshine across my lips and closed my eyes a little longer. “First, you can’t get them out of your head.”

Every now and then, Acherous never skips my mind. He always seems to get detained in my heart and I have no plans to set him free.

“Second, your heart synchronizes with the thought of being with that person you cherish like… you own the world.”

We shack up each other and the paradise was built with our privilege to color the dull place and spread petals across the aisle.

“And the third one, you can say that you’re in love… is when you begin to feel pain over the things that are related to him. No explanation. Just pain.”