To Cherish You Forever

A male bystander who is in his mid-fifties is watching closely at a young woman not far from him. They were the only people at the bus station. It was already very late at night in that chilly, small town. He is in a hurry to catch the next bus in time to reach his family back home. He was sent by his company to do some errands in that place. He is glad he would be back home soon. However, the young woman next to him had already caught his attention earlier. He was the only one waiting at the bus station when the young woman arrived. At first, he just greeted her and went to mind his own business. However, the young woman seems to be out of place. He just felt that she is not from this area. She looks lost, weary and so much more. Now, he is observing her carefully. She is wearing a pair of loose jeans and a gray knitted long sleeve shirt with white branded sneakers. She had a small carry-on luggage with her and a small koala bear stuffed toy she held in her left arm. He could not figure out what to make of her. She looks decent and very young, probably around 16. Her hair is in a mess. She is devoid of any makeup yet you can tell that she is a beautiful young woman. Those big brown eyes looking lost and nervous made him want to reach out to her. She reminds him of his teenage daughter. They must be of the same age. He is wondering why such a young woman is all alone in this ungodly hour in this remote town. She should be somewhere home with her family. She should be in bed, comfortably sleeping or just getting ready to sleep. Something is not right with her. She looks fidgety and nervous eversince she arrived. Her hands can’t stop from shaking while fumbling on her phone. Whoever is she trying to call or message couldn’t be reached at that moment. He didn’t have time to reflect further as the scheduled bus already came in sight. He got inside the bus immediately. He thought the young woman would come as well but she remained in her place. She was too occupied to notice her surrounding.   “Hey young lady, aren’t you coming in? This is the last scheduled bus for tonight.” He said with his loud voice so she could hear him loud and clear. She hesitated for a bit and just shook her head. He couldn’t do anything then. She made her decision. The bus left without her. She is all alone in that place. He was wondering about her. Probably, she is just waiting for a family member or a friend to pick her up. He hopes that she will get home soon safe and sound. Meanwhile, in another place, a young man in his early twenties can be seen driving a car at a dangerously high speed. He was driving too fast that it was too late for him to realize what was happening. He lost control of the car brake. His car skidded violently and hit a tree to the side of the road. His last recollection was an excruciating pain to his back and then numbness. Then, slowly he lost consciousness as blood started to trickle to the side of his head. The area was empty. It was dark as well as there were no street posts to give light to the place. There was no one who witnessed the  accident that just occured moments ago. There was only the sounds of the crickets and the cloudy night sky. It would take almost half an hour before someone alerted the police. Some minutes later, the police and the ambulance arrived with the medics sprinting towards the driver. They saw that the car was heavily damage in front and so is the driver inside who looks lifeless. They had to slowly remove him out of the car for fear of injuring him further. They checked his vital signs and for any broken bones. They gave him some first aids immediately. He is in a critical condition. Looking at his appearance right now, his chance of survival is slim. The medics know that. Still, they did all they could to save him. Not far is a small clinic but they could not bring him there. They need to give him the appropriate treatment. The nearest tertiary level hospital is 30 minutes away. So, they decided to airlift him through a helicopter. It didn’t take long for it to arrive at the area. He was immediately transported to the hospital. The police stayed behind to investigate the incident. They scoured the area thoroughly for any signs of foul play. At the end, they concluded that what happened was purely an accident. The authorities already notified the family of the victim before he got airlifted. They were so devastated upon hearing the gruesome news. Miles away, a woman in her early twenties just gotten off her phone. She was in shock after the call. It took her a full minute to digest the news she just received. “You need to go home right at this moment. There was an accident earlier and he was in it.” Those words kept replaying in her head. It was her mom who informed her of some vague details of the accident. She needs to go home. She has to catch a flight as soon as possible. Besides, she doesn’t want her mom and dad to be facing the problem by themselves. She needs to be there for them as well. It did not take her long to get to the airport. Luckily, she was able to book a flight while inside the taxi. Her flight would be three hours from now. “Hold on, I am coming home to you. Please God, protect and keep him safe.” She was praying silently while waiting for her flight. On the other hand, a handsome young billionaire was partying with his friends. They had been in the party for hours now. For the past few days, he went from a serious businessman to a reckless partygoer. He needed to get a breather from his parents. The booze keeps his mind off from his problems. An hour later, he got a call from his mom. He was busy drinking with his friends. Usually, he would just ignore the call as he did many times these past few weeks. However, a nagging feeling pushed him to answer the call. “Good evening mom.” Came his baritone voice. He sounded bored. “Jake, what is that noise I heard? Are you partying again?” Jake just smirked. What does he expect from his mom? She always has something negative to say against him. He regretted why he  picked up the call. He doesn’t have the energy to argue with his mom right now. “Mom, if you are just going to lecture me, now is not the right  time for that.” He told her flatly and impatiently . He could hear his mom took a heavy sigh and stayed quiet for a full minute. “Please come home, Jake.” He got so surprised. He knew his mom too well. She is a woman with such a strong personality. She is successful at everything she does. Hearing her right now in a sad and pleading voice seems odd to him. “Something terrible happened.” And his mom went on to tell him what happened in short and concise details. She was crying incessantly after she told him everything. Jake was so worried. He immediately left the party without informing anyone. He knew that it is not wise to drive since he had alcohol but he needs to be home. It is a family emergency. A member of the family so dear to him needs him right now. He blamed himself for what happened. If he was there, this would not have happened. He tried to ward off his negative thoughts. It is too late for the blaming game right now. He needs to be home fast before things get worst. Whoever did this to her will have to pay big time. No one messes up with her. “Whoever did this to you will pay a handsome price. He will regret the day that he has crossed path with you.” Jake said with determination right after he saw her. He was gripped with too many emotions the moment he saw her. “Please hang in there. I am always here with you. Mom and dad are waiting for you. Grandma has been asking about you. You knew you are her favorite, right?” After saying the last word, Alya just couldn’t stop crying. He is too young to be suffering like this. She still doesn’t know why he drove like that. She knew him to be a careful driver. She was there when he got his first car as a birthday present. She was also there when he passed his driver’s test. Every milestone in his life, she was there. That one fateful night would change the lives of two families. Moreso, it would change the fate of Alya and Jake. They never knew each other nor ever had any chance of bumping into each other even if they are from the same circle. However, the accident would change the whole thing. They had to be there for their family. That means they have to cross path one day to shed light as to what exactly happened that night.