Forget Me Not

Chapter Two

"DUDE, why?" Brennen asked Rico.

Rico looked at them and opened his mouth, but no words came out. His eyes were darting around, unable to read what was happening here.

Gilbert quickly picked up and fixed his cell phone to its previous state.

"Rico? Why?" Kayla asked while shaking him on the shoulder. She felt his trembling as she held him.

"S... She... Melissa," he finally spoke. "M-Melissa is... She's dead. She's gone."

Kayla quickly withdrew her hand from him. She felt her knees weaken suddenly. She hoped what she heard wasn't true.

"W-What?" Kate asked with a shaky voice. "How... who told...?" She couldn't finish her sentence as she suddenly burst into tears. Irene hugged her and let her cry on her shoulder.

Within a few seconds, no one spoke.

Everyone just exchanged glances in silence.

"What happened?" Gilbert asked, seeking an explanation.

All attention turned to Rico, waiting for answers. "I talked to Angelo... he called me. He told me that Melissa was dead. She... she took her own life yesterday." Rico was referring to Angelo, a distant relative of Melissa's father where their friend was staying in Manila.

Kayla gasped and covered her mouth. "But why? Why would Melissa do that?" They were still happy together and said their goodbyes before the semester break. She didn't notice anything unusual about her.

Rico vigorously shook his head. Finally, tears streamed down his face. He clenched his fists and faced the wall, punching it in frustration. However, the act also hurt him in the process.

Brennen reached out and grabbed his arm to restrain him.

"Someone will die..." Rico said, his voice trembling with emotion.

Kayla instinctively clutched her stomach as Mark's words in class echoed in her mind. She glanced towards the classroom door just as Mark walked out. Their gazes met briefly, but she quickly averted her eyes as she felt a sudden rush of goosebumps on her arms.

THE surroundings were hot and scorching as the group of friends alighted from the provincial bus that brought them to Melissa's hometown in Nueva Ecija. It was their first time visiting that town. Throughout their long friendship, they had never been invited to Melissa's home. She knew that Melissa felt embarrassed because her family was not well off. Melissa's father passed away early, and her widowed mother worked hard to support her education. Kayla was aware that they lived in a small house in a rural village.

Kayla brushed her bangs away from her sweaty face. Kate and Rico followed as they disembarked the bus, with Rico wearing shades. Kayla wasn't sure if others noticed, but since they returned to school, Kate and Rico seemed to be spending a lot of time together. They were often seen side by side, even on the bus. She thought that perhaps Kate was just trying to comfort Rico because she was Melissa's best friend.

Throughout their long journey, they reminisce about their happy memories as friends. Sometimes, they fell silent as they were reminded of the reality and the reason for their visit to Nueva Ecija. It was still a big question why their friend took her own life and it puzzled them greatly. Kayla couldn't think of any reason. She knew Melissa had been in a relationship with Rico for a year, and they seemed happy together. Melissa was also excellent in class and had the highest grades in their last exams before the semester break.

When she woke up this morning, she still couldn't believe the news that their friend was really gone.

"Where are we exactly?" Irene asked, clearly exhausted from the long journey. They traveled for three hours, taking two buses to reach the address given by Angelo to Rico.

Brennen immediately sat under the shade of a tall and lush tamarind tree. He was feeling thirsty, but he couldn't find any stores along the small road except for some vendors selling watermelon and an old woman grilling corn.

Rico lifted his shades to wipe the sweat under his eyes. "Let's ask around."

Gilbert approached an elderly woman who was selling corn. "Excuse me, ma'am, can we ask you something?"

The old woman looked up at Gilbert.

He waited for her response.

"Where is Aling Telma's place? The seamstress?" Gilbert continued his inquiry.

The old woman let out an 'aah' sound. Then she pointed in a certain direction. "Do you see that dead balete tree in the distance?"

Everyone's gaze followed her pointing finger and saw a tall, old-looking tree standing in the distance, but it appeared lifeless, with no leaves on its branches.

Gilbert nodded and turned his attention back to the old woman.

"There's a pathway on the side to enter Aling Telma's place." the old woman said, scanning each of them with her gaze. "Are you friends of her deceased child?"

Everyone nodded somberly in response.

"The fate of that child is truly pitiful," the old woman sympathetically remarked.

"Okay, thank you," Rico said. One by one, they all expressed their gratitude to the old woman before continuing in the direction she pointed.

"By the way," the old woman added suddenly. Everyone stopped and turned to look at her. "Please pay your respects when you pass by that tree."

"Why, ma'am?" Brennen asked curiously.

"Just do it to avoid any harm," she replied with a serious tone.

For a moment, they all exchanged glances, and then they nodded in agreement with the old woman's instruction.

"What year was this? Do superstitions still exist?" Kate whispered. Kayla didn't take her eyes off the tree being pointed at.

The path leading to Melissa's place was narrow and had overgrown vegetation. As they approached, Kayla realized that the tree was incredibly old. Despite its age, it still stood firmly on the ground, and its massive roots almost blocked the path it needed to take. Sometimes, they had to step on those roots to cross over.

"Excuse me," Gilbert said as he was the first to pay his respects after passing the tree. Everyone else did the same.

"Excuse me—" Kayla was startled and quickly turned around as if she thought she heard someone call her name. It was as if someone whispered in her ear.

Kayla didn't know why, but she felt a sudden cold breeze brush against the back of her neck. She gasped for a moment and exhaled deeply. Despite the intense heat of the sun, she suddenly felt a chill throughout her body. She hugged her arms tightly, trying to warm herself.

She noticed something strange at the base of the tree. There were white candles standing there.

“Kayla!”

She turned around in response to Irene's call. She realized that her friends were already far ahead, and she was left behind.

"You're taking so long!"

"Excuse me,” she said as she moved to cross the tree and quickly caught up with her friends. She simply ignored what she thought she heard. She probably thought it was just a result of tiredness from the long journey and the intense heat.

Shortly after, they could see some houses not far away. Kayla couldn't fully grasp that those were the homes Melissa went to every vacation.

They immediately identified which one of those houses was Melissa's. Apart from the distance between the houses, that particular one was the only one with a black cloth hanging on the bamboo fence.

She tightly held Irene's hand as they approached the small house made of reeds and wood. It looked exactly like how Melissa used to describe it to her before.

Kayla swallowed hard, trying to hold back tears as memories of their happy times with Melissa came rushing back to her. She didn't know if she was ready to see her friend lying in a coffin. It was the first time she experienced losing a close friend or someone dear to her, and it was also her first time seeing a dead person.

No one had the courage to enter the yard. The group of friends stood there for a long moment, right in front of the black cloth where Melissa's full name was written.

But finally, it was Rico who took the first step. He entered the yard and proceeded to the front of the house. Gilbert and Brennen quickly followed, supporting him on both shoulders. At that moment, an elderly woman with almost all-white hair looked out from the doorway.

Kayla remembered that elderly woman from a photo Melissa once showed her. She was Melissa's mother. Based on her estimation, the woman must be around fifty years old.

"Good afternoon," Rico greeted respectfully. "We are Melissa’s friends..."

"Oh, it's you..." Aling Telma said as she came out of the house to welcome them. The old woman's voice revealed deep sorrow, her shoulders slumped, and her eyes were teary. "Come in. Please come in."

When the men proceeded inside first, that was the only time Kayla joined them. Irene and Kate followed suit, and they all entered the house together.

"Wait a moment, and I'll prepare some drinks for you. You must be tired from the long journey," Aling Telma said, her voice filled with exhaustion and sorrow. She quickly disappeared into the kitchen.

No one spoke as they sat down on the long bamboo sofa right in front of Melissa's coffin. No one dared to look inside the casket. Even Rico, Melissa's boyfriend, seemed dazed in his seat, his attention fixed on the white wooden casket of Melissa.

The scent of melting candles filled the air, making it difficult for Kayla to breathe. It felt like her throat was constricting, and there seemed to be a heavy weight pressing on her chest. The overwhelming emotions made it hard for her to find comfort in this sad atmosphere.

She noticed that the only clock in the room was stuck at three o'clock. It must have been broken, as it was only two o'clock in the afternoon.

After a long moment, Kayla finally mustered the courage to stand and take a glimpse at her friend inside the casket. Her legs felt weak as she walked towards Melissa's coffin. She could hear her own heart pounding in her ears.

In front of the coffin, there are many pictures of the departed friend; frozen happy memories when she was still alive. There is no doubt that Melissa is the most beautiful of all on the entire campus.

This also means that she can say Rico is very lucky. Many have offered Melissa to become a commercial model, and even her friends are urging her to be an actress. But Melissa doesn't want to neglect her studies.

She wants to finish her studies to provide a good life for her mother. Melissa's dream is to become a lawyer someday. She regrets that it was lost early, along with all the dreams and efforts she had put into it.

Their picture together is also there, taken before they went their separate ways last semester.

Kayla lowered her gaze to the coffin. However, she quickly covered her mouth to prevent herself from screaming upon seeing what greeted her from inside the coffin.

Her knees were trembling, and she stepped back from there, looking at the friends who caught her attention.

“Why?" Rico asked softly, then quickly stood up to find out the reason for her fear. Everyone followed suit.

Kayla felt Irene gripping her arm tightly as she saw what was inside the coffin. Everyone seemed to catch their breath in shock.

Melissa’s body was lying face down in the coffin, with the back of her head facing them. The only visible thing was her long, black hair.

“I'm sorry if seeing my child in that state startled all of you,"

Everyone turned their attention to Melissa's mother, who was carrying a tray of juice glasses. She placed it on the table and walked towards them.

With sadness, Aling Telma gently caressed her hand over the mirror on the coffin, as if she was caressing Melissa's long hair.

"Everyone was startled by what happened. Since Melissa came home for vacation, she seemed to be always sad, as if she was lost in herself somewhere. But she never said what the problem was. I was greatly puzzled by her being silent all the time. Melissa was completely different from her last visit. I can't figure out what could be the possible reason. She said she was sure she passed all her exams."

"I suddenly heard shouts yesterday at around three o'clock while I was sewing here at home. People outside were in a commotion. One of our neighbors was calling my name. They said they found Melissa hanging from the Balete tree. She hanged herself..." Aling Telma's voice choked, and tears welled up in her eyes.

Rico lifted his hand towards the old woman's shoulder and gently comforted her with condolences.

"Others there tried to rescue my daughter, thinking she might still be alive," Aling Telma continued in a trembling voice. "But the branch she hanged herself from gave way. Her body fell to the ground, and her left cheek hit a sharp rock, almost cutting her face in half so that she became hardly recognizable..."

"Oh, my god..." Kayla uttered. She felt a strong shiver running through her entire body. It was as if she could see the whole incident in her mind. It dawned on her that the tree they passed by earlier was the exact tree where Melissa hanged herself. Now she understood why there were many candles lit there.

“She was the only reason for my efforts... now that she's gone...” Aling Telma continued sobbing in deep sorrow. “My child is gone...”

"I'm sorry..." Kate also started crying, hugging the old woman tightly. "I'm sorry..."

The old woman wiped the back of her hand under her eyes to dry the tears. "Thank you very much for your condolences..."

THE afternoon was incredibly quiet, and time seemed to pass so slowly. The only sound in the surroundings was the consecutive crowing of roosters, indicating that it was almost dusk.

Kate has fallen asleep leaning on Kayla's shoulder while sitting. They decided to spend the night there because there were few buses to Manila at that hour. They were advised that they could surely catch a bus tomorrow morning.

Kayla has already called her parents to ask for permission. She also wants to accompany Aling Telma. It seems that not many neighbors visit the widow. Others have also informed their parents that they will be staying overnight in Nueva Ecija.

Kayla stood up when she felt numbness from sitting too long. She supported Kate's head and leaned it on a throw pillow.

She took a step towards the window to see where the others were. From her vantage point, she saw Rico, Brennen, Gilbert, and Irene outside engaged in what seemed like a serious conversation.

For a moment, her attention was diverted from her friends when she heard a noise coming from a sewing machine. She searched for its source and it led her to Melissa's mother's room.

Since the door was open, when Aling Telma probably sensed her presence, she stopped what she was doing.

"Ah, it's you, dear," she said while holding a white dress. "Have you rested?"

“Yes,” she replied at the door.

"Come. Come in," she tapped the side of the bamboo bed. "Could you talk to me about my child? In her four years in Manila, you've been almost always with her and you're also the constant subject of her stories whenever she comes home here."

A sad smile crept onto her lips as she entered the room and sat on the edge of the bamboo bed. The room was small, with only a dresser, a small bed, and an old sewing machine inside. The air inside was fresh, coming from the two large capiz windows.

Melissa's mother continued sewing. "Tell me, does my child have someone he likes in your school, huh?" she asked while focused on her sewing. "Her male friends are quite handsome, I must say."

"Melissa is really serious about her studies," Kayla lied. She momentarily lowered her head. Melissa is Rico's girlfriend. However, she never let her mother know about it because she didn't want her to worry. "All of us were surprised by what happened. I can't think of any reason why Melissa would have thought of taking her own life." She suddenly changed the topic of the conversation.

"Even I," Aling Telma replied weakly. "When her father died seven years ago, she became my only reason to live. Now, I don't know how I'll ever get used to not having her anymore... that I'll be all alone now." She stood up and waved the white dress she had just passed through the sewing machine earlier. Kayla's gaze fixed on it.

"This dress," Aling Telma said as she hung it on the dresser, "is Melissa's favorite. I don't even know why I bothered fixing the hem. She won't be able to wear it anymore anyway."

Kayla swallowed hard, trying to hold back her tears. She keenly felt the overwhelming grief and longing of Melissa's mother.

Kayla was about to stand up to comfort her when she was stopped by a loud shout from outside.

She heard Kate’s scream.