TIME FOR THE MOONLIGHT

Our Existence Truth or Lie?

“I looked it up. There is no student named Nathan Clarkson in the engineering department.” Christine said as soon as we met at the meeting.

“Are you sure? Maybe he’s not from the engineering department,” I asked.

“That’s why I searched the whole school data. There is no Nathan Clarkson at all.”

I was stunned. This isn’t happening again.

“Kelly, are you perhaps…I mean the rumors were true?”

“No. I’m not crazy for goodness sake.” Before I get out of the room, I heard them calling my name. Everything was darkness.

“Where am I?” I woke up realizing I was in the school clinic. It was dark and ..

“Who’s there?” I asked. I can see someone near the door. I was frightened at first but as he spoke, I know it was him.

“So you were here the whole day?” He asked.

“Yeah right. Are you perhaps looking for me?” I excitedly asked.

“Your right. I need my book and I was right you have it,” he said with the book in his hands.

“I-I didn’t mean to steal it. I can explain.”

“Whatever” He said then was about to leave when I held his hand surprising both me and him.

“You exist, right? I am not crazy, right?”

“What are you talking about? Can you please get your hands off? I’m busy to deal with you.”

“No. I need to talk to you. I mean, are you really Nathan?”

“What do you think?” he asked. Right. They are the ones crazy and not me.

“Wait. As an apology, I will treat you to dinner. Maybe tomorrow,”

“Whatever.” He said leaving me alone.

“I’ll wait you at the gate,” I shouted before he was out of sight.

Things were hectic at school. I had a lot of projects and tests. I was guilty not fulfilling my promise. But I know he doesn’t even care about it.

NATHAN CLARKSON’S POV

Schizophrenia.

It was my biggest secret. A secret even to my rich and powerful family. My secret can ruin my perfect family who doesn’t even care about me. To tell you the truth, I don’t have it. But no matter how hard I tried, I know I was only lying to myself.

My life changes when she came right to me. I saw her many times thinking she was just like them. But she was different.

April 10, 2019. Saint Luke’s Hospital

Patient 501. Nathan Clarkson

I’m stuck in this bed for almost a year after suffering from an accident that put me into a comma for six months. I just recovered and ready to be discharged next week.

“Hi Nathan, doing good?” The doctor asks as she enters my room.

“Well not bad. As you can see I will be discharged next week,” I answered.

“Then, you can finally see her?”

“Who?”

“The girl in the picture you always bring along with. Is she your wife? If not, maybe girlfriend?” She’s talking with the picture I have in my wallet.

“Not really,” I quietly answered.

“So I guess not. How about first love?”

“She doesn’t exist. It’s a long story,” I sighed.

April 2015

“What do you think you’re doing?” Dad was angry again. He was first angry of me for not getting a degree of medicine and now for totally not showing up in the conference.

“I told you I was sick,” I quietly said. The truth is I was in Jason’s condo the whole time.

“You know how important the conference is. I don’t care if you are sick or not. The important thing is you must have attended it. Now, the news is stirring around saying that our family is fake.”

Our family is fake? That was the truth. Our family is not as perfect as what everyone knows.

“I told you that wasn’t a good idea,” Jason said as soon as I told him about it.

Jason is my friend since grade school. His family is rich but their business is not big.

“Whatever. It was my only option,” I said.

“I know. You will have a fiancé now if you went. I don’t understand why you don’t want. Lizzy’s great. She is every guy’s dream.’

“Whatever. I told you not to talk about her.”

“Why? Because of that Kelly?”

“Don’t talk about her.” Talking about Kelly. She said to treat me to dinner. But she forgets. She just made me a fool waiting in the gate for three days now. I can’t even find her even I wanted.

“Why? You always mention her name in your dream. But you don’t even introduce her. It was as if she doesn’t exist.”

“She exist,” I said.

“The school’s president is my uncle. I searched the school data. There was no Kelly at all. I know you were lying. Just tell me what school she attends?”

“Just mind your own business.”