His Memories of Her

23rd

“It has been ten years, but I feel like it is only yesterday when I met her and everything that happened in those three years feels like happened in one day. I did have not had enough of her, and when I thought I finally could have the fair enough share of her in my life, that thing happened and it ended everything even before it started.” Henry said as he looks up from the wheel and stare into space resting his chin on the wheel.

Henry reach for his glove compartment to get something, but he is having a hard time since the compartment seems to be empty, there is nothing in there aside from a thin piece of paper like that finally he got a hold of and take it out to look at. He looks at it with eyes that are wet, and cheeks with a trace of the first batch of tears he shed. He shed tears looking at a piece of paper, a photo paper of him and Irene on his graduation day. The day he will also will never forget.

“At least, at the very least, my worries have been lifted. You are doing great right now which even though I knew you could, I still could not help but to worry about it.” He said looking at the smiling face of Irene who is standing beside him with her arm around her waist and his on her shoulder as they both wear a joyous expression. Its been eleven years, when he graduated in high school making Irene a year below him but the happening of that day is as clear as the moon that  is looking over him while he reminisce the happenings on that day.

“Mom.” Henry said picking up his phone that shook him when it suddenly rung.

“Hey honey, are you home now?” His mom said.

“Not yet, I just climb up of my car. Is something wrong?” Henry said, after clearing his throat.

“Nothing is wrong here, instead it is you. Did you catch a cold?” His mom asks worriedly.

“Allergy. Just a new allergy that suddenly popped out.” Henry said that he is admiring his mom’s instinct, he still needs to lie and not tell her that he met Irene’s brother just now after disappearing ten years ago. He will not and could not because the sufferings he had, it reflected too much on his mother.

He did not say it to Irene’s brother but because of the depression and stress of taking care of him while he throws tantrums and all the blames, he put on his mother’s shoulders made her sick. The real reason why he decided that his life has to stop and to once again begin. And since that day, he have been living of loving his mother way more than he did in the past.

“Have you taken a medicine for it?” His mom said.

“Now that you said it, I forgot.” Henry said in joking tone.

“Just what kind of doctor are you? If you are sick, how could you treat others?” His mom said, changing the worried tone to scolding. But since Henry is lying, he could not help but to smile silently.

“I know, I know. I will when I get home.” He said calming his mother down before he gets another heart attack.

“Be good, will you?” His mom said softly that made him chuckle. It is just like her always way of saying it to him for as long as he could remember.

“I am good mom; I am the best son just like you said.” Henry said in teasing tone.

“I wish you really are.” His mother scoffs.

“Please, can you not just agree?” Henry said starting his engine after putting back the picture in where he took it out from carefully like it is his treasure.

“I will if you do me a favor.” His mother said.

“Anything for you mom.” Henry said full of love.

“Can you come home next week? I miss you so much. Everyone has been asking about you.” His mom said.

“Everyone? So, if I go home, I will not be meeting just you and dad?” Henry said arching his eye brow as high as it could.

His mother suddenly turned quiet for a moment before a giggle could be heard from her for a good amount of time before she speaks and said “It is not wrong to meet new people, right? It is your aunt’s family coming over to celebrate with us.”

“Celebrate? What is?” Henry said in wonder.

“Mister, you became a doctor by memorizing literally a book a day but your own birthday would slip your mind?” His mother said in scolding tone once again.

 “What is that?” His mother exclaimed hearing the impact of his sudden stepping on the break.

“It is my birthday next week?” He exclaimed. He exclaimed not because the fact of him being unaware that it is already next week, but the fact that he made a deal with his mother from his last two birthday.

“It is. And by judging by your expression, you did not forget what we talked about of what should happen this year.” His mother said in a playful tone.

“I did not, but I am not sure if I could go back home since I have a lot of patients who will not be discharge before next week mom.” Henry said giving his best and only excuse at time like this.

“Here we go again. Just like always. Go home or else I will go there and drag you back after announcing to the whole hospital that your mom has came up to drag you out.” His mom said, she exclaimed in a very new tremendous way, nothing like her usual. It shocked Henry and added more the fact that for the first time in his life, his mom yelled and hang up her call on him. It is usually the other way around.

Henry look, stared at his phone with a smile before he started again his engine to finally get home.