The Past and The Beginning
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January 6, 2011
"Why do you still have to leave?"
"Can't you just not go?"
"Can't you just stay here, please don't leave!"
I asked him question after question as my tears fell.
We were both sitting in the living room. I was trying to convince him not to leave, hoping he'd still change his mind and decide to stay.
"Sorry, Drei, I really don't want to leave either, but I can't do anything if that's what Mom wants," he said to me as he patted my shoulder.
"Why do you even have to go!" I said, staring into his eyes while my tears continued to fall.
He let out a deep sigh, then suddenly hugged me tightly, gently stroking my head while I continued sobbing.
"That's enough, Drei!" he said softly, trying to calm me down.
"I will come back. I promise I will come back!" he added while still hugging me.
"Promise you'll come back?" I asked right away, wiping my tears.
"Yes, I promise. I'll come back," he answered, his hands moving to my cheeks to wipe my tears. "There, stop crying," he said.
"You promise, okay?" I said.
He didn't answer anymore, just nodded and hugged me for the second time.
"Alright, Drei, I really have to go now," he said, standing up.
"Don't cry anymore," he added.
"I'll wait for you to come back," I told him.
I just stared at him, knowing there was nothing I could do to stop him from leaving. I hugged him tightly one last time.
"Son, let's go! We might be late for our flight!" his mom called from outside.
"They're calling me already, I have to hurry," he said and ran out of the house.
I didn't even get to say goodbye to him properly before he left.
All I could do was watch their car drive away.
I couldn't hold it in anymore and just cried over what happened.
"Goodbye, Drei. Until we meet again!" I said as my tears kept falling.
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- Present -
July 26, 2025
I'm still holding on to his promise that he will come back and that we will be together again.
But until when?
Will it be a year?
Two years?
Three years?
Or maybe ten years?
Or maybe never…
Maybe the person I've been waiting for so long is gone.
Maybe the one who promised to return is gone.
Or maybe he's happy where he is now.
Perhaps he's already made new friends there.
Or maybe he's forgotten the promise he made.
Or maybe… he's forgotten me.
Maybe he really has forgotten me.
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Whatever the reason, I will still wait for you, no matter how long it takes. I'm willing to wait because I still believe that the two of us will meet again. I know that the day and time will come when we'll cross paths once more.
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"Son…
"Son…"
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14 years. It's been 14 years since he left for Canada, yet it still feels like it happened just yesterday. I haven't forgotten what happened back then, even though we were still just kids.
Sometimes, I wish I could just go back to the days when we were still together, the days when we were so happy playing together.
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"Son…"
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Every second, every minute, every hour, every day, every night—he still crosses my mind. There hasn't been a day when I didn't remember him.
Sometimes, I've even asked myself… what if I'm the only one waiting between the two of us?
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"Son, hey!" my mom called, shaking my shoulder.
"Oh, Ma!" I answered, startled.
"I've been calling you for a while now, you're just staring at your food. You seem so deep in thought!" she said.
"Sorry, Ma," I replied shortly and went back to eating.
"Is something wrong, son?" she asked, holding my hand.
"Ah, nothing, Ma. I just didn't get enough sleep, that's all," I said, taking a sip of water.
"Alright then, I'll go ahead. I'm late for work," she said, grabbing her bag and hurrying out.
"Hurry up too, or you'll be late for school. It's your first day, after all," she reminded me on her way out.
"Yes, Ma," I replied. "Take care, Ma," I added.
Great, first day and I'm already going to be late! Sigh…
I rushed, leaving my food unfinished because I didn't want to be late—it would be so embarrassing.
I grabbed my bag from the table and hurried outside.
I should've listened to Mom when she told me to stay in a dorm so I wouldn't have such a hard time.
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.
.
.
"You don't always wait because you believe. Sometimes, you wait because your heart doesn't know how to stop."
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