READ:
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Randy was bowled over with what she just said. He paused for a moment thinking of what to say next, but he probably spent that short moment getting all perplexed by the lady standing in front of him at that moment. “This could be or could not be just a crazy dream.” He thought. In his mind, he spoke, “She is not Nicole? Does she really have that anger that she would have to get me lost and try to make me believe that she is not really the one I think she actually is? What is she up to? This is crazy.”
“Nicole? Please don’t make any inappropriate actions now, I seriously just wanna talk things over with you and make up everything to you.”
“I am not being inappropriate. But I am not Nicole, believe me.”
“What are you talking about?! Please don’t make it even harder for me. You can pour out all your anger to me, but please!! NOT THIS WA—“
“I am not Nicole! Look carefully…” She insisted and slowly brushed her hair away from her left shoulder, exposing the left side of her neck.
Confused, Randy followed and looked at it. He kept giving it a concentrate look for a few seconds until he realized that something was wrong; her blemish on her neck was missing…HER ANTARCTICA-SHAPED BIRTHMARK ON THE NECK WAS GONE. This made him think intensely. He focused his eyes back on her face, which now looked troubled as if there was something bothering her too. Curiously staring, he examined her face carefully. Her eyes… something was different with them. He realized it’s her eye apex that was shaped differently, and their depth seemed different too. The distance between her eyes seemed narrower, and it made him think of since when did she have that mole under her lower left eyelid. “Could I be really wrong? Is she really not Nicole?” He thought. Randy was intensely bewildered now. He looked down to the ground and questions started entering his mind. He got extremely confused. He knew something wasn’t right. He raised his head back up and stared at her once more…
“Who—...Who…are…you?” Randy asked expressionlessly.
She could only give him a worried look. Randy seemed more jumbled, hardly trying to figure out what was going on.
“Randy… I think it’s about time for you to learn about all of this.” She mysteriously spoke.
“I--… I just…don’t… get it. Wha--…What do you mean?” Randy questioned, his voice was fully nervous.
“Randy… I am Ella, Ella Danielles.”
“So is this what I really need to know? You’re telling me this is what I’ve to learn about? I have to learn that you have changed your name for good?!”
“I’m Ella, NICOLE’S TWIN SISTER – one that she never, ever told you about.” she firmly said, making sure that Randy heard it well and got it right.
“WHAT?! Sister? Nicole has a twin sister? How come she never told me?”
“I don’t know either. Only a very few of her friends know about me.”
“Wow. Just wow! This is entirely surprising and just crazy. This is really weird for me. Unbelievable. I do believe you though; I mean it’s pretty convincing that you’re her twin. It’s just that… I’m having a hard time believing all of this. Real crazy.”
“Don’t worry, I understand you. It’s really shocking, especially for you.”
“I’m sorry for being desperate and all forceful with you earlier. I just really needed to talk to Nicole so I thought of grabbing “that chance”. I just thought it was really her. I just thought she was really…back.”
“She will never be back, Randy. Not anymore.” Ella said gloomily.
“Has she stayed in New York for good? Is that why she’s never comin—"
“Nicole’s already gone, Randy. She’s already dead.” Replied Ella very dolefully.
Randy’s face totally paled upon hearing Ella’s words. He felt like a pang in his heart; the kind of pain that shoots him through. If Ella’s words could kill, he would be probably already buried 6 feet under now. If he had one wish at that very moment, he would’ve wanted to get himself out of that very scene of his life in any way he could, he would’ve wished that he just never found out those things he “needed to know”, and that they should’ve just remained unrevealed forever…so he would not suffer this way.
Randy could not manage to speak. Ella knew how he was feeling at the time; she knew how hard it was for him. He wasn’t answering back. But just by looking at his tearful and pained eyes, Ella knew that Randy wanted a clear explanation about everything. He had to understand these things.
“Randy, I’m truly, very sorry it had to go this far,” Ella sympathetically apologized to Randy while she lightly rubbed his shoulders to show empathy. “A week after her 26th birthday, when we found out through one of your friends that you had left for Australia without any last words to her, Nicole’s life was miserable. She never understood why you had to leave like that. You just left unexpectedly, without warning, without explaining anything to her.”
“I was… afraid.” Randy said sadly.
“Why?”
“The day after her birthday, I got a call from my mom in Australia telling me that I needed to stay there for good to take care of my family’s business. She told me I had no other choice because my father was sick and there was no other person to help her in the business. I had to immediately get there, before my father passes away. I was afraid to tell Nicole that I had to stay there for good, so I just left without telling her because I thought that when I got to Australia, I could fix things quick and be able to convince my mom to let me go back and stay here again in Florida. But things were just complicated, I wasn’t able to come back and I never got to see her again. Believe me, I never meant to hurt her. I was hurt too.”
“Oh my gosh Randy! If only you told her the real reason! Nicole would’ve—“
“ELLA, I WAS AFRAID! IT WAS NOT EASY! I know it was a mistake, I was wrong that I didn’t tell her but I just didn’t wanna make her feel bad that I had to leave so I thought it was better off not knowing so I just left and –“
“But Randy! You asked her to marry you on her birthday! You proposed to her! That was your birthday present for her, remember?!”
“I know, Ella! And that’s why I knew it would only disappoint her if she found out that I had to leave her so I decided not to tell her and just leave!”
“But you left without saying goodbye to her! IT WAS BEYOND PAIN! She got depressed and she ended up being sick! Her sickness was just unbearable she couldn't fight back anymore. She was so weak, it was just definitely her time to depart this life. And we never saw her again.”
Randy was so hurt with their conversation, he wasn’t able to answer back anymore. He ran his fingers through his hair and ruffled it in frustration. Ella felt a bit guilty for kinda grasping the fact that Randy was totally wrong and then slapping it in his face. Her tongue just seemed uncontrollable that those heavy words escaped her lips. “Randy, I’m sorry.” She apologized.
“Ella… will you just… take me to her grave now?” Randy pleaded.
She felt pity and immediately consented to his request. She nodded her head yes and they got going.
***************************************************************************
Randy mourned and lamented the loss of his one true love. Ella just stood there and watched him shed tears, feeling very apologetic for him.
“I only had one Nicole. Only had one life, one chance. But I blew it. Had I known better before, I could’ve reconciled and patched things up at once. It’s too late. Of all the pieces of regrets I own, this, by far…is the one that I consider my greatest remorse.” Randy’s conscience spoke with him as he cried his heart out.
-END-
No comments:
Post a Comment