It was Kim’s day off from work.  She woke up early, excited to spend the day with Gerald.  After dressing up, she went down to find Mommy Vangie.

         She found Gerald’s mom in the kitchen, preparing breakfast.

         “Hi, ma!  Bakit po ang aga          nyo?  Di ba 10pm na kayo nakauwi kagabi?”

         “Ok lang ako, anak.  Alam kong maghapon ka ngayon sa ospital kaya nagluto ako ng mga favorites nyo ni RJ.  Pwede naman ako’ng matulog pagka-alis mo.”

         “Ganon po ba?  Ano po ba ‘yang mga yan?”  Kim asked as she placed her things on the counter before coming to Mommy Vangie’s side to see what she prepared.

         “Wow!  May siomai…saka adobo.  Sarap naman po nyan.”

         Mommy Vangie faced her future daughter-in-law and hugged her.

         “Kimmy, maraming salamat ha?  Hindi ka sumusuko kay RJ.  Medyo matagal-tagal na rin tayong nandito pero hindi ka nagsasawang alagaan sya kahit wala tayong kasiguraduhan na gigising pa sya.”

         “Ma, mahal na mahal ko po si Ge at kahit pa umabot tayo ng sampu, dalawampu o tatlumpong taon, hindi ako titigil na umasang isang araw, gigising sya para pakasalan ako.”

         “Alam ko, iha, at napaka-swerte ng anak ko dahil mahal mo sya.”

         “Hindi, ma, ako ang maswerte, dahil una nya akong minahal.  At dahil dun, hinding hindi ko sya susukuan.  Promise po ‘yan.”

         Mom and daughter hugged once more before laughing at their early emote session.

         “O, sya, maupo ka na at kakain na tayo…”

         “Uhm, ma, pwede po ba’ng sa ospital na lang ako kumain, gusto ko katabi ko si Ge para maamoy nya yung mga niluto nyo.”

         “Ah, o, sige, baka nga ma-stimulate ang senses nya…good idea, Kimmy.  O, ayan, nasa paper bag na ang pagkain nyo.  Ingat ka.  I’ll see you tonight, ok?  Tawagan mo ako if anything happens ha?”

         “Yes, ma…” and Kim gave Gerald’s mom a kiss on the forehead before heading out the door.

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         “Hi, baby…good morning!  Rise and shine, Ge, ang ganda ng araw sa labas, o.  Pwede tayong mamasyal, o di kaya maupo lang sa bench sa park.  Medyo malamig pa rin kaya sigurado ako’ng mag-eenjoy ka.”  Kim spoke to Gerald as if he could really hear her.

         “May padala nga palang food si mommy, favorite natin, siomai at adobo na maraming onions…gusto mo yon di ba?  Gising na, halika, saluhan mo ‘ko…”  She coaxed while opening the food container, making the scent of the food hover freely inside the room.  She tried to take a bite of the siomai while watching him intently, as if expecting him to move and open his eyes to look at her.

         Gerald remained immobile.  His breathing still in complete synergy with the machine attached to him.

         Kim placed the food aside, trying hard not to cry as she looked at his pale face now lacking in emotion.  She longed to see the smile in his eyes whenever he looked at her.  How she wished she could see his lips curve into a y smile once again.

         “I will not give up, Gerald.  I know you can hear me.  I will not give up on you, no matter how long it takes.  Ganyan kita kamahal, babe.  I know it took me a while to realize it, but don’t worry, for all the times I’ve hurt you, babawi ako ngayon.  I will not let go.  Kaya gumising ka na.  Don’t take too long, baka matuyo ang matris ko, di na tayo magkameron ng kambal, sige ka.” Kim laughed at herself despite the situation.  “Ano ba ‘yan, noon, tinanggihan ko yung alok mo’ng magpakasal, tapos ngayon, eto nangangarap akong magka-anak na tayo.”  Tears flowed from her eyes as she caressed his cheeks.  She kissed him on the forehead, missing him more than ever.

         Remembering their videos that she brought, she slowly moved to retrieve them from her bag.  Taking her laptop out and placed one in the cd-rom.  It was their PBB video.  Then she placed one earphone in Gerald’s left ear before putting the other in her right.  She stayed beside him until the video was finished.

         “Babe, ang saya natin noon ano?  Gising ka na, miss na miss na kita eh.”  She was sitting beside the bed, holding his hand until her eyes drooped and finally gave in to slumber.

         Perhaps it was the scent of the food, or the familiar voices in the video or the warmth of Kim’s hand, but whatever it was, it elicited a very minimal yet essential body reaction from the patient.  Unknown to Kim, Gerald’s right pointer finger where the blood pressure monitor was attached, moved a bit as if in reflex.

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         In the weeks that followed, that was Kim’s routine, never changing, never faltering.  There were days when she would read to him, even sing when she thought nobody could hear.  On Sundays, she would hear mass on tv while holding Gerald’s hand.

         Mommy Vangie and Ken were witnesses to Kim’s sacrifices and ardent efforts to bring Gerald back.  She never lost hope that he would one day wake up and fulfill a promise.