A FIRST IMPRESSION AND A REUNION
The Angelic Instrument, The Rise of The Angels
“Come here Alice. Here kitty.”, the girl on the tree branch said while reaching for her pet cat on the other side
I went closer. She was going near the cat. But the branch was going to break in no time. I hurried down to her.
“Hey! Don’t go any further!”, I said while running to her
“Huh?”, she replied with obvious shock and confusion on her face
Then suddenly the branch broke.
“AAAAHHH!!!”, the girl cried
I hurried down to where she was about to fall. I caught her immediately.
“Thank you!”, she thanked me.
I stood her on the ground, “No problem.”, I replied
She was smiling then it turned into warning. “Hey look out!”, she said
I looked but it was too late. Something hit me and laid me unconscious. Then my eyes started opening. The blur images were getting in full view. Someone was beside me. It was the girl on the tree branch. She had a pink complexion. Her eyes were brown. Her short curly bronze hair is suited for her small face. She also had refined red lips. And she was petite.
“Where am I?”, I asked her, my voice weak
“You’re in the school clinic. Andy and me took you here.”, she replied while putting her whole attention on me.
“Oh what really happened?”, I asked after I sat myself up on the bed and caressed the bandage on my head.
“You were struck by the tree branch that was broke by the branch that I sat on. I’m sorry.”, she replied while doing a sad face.
“That’s ok.”, I assured her
“Really? Can I be your friend? I’m Minna Ichikawa, 12 years old. I’m half-Filipino and half-Japanese, you?”, she said with a great smile on her face while reaching her hand for a shake
"Yeah, you can be my friend.", I answered with a sweet smile
"Really?! Yay!!!", she reacted then eventually hugged me... tightly
Her hug was cute but it was too tight. I was gasping for air. And she was touching my back wound.
"Mi... Mi... Minna...", my voice weakening with the absence of air
"What is it?", she asked still hugging me
"I... I... I can't bre.. breathe!", I answered still my voice was weakening because of air absence
"Oh I'm sorry.", she let go. Then I breathed gently again
“Thats much better. Well, I’m Hope Park. I’m part-Filipino, part-Korean and part-English. Nice meeting you,
Minna.”, I replied while shaking her hand
We were in the middle of introducing ourselves when someone went inside. She was white. She had black hair which was the same as Rogue of X-Men with white highlights. Her eyes had the spark of hazelnut. And she had a well defined body perfect for an athlete.
“I see that she’s okay.”, she said while walking towards us.
“She is now okay, Andy. And were friends.”, Minna answered her with delightful eyes
“Oh, let me introduce myself. I’m Andy Bluesummers, 14 years old. Nice meeting you.” She said while shaking my hand
“Nice meeting you, I’m Hope Park, 13 years old.”, I replied with a casual smile
“Andy’s half-Filipino and half-Australian. She is my closest friends here these past few years. But now you’re here, you can be my closest friend too.”, Minna said with a very sweet smile at me
After a couple of minutes, we went outside the clinic. They helped me find my ways through the campus and my enrollment. They also requested that we be classmates. After some minutes, we finished the enrollment. We decided to eat at a fast food chain. We talked about our lives and some other stuff. I knew that Minna’s father is one of the vice presidents of a prestigious company of cellphones in Japan. She is the middle one with 2 older and younger siblings. I guess that we were really meant to meet coz’ her mom also died a few years ago because of a plane crash. Andy’s the youngest of the family. She has 4 brothers-so thats why she’s boyish. Her mom was an athlete in swimming and her father was a player in football. They own a wide range of sports equipment shops around the globe.
“So Hope, tell us about yours?”, Andy asked after munching on her burger
“Mine? Well, my mom is half-Filipino and half-English while my dad is half-Filipino and half-Korean. I have 2 older
sisters, Faith and Heart. My mom died when I was 8 years old. She had a heart attack because of…”, I didn’t went further. My heart was aching again. The bad memories flushing into my system without any sign of my control. I was shocked to feel the smooth moisture coming down my cheeks. I didn’t notice that I was crying.
“Hope? Are you okay? Andy did I said something wrong?”, Minna asked Andy with tearful eyes
“Hope? What happened?”, Andy asked while calming Minna down
“No. Nothing. I just remembered something.”, I said while wiping the tears from my cheeks.
“Maybe we should better get going. I’ll call my limo to fetch us.”, Andy said while dialing the numbers of her driver on her phone.
Minna was calming me down. I drank some water to relieve my senses. I assured her that it wasn’t her fault. Riding back home was quiet. But still Minna was beside me hugging my arm. I was so guilty that I made her worry so much. Andy was playing on her IPad. It wasn’t really a fantastic ending though.
After an estimated of 20 minutes, I reached my home. I waved goodbye to my newly met friends-and hope fully best-friends-to-be. After the limo shot away, I turned back and saw the great house of dreadful memories. I walked and saw the little old front yard that my mom and dad beautified hand-in-hand. I reached the door and opened it. And there was my dad, sleeping in front of the television set. The living room was dim with only the light coming out of from the television was visible. I looked at the clock, it was an early 8:00 pm. My sisters were no where to be found. Maybe they were in there rooms, sleeping. Or maybe they went out for some girl fun. I walked pass my dad. I forced myself not to look. But my heart was too weak to cast him out of my life. I went to his room. I ransacked his drawers for some blankets. I found what I was up for but I saw something more. It was a picture. A picture of me when I was just months old. I lost it when I had a slum book project. I also found my old baby mittens and my bib. He also had a picture of Mom and me together. I turned it around and saw something-a little note. It said, “Sa pinakamamahal kong asawa at sa aking napakagandang bunsong anak. Sarang Hamnida.” I was startled to hear a car parking in our garage. I hurriedly went to my dad and put him the blankets.
After that, I went back to my room. I quickly went to the bathroom and splashed water on my face. I couldn’t believe it. My dad has my old stuff with him. But why? He knows that I hate him so much. This is really stupid. I won’t ever, ever believe that my father would love me and my mom again. I went to my closet and got a loose whit cotton shirt and a pair of short denim shorts. Then, I went to my bed but the idea of fatherly love was still spinning in my head. It avoided me from sleep. After hours of deliberating with myself, I fell asleep. Then I felt years before, being cradled in the arms of my mom. Being softly casted to sleep with the soft humming of a lullaby. I don’t remember anything naïve that night. It was like being held in a blissful paradise with the essence of my mom around somewhere. How I wished that I had a third eye. I wanted to see her again. To talk to her about everything that happened these past few years. But I think I wasn’t blessed enough. And I hoped that I could turn back time to stop what happened.
I woke up the next morning at 7:30 am. I was dreadfully tired of what happened yesterday. I went down and found out that I was left alone in the house. It was really relieving being alone. I could do what ever I wanted. I opened the television and heated my breakfast in the microwave. While waiting, I changed channels. World war 3, Taylor’s comeback to the Philippines, Rebecca Black versus Justin Bieber, a cranked up soap opera and a Filipino singing star banished from Hollywood were the only things that I found from the channels. I was bored with that stuff. I went to Nickelodeon for some good childish cartoon episodes and I was satisfied. SpongeBob was still the best though he is super duper cute. After the episode was nothing much of importance. So I changed to Myx. It was “Pretty Girl Rock” by Keri Hilson playing. I then turned the stereo volume up and crammed the whole place in a music studio. I was dancing with two left feet-hey it’s not my fault being such a moron on the dance floor. But still I was enjoying myself. Then someone was knocking on my door. I opened it and was shocked. It was the boy who touched my-the-you-know-what-part-of-me when I arrived at the airport. He was in a white shirt and black denim pants. And there was no sign of any black eye and bruise on his face, unlike the day that I saw him-which was my fault.
“Miss, pwede mo bang hinaan ang stereo mo? Nakakabulabog kasi.”, he said while leaning on my door post.
“I beg your pardon?”, I answered while twitching my ears. I couldn’t hear him actually
“Could you please turn your stereos down?!”, he said, his voice much louder now.
I turned my back on him. I went to the stereos and turned them down. Then I went back to the door. “Happy?”, I said to him.
“You are really something.”, he said while crossing his arms
“Coz’ I’m pretty.”, I said complementing myself
“Pfft… Oh really?”, he said avoiding a laugh
“Yeah really! And what the Hell are you laughing at?”, I asked while shooting an angry look at him
“Then what are those morning stars doing there on your eyes? And those lipstick stains on your cheeks? And those charcoal marks on your forehead?” he said grimacing
I didn’t believe him at first. But then as I touched my face and look at my hand-Oh my gosh! There were lipstick and charcoal on my face. I then hurriedly went back to the kitchen. I released the water from the kitchen faucet and cleaned my face.
“It won’t do you know.”, he said still grimacing
“Ughh!!! Could you just shut up.”, I said while rubbing my face with the water
After a couple of trash talk and a couple of liters of water wasted, I went to the mirror in the living room and checked my face. It was pretty and clean again-hey can’t I complement myself again? I went back to the faucet and turned it off. After, I turned to look at him.
“Well? I’m clean again, Sir Pathetic.”, I said while turning to walk
But my oh my, my luck is really not with me now I slipped because of a puddle of water on the floor. I was going to fall when strong arms held me. I turned to look and Sir Pathetic was the one who caught me. Eye to eye now and a couple of minutes of silence passed.
“You are really Miss Careless.”, he asked still locking his eyes on mine
“Please. Let me go.”, I said but with mildness and weakness, something forced me not to go
We were in the middle of hey-look-into-my-eyes, when suddenly there was someone who called up. They were my sisters. I was in shock
“So what are you doing you two?”, Faith asked while teasing us
After the disturbance of the two creatures, Sir Pathetic dropped me to the floor. And I hit the floor bad. I was really pissed.
“He! He! He! It’s nothing Ate Heart and Ate Faith.”, he replied while scratching his head, a sort of shy I guess
Whoa! He knows my sisters?! Who is this guy anyway?
“Oh it’s ok, Topher.”, Heart assured him
"Whoa wait. Topher? You mean, Christopher Smith? The one I always bullied when I was a kid? My patient and cute best friend?", I was shocked and immediately stood up after hearing his name.
“Topher, that’s Hope.”, Faith said smiling
“What?! Hope?! Oh she’s a lot more different than the last time I saw her. I didn’t recognize her the time I saw her at the airport. I thought she was a friend or your maid”, he clarified with clear shock in his face and a snicker at the last. He also blushed when I called him cute
“Shut up! I don’t look like a maid. Sorry I bet you up at the airport. I was just shocked and pissed on what you did.”, I clarified
“That’s ok my dear bully. I understand.”, he assured me
He was at the airport because he also fetched his sister and also to meet my sisters. But oh what a great surprise I bet him up. He stayed for awhile at my house for lunch and dinner. I was happy because I had more and more friends each day. I think my stay wouldn’t be awful I guess.
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