I saw them left, one by one. Their backs leaving me again. All because I pushed them away when it’s the one of the things I thought I would never do if I see them again.

It was past lunchtime. I hadn’t come out of my office ever since I arrived at work this morning. My husband must be worried now for I have promised to have lunch with him.  But as I was about to call him, he simply came in and without any trace of being mad at me for I have stood him up, he simply said, “Aha, so here you are, Mrs. Jessica Cha. My wife must have been very busy to forget our date. Been busy designing those clothes for the Spring Summer Collection? Or… busy thinking about your eight sisters who went to visit you yesterday?”

As expected, Phillip always knew what’s in my mind. Whatever I’m thinking of or whatever is bothering me. He had always been that one who knew what’s in my mind and heart other than the eight of you. That ever since we cut our ties with each other, Phillip had been the only one I could run and turn to because you can never be there for me anymore. That even though he was just a childhood friend of mine back in the day, he is always there. Ready to catch me whenever I’m falling apart and can no longer hold those tears anymore in heart.

“Hmmm, well yes, maybe I’ve been really busy thinking about them while working I forgot about our date. I’m sorry, honey.” I said as I answered my husband’s question as honestly as I could. I could never lie to Phillip. I just can’t even if I try hard to. He would always know I’m not telling the truth. He had known me so well after all these years I sometimes don’t even know how he does it. Maybe because it’s the years we both spent together since we were eight and how for all those years we stood by each other’s side.

“It’s okay, honey. I understand your mind might be in a mess right now. But just tell me, what has been bothering you?” As Phillip delivered those words to me, I don’t know how would I respond to his question. I knew lying will never be an option and because I knew, I made it so obvious that something is bothering me, I could not do anything but to just stay silent when he asked me.

He knew that I was lost for words at his question and that I was dumbfounded. And so, he just continued and said, “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop at your conversation with them yesterday but I just decided to listen anyway in the back. Honey, I know, after all these years that you still loved them very dearly. Even though what they did to you had brought you nothing but pain that was beyond words, I knew that that pain never made your love less for them. Nor did it erased the memories you spent it with them for