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- Story Listed as: Fiction For Adults
- Theme: Family & Friends
- Subject: Family
- Published: 05/11/2012
Happy Mother’s Day
by John Lour G. Flores
Damn, I forgot to turn it off again.
Although Joshua had reminded himself too many times that he had to save money, he couldn’t seem to remember to reduce his electricity consumption. Stupid. Just see how high your damn bill is when it comes.
Instead of turning it off, Joshua sat at his lazy chair - that’s how he called it for he only sat there when he had absolutely nothing to do which had been very seldom lately - and grabbed the remote control. He couldn’t change the channel. He tried to remember when was the last time he changed the remote’s battery but he couldn’t. In fact, he couldn’t even remember when was the last time he sat on his lazy chair and truly watched a TV program. The truth was he had only been turning on the TV to make an illusion that he has company in his silent house. He had been too busy with his work lately. Well, he had to work very hard if he wanted to give himself and his family in their province a good life.
Exasperated, he slouched and watched the TV with blank eyes. The TV program would have been entertaining but he was only mildly interested. It was a new program, he suppose, for all he knew, all the TV programs he used to watch already ended. He couldn’t name the actors and actresses that appeared on TV anymore; they all seem new to him. Even the TV advertisements were all new to him. That was how long he had not watched TV.
Soon, he realized that no matter how long time passed, the propagandas TV advertisements used were still the same. Their pathetic attempt to sway ignorant consumers really amused him. Marketing officers would really do everything, even lie publicly, to gain buyers. Joshua knew all these for he was a college instructor of Business Administration himself, although he had started only a few years ago and marketing wasn’t his field of expertise. He was criticizing each TV commercial he saw and was enumerating the different propagandas used by each when a certain advertisement caught his attention.
It used the same technique many product endorsers used. Appealing to the emotions of the viewers, it was an effective strategy. He had seen advertisements like this: like the one that explained the bad effects of a broken family, the other which showed the importance of faith, and another that simply showed a picture of a happy family - things that had so little, or worse, nothing to do with the products being endorsed whatsoever. This particular advertisement greeted all the mothers a Happy Mother’s Day. “Let’s thank them for the unconditional love and for all the sacrifices they endured for us,” the voice-over said. He was deep in thought when before the advertisement ended, it showed a short perfunctory reminder: drink moderately.
“What the…” He guffawed.
Oh, I haven’t greeted my mom yet! The realization struck him hard. This and that he had not done so for many years now. He felt suddenly cold and empty. He combed his hair with both of his hands, just like he did whenever he was stressed. He tried to convince himself that he had reasons. Of course! But what’s ten or twenty minutes? Stupid ungrateful me. He chuckled. He loved his mother and she loved him too. She would understand. It was just that he sometimes ignored his mother’s calls and texts. Guilt clawed his heart again. He thought that perhaps he was just too busy with work. How ironic that he was fond of telling his students the saying “Kung ayaw maraming dahilan; kung gusto maraming paraan.” She would understand. Or perhaps he was just undergoing the phase that every man undergoes; it was when for unknown reasons he would feel that he had to put some distance between him and his mother and would be uncomfortable whenever she would talk about embarrassing things he did as a child and whenever she’d say “I love you.” It had been a long time since he replied “I love you, too.” I will tell her I love her. She would understand.
Joshua brought out his cellphone from his pocket and was about to dial his mother’s number when he realized its battery was almost empty. The remote control and now this? What’s happening to this world. His phone couldn’t call anyone if it’s battery was low; it was an ancient phone. It wasn’t that he couldn’t buy a new one but he treated brand new cellphones - those with built-in TV and internet browser or even a toilet if ever the time comes - as a luxury. He believed that the primary use of a cellphone was to call and text and as long as his old phone had these functions, he won’t replace it. Besides, he was saving money. He couldn’t find its charger so he decided to text her instead.
All of a sudden, he remembered where he left his phone’s charger. He grabbed his car’s keys and went out. He forgot to turn off the TV again.
***
Seriously? His car’s battery was dead.
Joshua decided he would just walk instead; his destination was just four blocks away anyway. Besides, he wasn’t in a hurry, which was rare. Because he was literally always in a hurry. Between his two jobs, a college instructor and a freelance writer, he was always on a deadline. But he had no work that week starting that day. He filed a vacation leave which his girlfriend Emily insisted he should have. He thought he would enjoy this walk. He smiled. Emily will be surprised. She didn’t know yet that he was on a vacation leave. I will tell her I will spend my whole vacation with her. I will tell her how much I love her. Then he remembered. Oh, right. I’ll tell that to my mom, too. Perhaps Emily and I could visit my family in the province.
Joshua was whistling cheerfully, thinking about Emily and how she put up with him and his busy schedule through the four years they have been together when he noticed a girl standing not far away ahead of him. The girl’s face was white and her lips were ajar as if in awe… or in horror. As he moved closer, he noticed the worn-out clothes she was wearing, a basket of pink roses she was carrying with her and her wide eyes staring straight at him. Do I look that bad?
The girl was charming despite the dirt on her face and clothing. She was also somewhat familiar though he couldn’t place her face in his memory. Though she was gawking, he smiled at her. She stayed rooted on her place as he passed. He shook his head sadly. She was only seven or eight. A young girl like her should be studying at school, not working on the streets, he thought.
“Mister! Wait!” a girl’s voice called from behind him.
He turned around and saw the same girl running towards him. He pointed at himself questioningly and the girl nodded shyly. He knelt down on his left knee so that they would be on eye level and asked her, “May I help you, young lady?”
The girl blushed. “Want some roses?” A woman, looking curiously at the young girl, passed by.
He smiled thoughtfully at her. “Sure. How much each? I want a dozen for my girl.”
The girl shook her head vigorously. “No. They are for free.” She smiled sweetly at him.
It was his turn to disagree. “No. Of course I should pay.” He was about to reach for his back pocket when he realized he forgot his wallet at home. Great. Well, he was naturally forgetful, but he had been too forgetful lately. How am I suppose to pay for these now? Although he was really embarrassed, he would have to refuse the girl’s offer.
Apparently, the girl sensed he would refuse and got teary eyed all of a sudden. “Mister, please… these are my last roses and I’m giving them away. I really want you to accept them.”
He sighed. “Alright, alright. But I’ll pay for this when we see each other again. Okay?”
She shook her head again. “Don’t worry Mister. Actually, they are already paid.”
Dumbfounded, he said, “Okay…”
This is getting weirder. He stood up, took the pink roses, said his sincerest thanks and started to walk away.
“Mister! Wait!”
Now, what? He turned around. “Yes, my lady?”
She gave him the sweetest smile he had ever seen. “Thank you… thank you very much…” He saw complete admiration in her eyes and felt that the gratitude was genuine. Though he couldn’t fathom what exactly he did to deserve such appreciation, his heart swelled with pride and happiness. Without waiting for his reply, the girl turned around and run off. Then he remembered. She looked like mom when she was her age. Just like her pictures…
***
She would understand. Joshua was sulking about his mom again when he realized he was already near Emily’s house. He just had to turn left then he would already see…
What he saw utterly crushed his heart. Emily and his best friend Jomari were hugging. He knew that Jomari was secretly in love with Emily for a long time but since they were best buddies, Jomari kept his feelings to himself. He just never thought that the day that his best friend would betray him would come. What was more infuriating was that Emily didn’t even seem to care even if they were displaying their wretched affection publicly. She was holding pink roses most probably from the traitor.
“Jomari!” he shouted angrily. The thunder roared as if reflecting the turmoil inside him. A gust of wind wafted the dry leaves. “Damn you!” He crossed the street to confront them when he was suddenly hit by a speeding car. He didn’t feel any pain from the impact.
***
Joshua forgot to turn off the TV. He sat on his lazy chair and watched instead of turning it off. He was mildly amused with what he was watching. A particular TV advertisement caught his attention. It was endorsing an alcoholic beverage. But the message was about the celebration of the Mother’s Day. Guiltily, he tried to call his mom but his phone’s battery was almost empty so he texted her instead. He decided to visit his girlfriend. He forgot to turn off the TV again. His car was not working so he walked. He was on a vacation anyway; there was no need to hurry. On his way, he came across a charming little girl in dirty, worn out clothes. She looked like the young girl that was her mom in her old photographs. She offered him some pink roses she was selling. Moved, he bought a dozen but gave her more than twice the price of the roses. She gave him a sweet smile that melt his heart, thanked him happily and run off.
There was a loud screeching of tires. Horrified, Joshua run as fast as he could to save the little girl who was about to be hit by a speeding car. Then it seemed like the next things happened in a flash.
Darkness.
Pain. Wet. Blood. Darkness.
Tears. The girl. Safe. People. Everywhere. Darkness. A spark. Light. No.
***
“Noooo!” The speeding car went through him as if he wasn’t really there. As if he was just a ghost…
“No! I’m not dead!” Even if he said so, he knew that the truth was different. He could remember everything now. Painful memories he tried hard to forget came rushing back to his mind. He knew it was time to face the truth. He finally understood everything that happened to him. The accident yesterday. The TV that was left on. The unusable remote control, cellphone and car. The confused woman. The familiar little girl. The pink roses the little girl freely gave him. The pink roses his grilfriend was carrying. The car that passed through him. Jomari and Emily.
Jomari was trying to comfort Emily. “I’m sorry, Emily. But be strong.” Jomari was trying to hide it but Joshua saw agony in his eyes… agony and deep concern for the woman. “We have to be strong…”
“I-I just can’t believe that he is…” Tears kept flowing from her eyes.
“Emily, I’m here!” He cried desperately. The wind was getting stronger. Thunder boomed above.
“Joshua… Joshua, is that you?”
“Emily, my love…” he cried. He tried to touch her but his hand just went through hers like air. “I’m sorry, my love… I’m so sorry… I love you, Emily…”
“Emily, he’s gone. We must let go…” Jomari kept whispering words of encouragement on her ears.
Joshua felt so helpless. It was misery beyond his capacity. “Jo-Jomari, my friend, please take good care of her…” He didn’t know if it was just a trick of the lights or the tears just blurred his vision but he thought he saw Jomari nod curtly.
The apparition vanished.
***
An old lean woman had been standing by the door of Joshua’s house for a long time now. Slowly, she placed the duplicate key in the key hole and opened the door. She entered the house, looked around and sighed heavily. Something startled her and her face registered alarm and fear. Enthusiastic voices could be heard coming from the living room. She walked warily towards the source of the noise. She shook her head. The voices were coming from the TV which was apparently left turned on. Then she noticed that the door to the bedroom was ajar. She stepped inside the room and sat on the bed.
Now that she was there, she didn’t know what to do.
It was Jomari, Joshua’s most trusted friend, who told the old woman everything. Apparently, Joshua filed a vacation leave. Most probably, he was outside the house and bought some roses from a little girl because he was on his way to Emily’s place, his girlfriend. Perhaps he was planning to spend his vacation with Emily. It was unfortunate or fortunate, depending on how you would perceive this event, that Joshua was there when a car was about to hit the little girl - the same girl who sold her the roses. According to some people who witnessed the accident, he rushed to save the girl. And so it was him who was hit. The impact killed him.
Jomari also told her that the cellphone Joshua was carrying that time was crushed beyond repair. Even the sim card was severely damaged. She knew what she was hoping for was the impossible but she couldn’t help herself. She was still expecting…
She brought out her phone and looked at the Inbox; there was only one text message in there. It was the last text message she received from Joshua. She read it for the twelfth time that day.
I’ll call you later mom. Promise.
On a whim, she dialed Joshua’s number. She heard the same frustrating message of the operator every time she called him. It was driving her insane. She was about to leave the room, the house, and all the painful memories behind when all of a sudden her phone rang.
One missed call.
She was rooted on her place. She stared at the screen for a long time.
Silently, she wept.
Happy Mother's Day(John Lour Flores)
Happy Mother’s Day
by John Lour G. Flores
Damn, I forgot to turn it off again.
Although Joshua had reminded himself too many times that he had to save money, he couldn’t seem to remember to reduce his electricity consumption. Stupid. Just see how high your damn bill is when it comes.
Instead of turning it off, Joshua sat at his lazy chair - that’s how he called it for he only sat there when he had absolutely nothing to do which had been very seldom lately - and grabbed the remote control. He couldn’t change the channel. He tried to remember when was the last time he changed the remote’s battery but he couldn’t. In fact, he couldn’t even remember when was the last time he sat on his lazy chair and truly watched a TV program. The truth was he had only been turning on the TV to make an illusion that he has company in his silent house. He had been too busy with his work lately. Well, he had to work very hard if he wanted to give himself and his family in their province a good life.
Exasperated, he slouched and watched the TV with blank eyes. The TV program would have been entertaining but he was only mildly interested. It was a new program, he suppose, for all he knew, all the TV programs he used to watch already ended. He couldn’t name the actors and actresses that appeared on TV anymore; they all seem new to him. Even the TV advertisements were all new to him. That was how long he had not watched TV.
Soon, he realized that no matter how long time passed, the propagandas TV advertisements used were still the same. Their pathetic attempt to sway ignorant consumers really amused him. Marketing officers would really do everything, even lie publicly, to gain buyers. Joshua knew all these for he was a college instructor of Business Administration himself, although he had started only a few years ago and marketing wasn’t his field of expertise. He was criticizing each TV commercial he saw and was enumerating the different propagandas used by each when a certain advertisement caught his attention.
It used the same technique many product endorsers used. Appealing to the emotions of the viewers, it was an effective strategy. He had seen advertisements like this: like the one that explained the bad effects of a broken family, the other which showed the importance of faith, and another that simply showed a picture of a happy family - things that had so little, or worse, nothing to do with the products being endorsed whatsoever. This particular advertisement greeted all the mothers a Happy Mother’s Day. “Let’s thank them for the unconditional love and for all the sacrifices they endured for us,” the voice-over said. He was deep in thought when before the advertisement ended, it showed a short perfunctory reminder: drink moderately.
“What the…” He guffawed.
Oh, I haven’t greeted my mom yet! The realization struck him hard. This and that he had not done so for many years now. He felt suddenly cold and empty. He combed his hair with both of his hands, just like he did whenever he was stressed. He tried to convince himself that he had reasons. Of course! But what’s ten or twenty minutes? Stupid ungrateful me. He chuckled. He loved his mother and she loved him too. She would understand. It was just that he sometimes ignored his mother’s calls and texts. Guilt clawed his heart again. He thought that perhaps he was just too busy with work. How ironic that he was fond of telling his students the saying “Kung ayaw maraming dahilan; kung gusto maraming paraan.” She would understand. Or perhaps he was just undergoing the phase that every man undergoes; it was when for unknown reasons he would feel that he had to put some distance between him and his mother and would be uncomfortable whenever she would talk about embarrassing things he did as a child and whenever she’d say “I love you.” It had been a long time since he replied “I love you, too.” I will tell her I love her. She would understand.
Joshua brought out his cellphone from his pocket and was about to dial his mother’s number when he realized its battery was almost empty. The remote control and now this? What’s happening to this world. His phone couldn’t call anyone if it’s battery was low; it was an ancient phone. It wasn’t that he couldn’t buy a new one but he treated brand new cellphones - those with built-in TV and internet browser or even a toilet if ever the time comes - as a luxury. He believed that the primary use of a cellphone was to call and text and as long as his old phone had these functions, he won’t replace it. Besides, he was saving money. He couldn’t find its charger so he decided to text her instead.
All of a sudden, he remembered where he left his phone’s charger. He grabbed his car’s keys and went out. He forgot to turn off the TV again.
***
Seriously? His car’s battery was dead.
Joshua decided he would just walk instead; his destination was just four blocks away anyway. Besides, he wasn’t in a hurry, which was rare. Because he was literally always in a hurry. Between his two jobs, a college instructor and a freelance writer, he was always on a deadline. But he had no work that week starting that day. He filed a vacation leave which his girlfriend Emily insisted he should have. He thought he would enjoy this walk. He smiled. Emily will be surprised. She didn’t know yet that he was on a vacation leave. I will tell her I will spend my whole vacation with her. I will tell her how much I love her. Then he remembered. Oh, right. I’ll tell that to my mom, too. Perhaps Emily and I could visit my family in the province.
Joshua was whistling cheerfully, thinking about Emily and how she put up with him and his busy schedule through the four years they have been together when he noticed a girl standing not far away ahead of him. The girl’s face was white and her lips were ajar as if in awe… or in horror. As he moved closer, he noticed the worn-out clothes she was wearing, a basket of pink roses she was carrying with her and her wide eyes staring straight at him. Do I look that bad?
The girl was charming despite the dirt on her face and clothing. She was also somewhat familiar though he couldn’t place her face in his memory. Though she was gawking, he smiled at her. She stayed rooted on her place as he passed. He shook his head sadly. She was only seven or eight. A young girl like her should be studying at school, not working on the streets, he thought.
“Mister! Wait!” a girl’s voice called from behind him.
He turned around and saw the same girl running towards him. He pointed at himself questioningly and the girl nodded shyly. He knelt down on his left knee so that they would be on eye level and asked her, “May I help you, young lady?”
The girl blushed. “Want some roses?” A woman, looking curiously at the young girl, passed by.
He smiled thoughtfully at her. “Sure. How much each? I want a dozen for my girl.”
The girl shook her head vigorously. “No. They are for free.” She smiled sweetly at him.
It was his turn to disagree. “No. Of course I should pay.” He was about to reach for his back pocket when he realized he forgot his wallet at home. Great. Well, he was naturally forgetful, but he had been too forgetful lately. How am I suppose to pay for these now? Although he was really embarrassed, he would have to refuse the girl’s offer.
Apparently, the girl sensed he would refuse and got teary eyed all of a sudden. “Mister, please… these are my last roses and I’m giving them away. I really want you to accept them.”
He sighed. “Alright, alright. But I’ll pay for this when we see each other again. Okay?”
She shook her head again. “Don’t worry Mister. Actually, they are already paid.”
Dumbfounded, he said, “Okay…”
This is getting weirder. He stood up, took the pink roses, said his sincerest thanks and started to walk away.
“Mister! Wait!”
Now, what? He turned around. “Yes, my lady?”
She gave him the sweetest smile he had ever seen. “Thank you… thank you very much…” He saw complete admiration in her eyes and felt that the gratitude was genuine. Though he couldn’t fathom what exactly he did to deserve such appreciation, his heart swelled with pride and happiness. Without waiting for his reply, the girl turned around and run off. Then he remembered. She looked like mom when she was her age. Just like her pictures…
***
She would understand. Joshua was sulking about his mom again when he realized he was already near Emily’s house. He just had to turn left then he would already see…
What he saw utterly crushed his heart. Emily and his best friend Jomari were hugging. He knew that Jomari was secretly in love with Emily for a long time but since they were best buddies, Jomari kept his feelings to himself. He just never thought that the day that his best friend would betray him would come. What was more infuriating was that Emily didn’t even seem to care even if they were displaying their wretched affection publicly. She was holding pink roses most probably from the traitor.
“Jomari!” he shouted angrily. The thunder roared as if reflecting the turmoil inside him. A gust of wind wafted the dry leaves. “Damn you!” He crossed the street to confront them when he was suddenly hit by a speeding car. He didn’t feel any pain from the impact.
***
Joshua forgot to turn off the TV. He sat on his lazy chair and watched instead of turning it off. He was mildly amused with what he was watching. A particular TV advertisement caught his attention. It was endorsing an alcoholic beverage. But the message was about the celebration of the Mother’s Day. Guiltily, he tried to call his mom but his phone’s battery was almost empty so he texted her instead. He decided to visit his girlfriend. He forgot to turn off the TV again. His car was not working so he walked. He was on a vacation anyway; there was no need to hurry. On his way, he came across a charming little girl in dirty, worn out clothes. She looked like the young girl that was her mom in her old photographs. She offered him some pink roses she was selling. Moved, he bought a dozen but gave her more than twice the price of the roses. She gave him a sweet smile that melt his heart, thanked him happily and run off.
There was a loud screeching of tires. Horrified, Joshua run as fast as he could to save the little girl who was about to be hit by a speeding car. Then it seemed like the next things happened in a flash.
Darkness.
Pain. Wet. Blood. Darkness.
Tears. The girl. Safe. People. Everywhere. Darkness. A spark. Light. No.
***
“Noooo!” The speeding car went through him as if he wasn’t really there. As if he was just a ghost…
“No! I’m not dead!” Even if he said so, he knew that the truth was different. He could remember everything now. Painful memories he tried hard to forget came rushing back to his mind. He knew it was time to face the truth. He finally understood everything that happened to him. The accident yesterday. The TV that was left on. The unusable remote control, cellphone and car. The confused woman. The familiar little girl. The pink roses the little girl freely gave him. The pink roses his grilfriend was carrying. The car that passed through him. Jomari and Emily.
Jomari was trying to comfort Emily. “I’m sorry, Emily. But be strong.” Jomari was trying to hide it but Joshua saw agony in his eyes… agony and deep concern for the woman. “We have to be strong…”
“I-I just can’t believe that he is…” Tears kept flowing from her eyes.
“Emily, I’m here!” He cried desperately. The wind was getting stronger. Thunder boomed above.
“Joshua… Joshua, is that you?”
“Emily, my love…” he cried. He tried to touch her but his hand just went through hers like air. “I’m sorry, my love… I’m so sorry… I love you, Emily…”
“Emily, he’s gone. We must let go…” Jomari kept whispering words of encouragement on her ears.
Joshua felt so helpless. It was misery beyond his capacity. “Jo-Jomari, my friend, please take good care of her…” He didn’t know if it was just a trick of the lights or the tears just blurred his vision but he thought he saw Jomari nod curtly.
The apparition vanished.
***
An old lean woman had been standing by the door of Joshua’s house for a long time now. Slowly, she placed the duplicate key in the key hole and opened the door. She entered the house, looked around and sighed heavily. Something startled her and her face registered alarm and fear. Enthusiastic voices could be heard coming from the living room. She walked warily towards the source of the noise. She shook her head. The voices were coming from the TV which was apparently left turned on. Then she noticed that the door to the bedroom was ajar. She stepped inside the room and sat on the bed.
Now that she was there, she didn’t know what to do.
It was Jomari, Joshua’s most trusted friend, who told the old woman everything. Apparently, Joshua filed a vacation leave. Most probably, he was outside the house and bought some roses from a little girl because he was on his way to Emily’s place, his girlfriend. Perhaps he was planning to spend his vacation with Emily. It was unfortunate or fortunate, depending on how you would perceive this event, that Joshua was there when a car was about to hit the little girl - the same girl who sold her the roses. According to some people who witnessed the accident, he rushed to save the girl. And so it was him who was hit. The impact killed him.
Jomari also told her that the cellphone Joshua was carrying that time was crushed beyond repair. Even the sim card was severely damaged. She knew what she was hoping for was the impossible but she couldn’t help herself. She was still expecting…
She brought out her phone and looked at the Inbox; there was only one text message in there. It was the last text message she received from Joshua. She read it for the twelfth time that day.
I’ll call you later mom. Promise.
On a whim, she dialed Joshua’s number. She heard the same frustrating message of the operator every time she called him. It was driving her insane. She was about to leave the room, the house, and all the painful memories behind when all of a sudden her phone rang.
One missed call.
She was rooted on her place. She stared at the screen for a long time.
Silently, she wept.
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