In The Arms Of An Angel
Chapter 2
The drive to the Manila International Airport was terrible. Gaby`s
mum was bawling her eyes out. Her dad was quiet all the way. Her siblings
were morose.
She cleared her throat and screamed, "CHEER UP PEOPLE!!! It's not
like I'm never coming back!! Two months is how long I`ll be gone!! It's not
like I'm going to die on my own there!"
The last statement hung thickly in the air. "Come on," she
encouraged quietly, regretting her last statement. "Smile. I can't go with
all of you looking like that."
Several coercing later on, she made them smile. Forced smiles. She
wasn't having any of those melancholy faces. She didn't want to leave with a
heavy feeling.
When her dad started unloading her luggage, it finally hit her! This
was the first time she'll be gone for so long and without any of them. Gaby
felt sad and yet she was marveling at the thought that she was an
independent chick for two months.
She made her good-byes quick. The quicker the better. Less pain.
Less tears. I don't want to cry, she thought. After several hugs, Gaby
managed to disentangle herself from their tight, possessive embraces and
walked away with the trolley containing her things.
"SLIGO, Ireland here I come!" she uttered excitedly to herself.
As she boarded the plane, she felt a sense of freedom coming over
her. It was an intense feeling that started from her toes and worked its way
to her head. When was the last time I felt I was free? she asked herself.
Eight months ago, a voice said. Eight months ago, her brain thumped. Eight
months ago she was a normal teenage girl going to a college and dealing with
school works and meeting deadlines. Eight months ago she had a boyfriend.
Eight months ago she had a bestfriend whom she love dearly. Eight months ago
she had a life. Now she has nothing. Just this cold, heavy feeling all over
her. Gaby let out a despondent sigh. She dumped her bag at the overhead
bin and then slumped on her seat by the window. Imagine that, she thought
morosely. Eight months ago I had a run-of-the-mill and boring life. Now it's
more than boring. I'm living my life as if everything is going to end
whenever I get dizzy. Now I'm living in fear that one day I`ll just die.
Thanks to my cancer.
Cancer. The word echoed through her brain and thumped and thumped
and thumped, building into a crescendo until it filled her whole body. She
let the tears of self-loathing, anger and fear come running. She hated this.
Why did I get this sickness? Why did it happen to me? Why? Questions flooded
her and she felt mentally ill. How long have I asked myself these questions?
she questioned herself. Will I ever feel happy again? Will I ever see light
in my life? Or will I die filled with unanswered questions?