My cellphone's beeping sound woke me up that night. Used to receiving important messages only, I grabbed my cell and sleepily pressed the key and read the message.
"Hi there!"
Not knowing who’s the sender, I deleted the message and placed the phone on my side and tried to go back to sleep.
I had just closed my eyes when I heard the message tone again.
"Hi there, Can I plz gt a reply?" again, the message said.
'Who the hell could this be asking for a reply at this late hours of the night?' I thought.
Again, without bothering to reply I deleted the message.
I was never a 'textmaniac' - someone who enjoys texting anyone and everyone even at the late hours of night. I wanted to turn the phone off, but since I had ma friend calling me every morning as wake up call, I cloudn’t.
Just as I was to close my eyes and return to my dreamless sleep, the phone beeped again.
Same number... ahrrrrrrr!
"Ply reply 2 dis msg & b an angel to me!!!"
I thought it as the prank usually my asshole friends enjoyed playing over some or the other and may b me today. But I never knew why, the message struck me. I got up and pushed the keys... I was replying to the message.
"Im not an angel… I'm just a simple prson who u wake up at dis r of my nyt!!! Nway, do I know u?" I typed.
Seconds later came the reply.
"Nope. U don't know me. Nor does she know u. But I want 2 b ur frnd. I'm xxxxxxxx. U?"
Some where I though thought that this could be a big prank ofcourse of my ediot friends but yet wanted to see fore.
"Just call me K. How'd u get my no.?" I sent back.
"Hi K, nice 2 meet u. Just shuffled the last two digits of mine," she replied.
That was how and maybe the 1st time I met someone over the cellphone.We exchanged messages and learned so much about each other that night. We only said goodbye when my alarm clock rang at 5:00 AM! I had to prepare for college!And that was also how it all started. A day would not pass without it loving and thoughtful messages from her. It was only then I had learned to appreciate text messages and become eager and excited everytime my phone beeped, hoping it would be her. By the time it was clear it wasn’t a asshole prank but someone really true.
And that’s were I got to know why one must have a sms pack K.
"Keep me as a frnd & I will keep u in my heart. Lock it up & throw away d key so dat no1 can evr tke u away from me..."
One day, she sent this message to me.
One day, she sent this message to me.
I replied: 'In life, we seldom find a true prson & f u evr find 1, hold on & nvr let go... value dat prson coz it's lyf's gift worth keeping & holdin on..."
I never knew why, but her response shivered, " Value d people hu hav touched ur life bcoz u will never know just wen dey will walk out of ur lyf & nvr come back again."
I couldn't understand what I felt that moment, but one thing I was sure... I could not go on a day without a single word from her. I'd become used to having her, eventhough we had not met personally. But truly, she already occupied a space, a large one, in fact in my life.
I texted her back. "Dont come close f l8r u’ll jst pass by; don't touch me f l8r u’ll jst let me cry; dont luv me f l8r u’ll jst leave me and won't bye..."
I didn't know why I sent her that message, but somehow I felt, every word came from my heart. In the short span of time we were sending messages to each other, I had started to keep her in my heart.
I called her once. The voice on the other end was like an angel's. Soft, kind, full of love. Yet, there was something in it I couldn't define. We only talked for a few minutes. Before she hung up, she told me not to call again. According to her, it would be better if we would just text each other.But the voice kept ringing, not only in my head, but in my heart, I'd long to hear it once more. I tried to call her again, but she never answered the phone after. She just kept on sending messages and quotations, which I copied in a little notebook. Stupid romantic? I didn't know. All I could say was that all the messages she sent me were wonderful, they came from the heart and cut through the heart.
"Though we r miles apart, u r always n my heart. I close my eyes & der u r. Even f I'll see u never, I'll always b hir 2 care 4 u, far longer dan 4ever..."
One holiday night, she sent me this message. By that time we had been exchanging messages for more than a month. God knew how happy I was. She was right. Although we had not seen each other, what we felt was enough.
I sent her another message, "Loving u secretly is a hard thing 4 me 2 do,hoping, wondring that u will feel d same way 2, but I can't read r mind f u luv me 2. But whatever it is, I'll still be loving u."
"How I wish I cud really tell u how much u mean 2 me, but m afraid 2 love, scared 2 get hurt... I hope dat u will wait 4 me & pray dat u will not get tired of loving me...=)" was her reply.
And then I replied again. " The reason y I met u is bcoz of destiny but f destiny will suggest dat I'll live w/o u, den, I'll lie not by destiny but of free will."
Whenever I asked her when we would meet, she always answered, "Soon...soon, love...soon."
Not seeing each other did not lessen, what I felt for her...rather, it even grew deeper and stronger each day. And I was sure, she felt the same way, too. Love messages continued to flow through, between our hearts, and the thought that sooner, we would see each other, face to face, heart to heart.
Just a few days before. She stopped sending messages. At first I just though she had ran out of balance or msg pach once like b4.But there was something that kept bothering me... I couldn't understand what was it, but it made me fell nervous. I tried to call her but she wouldn't answer. So, I continued sending messages.
Suddenly one night, just three days before our Lord's birthday. I heard my phone's message tone again... at last!It was from her!
"Oftentyms we say gudbye 2 d 1 we luv w/o wanting 2. Though dat doesn't mean dat we stopped loving dem or we stopped 2 care. Sometyms, GOODBYE is a painful way 2 say I LOVE YOU."
I didn't know what to think of. What did she mean? I texted her back, searching for answers, but found nothing. I called her but she would not answer.
For the first time in my life, I felt so miserable...desperate... empty. I didn't know what to do. I didn't want to lose her. I had learned to love her. And I wanted to be with her.
The following days I felt nothing but emptiness. It seemed that she took the life out of me. I missed her so much...her messages...The tones that would tell me she'd sent another loving message. Nothing around me could feel the emptiness I felt.
Tut...tut...tut...tut...tut... my cell beeped again. It was her!
"Meet me at d cafe 11 AM 2day," I read aloud, making sure the message was true, then I jumped with joy upon hearing from her again. Hurriedly, I got myself ready and I went to the place. I wanted to be there before she arrive.
I arrived at the meeting place ten minutes earlier. I was surprised to see her already there, smiling at me. She was very beautiful, Black, deep-set eyes that spoke a thousand words; small, kissable lips; a nose perfectly chiseled and long black hair - everything in her was beautiful. And yes, her eyes radiated kindness and love...but there was a flicker of something in them...donno?
"Hi! " said the angelic voice I had been dreaming of each night. The voice that I had waited to hear for so long. "Please sit down." "I am very pleased to meet you" I said, as I took my seat and gave the roses I brought for her.
"Thanks, that’s sweet of you" she smiled, obviously pleased with the roses. I knew she loved roses.
"You are always welcome, Love" .
"K, I can't stay," she said, sadness in her voice, or was it tears? "I really must go."
"But we just met. Can't we talk a little longer?" I asked, pleadingly.
"I can't really. I just came here to see you and thank you for the time you shared with me. Thank you for everything, K. I will never forget you...you will always be here in my heart."
She was looking at me straight into the eyes, and I could really feel the sadness in her voice and I swear, there was something in her voice and I swear, there was something in those lovely yet lonely eyes...
She got up and smiled at me, lovingly.
"Tomorrow morning, please come and visit me," she said and gave me a piece of white cardpaper.
I read what was written and when I looked up, she was gone. The following day, I woke up early and excited, made myself,thinking of her. I hurriedly went to flower shop and bought a dozen roses - for ‘Her.
She lived in an exclusive subdivision.
Upon reaching her house, I saw a nice welcome man with nose as button. I rang the bell.
A woman went out and walked towards me, smiling sadly.
"Hi, I'm YYYY, XXXXX mother. Please come inside, K."
I was stunned for the moment and afraid to hear ma name from Her mother. We sat down on the couch a few feet ahead on left after entrance. I was served water and she explained to me why she knew me very well - SHE had always been talking about her friend, K.
I hardly understood what she was saying. I was busy thinking why Her mother was crying while talking to me.
As we came near the great hall of the house, it dawned on me that there was a silence inside, Maybe, a relative passed away, I thought. But deep in my heart, I was trembling and afraid.
As we entered the hall where so many people were silently mourning while others were praying, shaking, I asked her mother.
"Where is She?"
She held my hand and silently, led me to the hall. I saw a oil lamp burning before a frame which was surrounded by flowers - roses, nothing but roses.
No words could explain how I felt when I gazed at the frame and saw who was it of. The same beautiful girl I met...
A man came beside me, I knew he was the father.
"We are so glad you came, son. She talked of you all the time. She even asked that her phone be buried with her.
She said that in that way, you could still send her messages and you would always be with her."
I couldn't believe everything... My mind was numb. .
"But how can this be? We just saw each other yesterday."
"That can't possibly be. She passed away three days ago. She had been suffering from a brain disease since two years" said her father.
"But..." I couldn't find the words to say.
"She told us not to bother reaching you" her mother said, still in tears," she said you will come, and here you are”
Pain and bitterness overhead me. I cried silently beside her, staring at her lovely face, memorizing every line of my friend's face, a face I knew I would never forget while I was still alive.
After that afternoon, I went to the temple she had told me she went every tuesday.
Sitting there praying and crying to God, I held my phone and typed:
"U taught me how 2 care; u taught me how 2 b kind; u shwd me how 2 lyk som; u shwd me how 2 luv; but ders 1 thing didnt teach me & it hurts mor - u didnt teach me how 2 let go. I LOVE YOU"
I sent the message, and though I knew she wouldn't be able to hold her CP again, I knew in my heart she would get my message. I never expected a reply.
My phone beeped again! ! I felt a shiver down my tummy. The sender's number did not appear on the screen, and tears rolled down my cheeks as I read the message.
"Let go of d hand of d person u love, but dont let go of God's hand. If u hold his hand. He may b holding d person u love n let ur othr hand 2 hold each other again."
The fear, the shivers,the pain, the heart churn, the distance and the fate mixtured into my blood, a feeling of just being left alone was unstandable. Lines fade across my eyes I couldn’t see her face clear in tears of my eyes. My body held my no weight and I let myslf fall down the knees.
"I will never forget you, LOVE and will never let go..." I cried to her and to myself.