Rewrite the Ending

Bulacan Memorial Garden, January 23, 2007…

“I know it will be hard for you, Kriszel… But you have to be strong.”

Kriszel wiped her tears and turned to look at her Aunt’s friend. “I’ll be okay…” she said with a forced smile in her lips. “I have to be strong enough to find that Argentinian guy.”

The middle-aged woman looked at her sympathetically. “Kriszel, your Aunt Madel, wouldn’t be happy to see you like that.”

“Well, so do I,” she said and fought back her tears.

“Be strong, sweetie,” she whispered and hugged her tightly. “Just call me if you need anything else, okay?”

She nodded. But, Kriszel will never change her mind. She looked at her Aunt Madel’s grave and the undying sorrow wrapped around her heart again. As soon as all the visitors that accompanied her to her Aunt’s funeral left the mausoleum, Kriszel broke down into tears again. She was all alone now. And, it was because of that Argentinian boyfriend of her Aunt.

“Kriszel, I’m really sorry for what happen to your Aunt.” Her friend, Emily, sat down beside her. “I’ll be here for you, Kris.”

“I will find him…” Kriszel said between tears. “I will make him regret of leaving Aunt Madel.”

Emily heaved a sigh. “You know that there’s no use of doing that, Kriszel. And, I’m sure that Aunt Madel wouldn’t want to see her only niece taking revenge on the man that she once loved.”

Kriszel smirked. “Love? My Aunt Madel, my only family, died because she gave her heart and soul to a stupid man!” She raked her fingers through her naturally black hair. “What do you expect me to feel? She got sick of waiting for him to come back. She became frail and weak…” Kriszel burst into tears. “And, I wasn’t even here to take care of her, to help her cope up. I’m such a useless niece.”

Emily brushed her shoulders to calm her down. “Don’t think like that, Kriszel. Your Aunt Madel sent you to college because she wanted you to pursue your dreams. She wanted to see you become a successful doctor—”

“And, now… because of an insensitive man, she will never see me wear that white lab coat that we dreamed together.” She touched her Aunt Madel’s tomb. The beautiful name of her Aunt was intricately written on the marble stone. “Auntie, why do you have to leave me? I don’t know what am I going to do now that you’re not here with me.”

“Become a doctor, Kriszel. That is what Aunt Madel wanted you to be…” Emily urged her to stand up. “Come on, let’s go home and take some rest. You haven’t slept enough since we came here at Bulacan Province—and that was five days ago.”

She shook her head. “I’ll stay here…” she whispered and cried again.

Emily sat beside her again. “You’ll be okay, Kris…” she said while rubbing her back. “You’ll be okay soon.”

“I won’t…” she murmured. “Not until I find that man that gave my Aunt Madel the deadly Broken-Heart Syndrome.”

***