THE PERFECT PICTURE
I had a picture of you in my mind
Never knew it could be so wrong
Why'd it take me so long just to find
The friend that was there all along
***The sickening heat was already making me a bit dizzy. I had been stuck in traffic for almost an hour. I sighed heavily. I had no choice but to wait. And so to keep myself preoccupied, I decided to turn on the radio. I thought that the sound of an upbeat song would somehow lessen my stress and irritation. But I was wrong…
A familiar song suddenly started playing. It was an upbeat song but the effect was quite the opposite. Maybe because it reminded me of someone, or maybe it was because it made my heart ached. People who heard this song would actually end up dancing, but for me… I always end up crying.
As the song continued to play, memories started to rush back into my mind…. Every word and every phrase of the song had its own meaning for me….
Didn't they say that I would make a mistake
Didn't they say you were gonna be trouble
People told me you were too much to take
I couldn't see it, I didn't want to know
"For God's sake Emily, stop wasting your time on that guy. He's just going to break your heart," the sound of my angry father blasted over the phone.
My father wasn't the only one, even my friends hated him. They all hated him. They all said that he was just using me… me and my money. But I didn't listen. All that mattered to me was that I loved him and he loved me back.
I thought it was the only thing that was important, but then I guess I was wrong.
I let you in, and you let me down
You messed me up and you turned my life around
Left me feeling I had nowhere to go
I was alone
"Hi babe," he uttered as he sweetly smiled at me.
I immediately walked up to him and slapped him hard on the face. "How could you do this to me Chris?" I asked while tears were running down my cheeks.
"Emily ..what do you mean? What did I do this time?" he asked, quite confused.
I quickly took out a piece of paper from my bag and threw it at him. "There! Maybe that can bring back your memory," I screamed.
He quickly picked up the paper and started to read it. And as soon as reality hit him, his facial expression changed. He then looked at me with his eyes pleading… pleading for forgiveness. "Emily, please… let me explain. I didn't mean to do it. I was just in a tight situation so I…"
"So you took out all my savings and even maxed out my credit card? I have been working night and day to save that money so I can go back to school. What did you do with the money? Tell me!" I shouted again.
"I just paid off a debt," he said in a lowered voice. I instantly knew he was lying.
"A debt? I am always willing to help you out, you know that don't you? But to steal from me?" I said as I suddenly sat down on the chair nearby. Somehow I have lost all my strength.
"Steal? What a word! I didn't steal from you. I just borrowed it. Don't worry, I will pay you back as soon as I can. You don't have to use such an insulting word," he said with such anger in his eyes.
As soon as I saw the flare of anger in his eyes, my heart crumbled. This is what they were telling me. This is what I didn't see.
How was I to know that You would be there when I needed somebody
You would be there the only one could help
Nine months after we broke up, he was finally able to pay off all the money he owed me. And even though we were no longer a couple, we still contacted each other. Maybe it was because of the money or just plainly because we still longed for each other. Some people may find us quite ridiculous being in such a situation. But I really didn't care. I was mad at him but then I still loved him. We both felt the same way but we were both too proud to admit our mistakes and give in to what we were really feeling.
One night, while walking home from work, I was robbed and beaten to death.
When I finally woke up the next day, it was like my whole world collapsed. I was paralyzed from the waist down. The doctors said that the paralysis was due to the major blows that I received. A steady treatment was the only thing they could give me and the result was basically all up to me.
I cried and cried until I finally fell asleep. And when I woke up again, he was there. He gently caressed my face and tightly held my hand. Without any words spoken, we understood one another.
My father who already had his own family to take care of couldn't really handle my current situation. He had his own work that took up most of his time. The only thing he could do was visit me every other day in the hospital. As for my relatives, they were all afraid of the responsibility of taking care of an invalid like me. So most of them after visiting me once… never came back again.
But during the whole time that I was paralyzed, something kept me strong. Chris continued to take care of me without any complaint. I don't know if it was because of pity or if it was guilt or if it was love. But what really mattered was that he was there when I needed someone to rely on.
He gave up his band so that he could find a more stable job so that he could support me. He worked as a delivery man from 7am until 4pm and as a convenience store helper from 7pm until 1am. After work he would immediately go to the hospital to check up on me. He would always bring me my favorite foods and he would always tell me stories of what happened to him that day. There were times that I would just cry while he told his stories. But he would immediately kiss my forehead and wipe my tears away. I never asked him why he was doing it. I never had the courage to ask him what my heart wanted to hear.
Who'd believe that after all we've been through
I'd be able to put my trust in you
It took a year… a very long and tiring year before I was finally cured, but he never gave up on me. On the day that I was to be released from the hospital, I waited for him to pick me up. But day turned into night, no one came. And so with a heavy heart, I went home thinking that he had already forgotten about me.
Two days had already passed…when I finally learned the truth.
"He was so excited that you were finally going home. So he stopped by the grocery because he wanted to cook a special meal for you. I told him to just go straight to the hospital but he wouldn't listen. Then on the way to the hospital, his plastic bag broke so all the stuff he bought scattered all over the street. We were so busy picking up everything that we didn't see the speeding van. It only took a few seconds… he died on the spot… I am sorry…" the voice of his friend stopped.
A very loud car horn suddenly woke me up from my trance. The traffic was already cleared. So I quickly drove my car to my destination. I was already late.
An hour later, I was happily arranging a beautiful bouquet of flowers.
"I am going to Europe to reach for my dream, Chris. I want to show you that you didn't waste your time helping me. I will surely make you proud. I also brought you a gift. It's something I know you will surely love. It's a picture of you and me together. I am giving this to you as a gift, so you won't miss me while I am away. Promise, I will be back."
And as the cold wind blew, a rose petal suddenly landed in front of the picture, the perfect picture of two lovers that were bound by an extraordinary friendship and love.