When I was young, my grandnana used to tell me a
story about her childhood. She had a Retrograde Amnesia when she was 21years
old due to an accident so I don’t know if she was telling me some story she
have heard from somewhere because I know. I know she would not be able to
remember any of her childhood. Every day at dawn, waiting for the sunset at the
West Coast Beach, my grandnana holds my hand, puts it on her chest and starts
to tell me all the memories she had, an unforgettable one she said.
We live near the seashore in
California. For almost 15years, we have stayed here and we never planned to
move. Until one day, I went to our balcony for my usual duty to listen to my
grandnana’s stories but then, she was stiff. I held her hand but she removed it
with rage. She hated me, I mean not me, and she hated the world that day. I
just stared at her then she told me.
“Clarkson, will you
tell your mom that sooner or later I’m going to die”-she told me while smiling
with a smile that I never have seen before.
“Why? I don’t see
any health problems although you’re cranky today.”-I replied
“That’s it. I am
getting cranky my dear boy. I need some time alone. I want you to go back to
Florida where a man always has a glass and a marker beside him.”-
“I don’t get it. We
never lived in Florida.”-
“That’s when you
were 6months old. My parents used to live there. I used to live there. Just
find that man, okay?”- Then she fell in a deep sleep, not wanting to disturb
her, I went to my mom and told her what my grandnana just told me.
My mom and I started to worry about
her. She was always in a deep sleep and she just stares at the sunrise and at
the sunset. Then we knew she was getting weak. After 14days, we have seen my
grandnana shaking and hyperventilating. Then she closed her eyes again and
after an hour, she passed out on the ground. We took her to the doctor and he
told us that after several months, she will die so it’s time for us to fulfill
her wish. My mom broke down into silence and cried. When we got home, she packed
all our things and she told me. “Son, if we will still stay here I would not be
able to live too. I can’t see your grandnana die. We have to go back to Florida and fulfill her
wish. I have called a caregiver to take care of her while we are gone”.
The last dawn came and I went to
Grandnana. She was smiling again. Just like before. She was happy we will be
fulfilling her wish. She held my hand and put on her chest and started to tell
me her stories but this time is different. She began with “Clarkson, the end
will be the beginning” then she didn’t continue what she was saying. Instead,
she gave me a letter, an old one. She
told me to open it by the time that she already dead.
The next morning, we left her. The
last glimpse that I saw was her smile while she was staring at the sunrise. We
arrived in Florida and I started to live normally like how I live in California
but now, I would not be able to hear a heart-warming story every dawn.
My school was near our house so I
prefer walking. I always walk near the coast where a tall wall lies; I walk on
that wall even though my mom told me not to. Other than the beautiful view, I
enjoy stopping by the end of the wall where an old man, maybe at the same age
of grandnana, sits. He just sits there looking at the sea. Whenever I pass by
him, he will smile at me. Of course, I return the smile that he gives me. One
day, I was really angry at my mom and the frown in my face cannot be removed so
when I passed by him, he stood up and asked me, “What’s the frown for? Come sit
here my boy”- then I smiled, sat beside him and looked at the sea.
“Why are you always
here, Sir?”-I asked him. Then he pulled out a glass and a marker.
“I always wait for
the girl”-He told me
“Who’s the girl?”-
“The girl who I
loved, she’s the girl. I have been waiting for her since I was 19 and for about
55years of waiting here, she still had not come back.”-
“Then why are you
smiling if the one you love never came back?”-
“I am smiling
because she wants me too.”-
“Are you still
going to wait?”-
“My son, I will
tell you the story of it’-just when he was about to say Once upon a time, my
mother came and hugged me and told me to go home. I say goodbye to the old man
and told him I will come back.
I told my mom about the old man.
Then she told me that my grandnana is getting stronger. So I have forgotten all
about it. I have asked permission from her if I could go home late tomorrow,
she said it’s alright but I should be home at dawn. Walking from school, I
returned to the old man and as always, I have seen him smiling. When I sat
beside him, he pulled out the glass and the marker beside him. He patted my
back and smiled.
“At least you can
keep your promise. Want to hear it?”-I nodded and he started to tell me the
story.
“When I was 6years
old, I have met a blind girl. I never knew her name, just her face. I called
her Nonita and she called me Dorothy. I used to complain to her because that
name was for a girl but every time I complain, she will spell Dorothy in the
air. Every day, we meet here at the end of this wall. One day, she cried and
she told me she want to have her own sight. So I told her to tell her mom to
let her bring a white rose tomorrow.
Then after that
day, she came to our meeting place with a white rose in her hand. She handed it
to me and I picked two petals and drew an eye on each of them. After that, I
taped it to the eyeglasses I brought and I taped it there. I looked at the eyes
I made then I put it onto her eyes. She was confused and slapped me. She ran
away and I followed her. I told her what it was. I told her I have made a white
rose eyes for her. She stopped from running and hugged me. From that day on,
she always brings a white rose and she will wear that eyes I made for her.
We aged. She had
her sweet-sixteen and we had our prom. For me, it was like forever but I was
wrong. The last day came and instead of seeing a beautiful smile, I saw tears
in her eyes. She told me that they would move to New York for an eye treatment.
She will leave me, that’s why she’s crying but instead of crying, I smiled at
her. Finally, she will fulfill her one wish and that is to see the world. She
kissed me and said goodbye. I remember the last words she told me. She told me
that she have and always will love me that she will return here and by that
time, she will be able to see how wonderful of person I am.’’-
“Until now? You’re
still waiting for her?”-I asked, teary-eyed to be honest.
“I will never be
tired of waiting for Nonita. She was like an angel for me. She was beautiful.
She loved to stare at the sunrise and the sunset. Son, go for now. Your mother
is waiting for you.’’-
“Thank you Sir, I
need to go now”-
I went home and I saw my crying. I
came to her and asked her. She told me that grandnana already died. I was
shocked. I was too busy with Dorothy that I have forgotten about my grandnana.
Then I remembered what she told me. “Move to Florida and find the man who has a
marker and glasses beside him”. I have fulfilled my grandnana’s promise. I went
to my room and opened the letter she gave me and I didn’t understand why I felt
weak. I have seen two white rose petals with an eye drawn on each of them.
Dear Dorothy,
I
am now okay. I can see now. The operation is successful. It’s the first time
that I have seen the eyes you have made for me and I would like to tell you
that it is beautiful. I am going to California today and by next week, I will
return to you just like I promise. It’s your 21st birthday right? I
can’t wait to see. This is what I have been waiting for all my life to see how
wonderful you are. I am sorry it took long for you to wait but Dorothy, I will
be back I promise. Our love has no boundaries. No Matter what, no one can stop
me from seeing the most wonderful person I have ever met. It’s you Dorothy, I
love you so.
Love,
Nonita
I ran down to my mom and I asked her
when grandnana had the accident. She told me she never knew the exact date but she
remembered that it happened when she was on her way to California from New
York. The car accident was so severe that it was grandnana who was affected; it
was the reason that she had a retrograde amnesia. That kind of amnesia that she
will never remember what happened before the accident but she was able to
remember just one thing and that is, Dorothy.
Tomorrow, we will be leaving to
attend grandnana’s burial but before that, I went again to the end of the wall
where I saw the old man again, and this time, he was wearing the eyes from the
white rose. I smiled. I went to him and asked him why he was wearing it.
“It’s my birthday
today. Every birthday of mine, I wear this so I could not see the world. Only
the eyes of the white rose are what I would see. From that, I can imagine
Nonita, returning back to me holding a white rose and she could see me”-He told
me while laughing
“She could see you
sir. I am the grandson of Nonita. My grandnana suffered from a Retrograde
Amnesia due to an accident and…I am sad to tell you that yesterday she…”-
“She died, didn’t
she? I dreamt about her looking at a sunset, smiling.’’-he interrupted me; I
thought she was going to cry but he smiled instead.
“She did Sir. She’s
in heaven”-
“She has forgotten
me but it’s alright.”_
“She didn’t Sir.
She always told me a story of a boy who taught a lesson to a blind girl and a
man who always wait with a marker and an eyeglass beside him. Here, this letter
is for you.’’-I handed him the letter that my grandnana was about to give to him
on his 21st birthday.
“She never forgot.
She fulfilled her promise. This is the best gift ever”-
After releasing those words, tears
started to flow from his eyes. It was the first time I saw him cry after all
the heartbreaking stories he told me. He cried and he cried. I can’t stand it
anymore that tears also started to flow from my eyes. He then smiled again and wore the eyeglasses
where the eyes from the white rose were taped. He then told me. “My son, from now on, with or without these
eyes from the white rose; I know that my long wait is over. Nonita is right
here beside me. Thanks to you. Nonita and Dorothy are now together, forever.’’
And he smiled. The smile that my grandnana gave me when she handed me the
letter for Dorothy.
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