Capítulo 78: Clark Is Missing (Part II)
Three days have passed since Clark's mysterious disappearance. The whole unit was quiet, and the sun shone bright when I aroused from my slumber.
But as Charissa woke up, I saw a woman whose face appeared pale and old and her body thin and sickly. This is not the Charissa I knew best.
Instead, my eyes witnessed a mother who gave up too quickly. Since Clark went missing, Charissa ate little food and fasted instead.
She even stopped taking her heart medication. Making matters worse, Charissa ceased producing her video blog.
Cathy and I frantically tried our best to convince her, going as far as saying fasting is extremely dangerous for her fragile heart. But Charissa stubbornly refused, saying she would rather die alone than begrudgingly accept our advice.
Throughout the early morning, Cathy took care of all the household work while Charissa remained on the sofa looking haggard and inconsolable. As I arrived in school with Michelle, my personal thoughts were still on Clark.
"Christine, you're still thinking about your father?" Michelle solemnly asked me. "You haven't looked yourself of late."
"Sorry Michelle," I replied gloomily. "Three days have passed and yet we received no update on his disappearance. Even my mother gave up already. She basically admitted Clark is gone for good."
"Speaking of, how was Charissa?" Michelle inquired me.
"Unfortunately she was not in the best of spirits," I gloomily admitted. "My mother hasn't eaten much and essentially stopped working. Clark's disappearance must have affected her."
"Oh dear," Michelle commented on the matter. "Karina must be overly worried sick by now."
At that moment, I slumped on the floor and sobbed my heart out.
"Father," I tearfully screamed towards the pristine sky. "Please come back to us. We sorely miss you so much."
Michelle grabbed and clutched me so tight I felt like strapped in a straitjacket. From there, she humbly offered me some consoling words.
"Christine, I lost a father too," Michelle tearfully recalled her father Mychal. "Even Ella lost Edward in a car accident. The two of us may not have a father now, yet we moved on with our lives. If we can do that, you can too. So stop worrying yourself."
"But yours is a different matter," I answered back. "What if my father is still alive? He could be somewhere in this area."
"If you keep on thinking like that, your mind may get cluttered and your performance could become sluggish," Michelle reiterated. "Let the police handle the job for you. In the meantime, just pray and hope for his survival and concentrate on your academic work."
Even as Michelle's passionate words permeated my brain, I still could not erase the bitter memories of Clark. Yet it was clear that father wanted nothing more than watching me excel in school, and so I moved on and forgot about these horrible events for now.
Later that afternoon, my mobile phone rang and out came a call from Cathy.
Cathy: "Hello?"
Christine: "What's the matter aunt?"
Cathy: "Charissa just collapsed unconscious on the floor."
Christine: "What? Okay, I'll go there immediately."
Cathy: "Hurry Christine. Go!!!"
After hanging up the phone, I immediately approached Michelle and informed her about Charissa's condition. We were supposed to attend film production class but Michelle and I decided not to proceed.
Instead, we hurriedly drove towards the condominium. At the lobby, Cathy and a few neighbors carried an unconscious Charissa into the car and sped towards the hospital.
As doctors rushed her to the emergency room, it felt like deja vu all over again. Michelle, Cathy and I sat down on the waiting room, our hearts beating quickly from all the stress and anxiety.
Then as day turned to night, Cathy received a phone call from the police. While she awaited the news of Clark's disappearance, I knelt and clasped both of my palms in hopes of a miracle.
Minutes later, Cathy informed me that Clark had been found somewhere in Laguna by a mysterious stranger. Upon receiving the news, I cried hysterically and then fainted from all the excitement.
Still, the news of Clark's emergence engulfed a sense of relief from all of us. However, we were not spared just yet.
During dinner at a nearby cafeteria, Cathy suddenly received a phone call from an unknown source. She then informed me that Clark was calling on her phone and promptly gave it to me.
Clark: "Christine, are you there?"
Christine: "Father!!! Oh, you worried me so much. Where have you been?"
Clark: "Christine, I apologize for not coming to your home a few days ago. Anyway, I'm with the police right now, and they're driving me back to the condominium."
Christine: "Father, we're not inside the condominium. Charissa just collapsed again and we just rushed her to the hospital."
Clark: "What? Okay Christine, I'll inform the police to transport me straight to the hospital. Just inquire me the specific location and I'll disclose them to the cops."
Christine: "Okay father. Drive safely."
After Clark hung up the phone, Michelle, Cathy and I headed back to the waiting room. Just then, a doctor came out and revealed the latest update on Charissa's condition.
"You girls should breathe easy," he promptly opened. "Your patient Charissa is in stable condition now. She is just suffering from dehydration. But don't worry. Her case is less severe than we initially thought."
After hearing the doctor's favorable prognosis, Cathy and I embraced tearfully while Michelle looked on with a profound sense of relief. Still, in spite of the mutual feeling of peace that filled our hearts, what Charissa recklessly did to her frail body continued to bother us.
Several minutes later, Clark arrived, and we promptly hugged him too. It was an extremely emotional reunion for the three of us as he smiled tenderly and waved his hand at me.
After some cheerful greetings, Clark focused his attention to an unconscious Charissa. He cautiously approached her bed, cradled her right hand and silently murmured a few apologetic words to her.
"My love, sorry if I distressed you so much," he uttered to Charissa. "I have a lot to explain so please wake up soon and talk to me."
Thus Clark slept peacefully at her bedside hoping to see her arouse from a long slumber. But how did he end up in Laguna and became a wandering soul?
REFLEXIONES DE LOS CREADORES 
ralphierce
ralphierce Clark's disappearance weighed heavily on the whole family. But just as he was discovered by a stranger, Charissa's constant worries took its toll and made her weak and miserable.
With all things considered, Clark has a lot of explaining to do. That's coming up next.
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