Bab 100: Lonely and Isolated
Severe rains and lightning aroused me early Friday morning.
Floods inundated the streets in our village but it was not deep enough to penetrate Cathy's house. The wind, however, was unforgivable and chilly.
Perhaps this was God's divine punishment for betraying Michelle after all the years we had spent together. And it was also the Lord's way of saying I sold my soul to the devil.
Whatever the case, it was a horrible and difficult week for me. No one was willing enough to talk and give heartfelt advice to a helpless and dejected woman.
The past had indeed reared its ugly head. It was all my fault.
"Breakfast is ready," Cathy shouted gleefully from a distance. "Come out and join me, Christine."
"I'm not hungry," my hoarse voice initiated an instantaneous and emphatic response. "Leave me alone!"
"But Christine, your pancakes and bacon will get cold soon," Cathy eagerly replied. "Please come down and join me. Please?"
"Just leave me alone, aunt," I angrily yelled back. "I'm in no good mood for breakfast now."
Furious, Cathy climbed her way up and dragged me out.
"You're going to eat breakfast no matter what happens," she sternly reminded me.
Upon reaching the dining room, I reluctantly sat down and took a piece of the pancake. But it became obvious my appetite was missing and so I pushed the plate so hard it almost cracked.
Cathy desperately begged me to complete the delicious meal, but to no avail. Her normally calm demeanor turned into one more agitating and frustrating to deal with.
For the remainder of that rain-drenched morning, I laid down the sofa and stared aimlessly towards the ceiling. Meanwhile, Cathy was on the phone talking to a friend.
"Christine, I have no choice but to send you to a psychologist," she advised me after the phone call. "Your mind clearly needs some personal counseling."
Reluctantly I joined Cathy on the trip to the local hospital. While inside the hallway, a familiar face suddenly showed up.
Francesca did come to the hospital as well. And she was not alone, for Francesca brought along her parents and younger brother.
"Christine?" she summoned me out.
I immediately refused to look at her angelic eyes and stared blankly at the window. Cathy then pulled out my right ear and forced me to glance towards Francesca.
"Christine, better face your schoolmate or I'll no longer help you," she sternly instructed me.
At that point, Francesca sat down and clutched my left hand. At first my reluctance prevented me from talking candidly but as Cathy looked on I was forced to face her.
"Christine, if you're still dealing with Michelle, please forget about it," Francesca gently advised me. "Move on and look keenly into the bright side."
"But I can't," my sorrowful eyes tearfully choked up. "It's not easy to move on."
"Trust me, you'll forget about Michelle eventually," Francesca responded. "Start over and think positively. That's the only choice your mind can take."
Just then, the psychologist called me out. Cathy accompanied me inside, and I quickly underwent a private conversation with him.
Almost an hour later, the psychologist and I returned to his desk. At that moment, the psychologist approached Cathy and informed her of the diagnosis.
"Miss Cathy, Christine is suffering from some form of depression," he revealed.
"Will my niece be all right?" Cathy eagerly questioned.
"We're not certain, but Christine needs to be guided accordingly," the psychologist promptly answered. "Any form of spiritual and psychological guidance is required for her at this point."
Shortly after, Cathy and I walked out of the room and rejoined Francesca and her family for lunch. But just as we reached the restaurant, my stomach started experiencing some acute discomfort.
Screams of pain and agony enveloped me as I walked to the comfort room. Upon entering the portal, the lovely voice of Francesca soon permeated my ears.
"Christine, what's wrong?" she yelled upon arriving at the comfort room.
Uncomfortable pangs of agony and torment blitzed through my stomach. Outside, Francesca immediately offered me her wet packs which I gratefully accepted.
After all of the solid waste and fierce pain had been dumped to the toilet, I came out of the portal drenched in sweat. Francesca quickly took out a towel and gently wiped my face.
"Are you okay?" she humbly asked.
"Sort of," I promptly replied. "It was my fault for not finishing breakfast this morning."
Francesca conveniently carried me back to the dining room where food was already served on the table. At that point, Cathy approached Francesca for a short conversation.
"What happened to Christine?" she eagerly questioned.
"She had some sort of diarrhea in her stomach," Francesca responded. "Her tummy painfully acted up."
"Well Christine defiantly refused to eat breakfast, so that's what happened," Cathy recalled. "But I can't help it because she was too downcast and discouraged after what happened to her and Michelle."
As I carefully took a generous spoonful of rice and braised beef inside my mouth, Cathy proposed something to Francesca.
"Would you like to allow Christine to live at your home for now?" she asked her.
After a few minutes to ponder Cathy's proposal, Francesca promptly made up her mind.
"I see no problem with it, so that's okay with me," she approvingly raised her right thumb. "What can you say, Christine?"
Without saying a word, I reluctantly nodded and accepted Francesca's proposal. After lunch, we accompanied her to Cathy's grand house for a short visit.
At the bedroom, Francesca willingly helped me pack my bags for the ride. Meanwhile, Cathy accompanied Francesca's family for a brief tour.
Before saying goodbye, however, my aunt offered one last bit of encouragement.
"Christine, I sincerely hope you behave well while inside Francesca's house," she gently advised me.
"Don't worry about it," I assured Cathy. "Francesca will treat me nicely back home."
After waving goodbye to Cathy, Francesca and her family escorted me to their humble abode. While traversing through the road, they played the song 'Crying in the Rain' by the Everly Brothers on the portable radio.
Someday when my crying's done
I'm gonna wear a smile and walk in the sun
I may be a fool
But till then, darling, you'll never see me complain
I'll do my crying in the rain
As the song blared on the speakers, I started crying inconsolably while rain suddenly poured outside. Francesca promptly cradled my head to her shoulder and consoled me.
A new chapter was about to unfold.
PERTIMBANGAN PENCIPTA 
ralphierce
ralphierce That's all for Volume I. See you soon for Volume II.
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