Running Away from Home

It was still Tuesday night. I was sitting in bed crying, still horrified at the news report on television moments earlier and angry at Charissa for severely chastising me.

I prepared a farewell letter that night. It said:

Dear Mother,

If you're reading this letter right now, you must know that I'm no longer living in the room anymore. I decided to leave home and go somewhere else to clear my mind. What happened the other day was the last straw. You never quite understood me from the moment you returned. You never cared for me at all. At first, I thought my mother loved me, but in the end you were only faking it just to gain sympathy for my painful childhood.

I hope you were happy with your actions. You may have given birth to me, but at the end of the day Cathy proved to be a better mother than you. Like I said, don't bother following me and leave me alone.

Thank you for your time.

Christine

I secretly left home at around 11:00 p.m., booked inside a cheap hostel for the night, and then journeyed down south to Alabang the next morning. But upon arriving in Alabang, torrential rains suddenly poured and I started shivering.

To make matters worse, I forgot to bring my umbrella and became drenched in rain. The street was inundated with floodwaters, and my sneakers became wet.

As the sun rose anew I started to feel a horrible headache and my legs began to wobble. The flood began to subside yet my feet felt heavy from all the water.

Eventually, I fell unconscious down the parking lot. Just then, a young lady in a brown shirt and blue pants rushed to my aid, carried me inside her car and drove me to her home.

As I woke up on the sofa, the girl smiled and promptly welcomed me to her place.

"Good morning stranger," the girl greeted me.

"Where am I?" I inquired the girl in a muted tone.

"You're inside my home. Looks attractive isn't it?" the girl responded.

"Who are you?" I told the girl about her name.

"My name is Rachelle or Chelle for short. How about you?" Rachelle answered.

"My name is Christine," I uttered back.

"Well, I'm glad you're alive," Rachelle joyfully said to me. "Otherwise you would've been left for dead. Don't worry I'll take care of you."

Rachelle nursed my weakened body back to health that day. She fed me a bowl of hot porridge and a pair of fresh oranges, and gave a warm towel bath.

Just then, Cathy texted me on the phone telling Charissa was an emotional wreck and she felt sorry for her actions the other night. I replied back by saying my wish was no longer to return home and that Charissa never cared at all.

In spite of Cathy's repeated pleas to come back, I chose to ignore any of her messages. Later that night, she tried calling me only to hang up the phone in response.

During dinner, Rachelle politely introduced me to her parents Donnie and Amy. Rachelle came from a prominent family of teachers; her father and mother are grade school teachers at an affluent Alabang school near her village while she is a college professor at a prominent Manila university.

"I'm quite surprised. You have such a wonderful family," I enthusiastically reacted after Rachelle talked about her parents and their common ground.

But upon mentioning reports of female students committing suicide as a result of bullying, Rachelle and her family felt distressed at the news. She remembered one such incident back when she was in high school.

"You know, Christine, I once lost a classmate because of bullying," Rachelle explained to me. "I was in fourth year high school. We were extremely close to graduating when I heard the news of my classmate committing suicide."

Rachelle began to break down in tears as she continued her story.

"It broke my heart so much. She was innocent and smart, yet she could not escape the teasing brought about by her fellow students. They called her mean things like 'shorty' and 'tiny'. She felt defenseless and weak, and it drove her to end her life."

Rachelle left the dinner table and wept outside. I followed her to the garden to console her.

"Rachelle, I lost a fellow student as well because of bullying. We both have one thing in common. You know, I used to be bullied by others too, yet I stayed positive and gained friends who can help me deal with these problems. I can help you deal with this too."

"Thank you for your help Christine," Rachelle nodded in approval. "It means so much that people like you come in and lend a hand in this issue."

After an emotional hug, Rachelle and I finished dinner and then slept inside her bedroom for the night. The following morning, however, I received a text from Michelle.

It read:

"Christine, Cathy talked to me earlier today and she said that Charissa had just suffered a heart attack. We're at the hospital now. She absolutely needs you."

I could not help but cry inconsolably upon hearing the unfortunate news. Almost immediately, I told Rachelle to transport me to the hospital and she obliged.

While on the road, Rachelle asked me about what happened yesterday.

"Christine, why were you in Alabang in the first place?" Rachelle questioned.

"I ran away from my mother because she became extremely angry at me," I explained. "We had an argument regarding a news report on TV that was gory and ugly. She became furious when I turned off the TV and ran away later that night."

"Christine, you should've obeyed your mother," Rachelle earnestly advised me. "If she wants to watch TV, allow her to do so. If you're not in the mood, better withhold it to yourself and be preoccupied with something else. "

Experiencing a sense of regret, I tearfully apologized to Rachelle for dragging her to this mess. Upon stepping out of the car, I politely bid her a fond farewell.

"Rachelle, thank you for taking care of me. And thank you for issuing to me some advice about family. I sincerely hope we can see each other again soon."

"No worries," Rachelle smilingly assured. "I can contact you back and meet again someday."

After nodding politely at Rachelle, I got out of her car and rushed frantically to my ill mother's aid. However, time is not on my side.