CHAPTER 5: CAME TO FORGIVE

Lindy is now back in reality. Unable to comprehend what just happened, she can only look at the man beside her in mystery. She felt fear, confusion, and a deep feeling of sadness. She forced herself a question:

"Am I dreaming?... Who, no.... what are you?" She asked.

"haven't I showed you enough?" The man replied with a solemn smile.

Lindy had a look of unbelieving in her face.

"Let me give you a clue of who I am." Now Lindy had all her attention to the man. The baby has finally calmed down and is sleeping soundly in her arms.

"To be precise, my 'current' name is Siga."

"What do you mean 'current-name'?" A confused and doubtful look on Lindy's face appeared.

"Do you believe in rebirth?"

"Rebirth? I grew in a Catholic belief but somehow, I am not quite sure if its real or not. Some say its true while other doubt about it"

"Then would you believe if I say that I have rebirthed?"

"If what I saw a while ago is not an illusion you just made, I probably would believe you. but.." She said. "I don't know. everything is too weird and all of this is something I would never imagine to experience or even understand."

She proceeds to look at the man straight in his eyes.

"What do you want from me? If you really are my aborted child from the past, are you here to avenge your death?"

Right now, she had a complex feeling towards the man. She is confused about whether she would be glad or be afraid to this mysterious person.

"No..." The man said straight to her with a peaceful smile and added:

"I am not here to avenge my past death nor to make your life miserable."

"Then what do you want from me?" She then summoned all her courage and said.

"If you want to hurt me, or do anything bad, I am willing to accept it. I am sorry if I hurt you.. and I have long regretted my sin. If you really are my child, I want you to know that I did my best to protect you. It's just. it's just. Please....just..."

She spoke as if there is a heavy word she is unable to utter. Then she looked at her baby who is sleeping peacefully in her arms. A glint of determination radiated from her eyes and looked back at the man.

"Just don't hurt my baby.." She pleaded with tears flowing in her eyes.

The look in her eyes contains the unusual courage a woman poses. As if a lion guarding its cubs with wounds all over her body. She is willing to sacrifice anything to protect her baby.

The man just smiled. His eyes this time changed from mystery to full of life and happiness. It seems he was expecting this answer.

"I know you would say that." He said while looking down on his shoes. He slowly stood up and took his time to breath the air slowly. He appears to be happy.

"Thank you." He suddenly said.

Lindy was surprised to hear the answer. She has unconsciously accepted the fact that the man was really her unborn child before due to her instincts.

She also felt glad and incomprehensible happiness started to warm her heart. Her eyes never stopped tearing.

She looked at the man as if it was actually her child whom she has never seen in a very long time. She longed for him.

It's her lost child. And any person knows how painful it is to lose a precious one in her life. Especially if it was your child. The one she longed to see.

And now, he is back. She did not see him as a dead person from the past. But she looked at him as if an angel that has gone down from heaven to say his last words to her.

"Are you an angel?" She asked.

"Does it matter?" the man replied.

Lindy only shook her head. It doesn't matter anymore. She is just happy to see the person beside her. Unknowingly, her face is now full of life.

Unlike the paleness of her look before. She now feels light and a heavy burden in her heart had been removed.

"Whether you believed that I am your aborted son or not doesn't matter."

He slowly kneeled before Lindy as if he was proposing. Lindy was surprised by the sudden movement of the man. Unexpectedly, the man started to sing a soft and calming song in Visayan dialect:

"Ikaw lang, ang akon bitoon

sa kagab-hion ikaw tan-awon.

Ikaw lang, ang akon palangga,

ang pag abot mo, kalipay sa akong dughan.

Ikaw lang ang akon palanga.

ang pag abot mo, mao ang grasya.."

Lindy now has a solemn look in her face.