The Constant In Life

"That's a good point to begin with." he remarked, focusing back on the road. "Granting your wish to see your sister is the least they can do."

They won't have the audacity to stop me from reaching out to my sister and if they will, is there any valid reason for them to contradict our meeting? Exactly, nothing. For eleven years, I abided all of it, the pain of getting bullied for being the fruit of a broken family and getting told I'll never be able to experience joy, all of those, it's still here with me and it's all because of them.

"You know, I was in your shoes once." he related, hanging a left. "Remember Kora?"

"Yeah, Kora. Your younger sister, right?"

"Correct. I never told you this," he gave a shy smile, "but we're actually not biological siblings."

"Really? Wait, so your father—"

"Yes, my father cheated on her and found out weeks after we met."

"—oh, how are they still together? For sure, your mother must have been so fumed when she found out."

"One night, they had a huge fight. I could hear my mom's agony and my father's footsteps rushing out the front door, leaving the house, us, for a couple of days."

"I'm guessing he crashed in his mistress's house."

"He didn't, but he went to the hospital only to find out that his mistress was going in labor."

"He had been cheating for that long? Wow, this is implausible. Your relationship seems so serene as of now."

"Because he amended his mistakes, he proved to us that he can change for the best."

As he was recalling his similar experience, a sprout of envy started to form in me when I should not be feeling this way instead I should be happy for him, for them. They didn't go through the scarring and painful events of a broken family because the homewrecker fortunately admitted their mistakes and changed for the best.

"What happened to his mistress? Where is she now?"

"3 or 4 days later, she suddenly passed away due to extreme blood loss."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that.." I solaced, gazing at a photo. "Is this her?"

Kody pulled over in the parking lot right across our university, grabbing the photo displayed right in front of me. The photo contained a woman in her mid-thirties, wearing a white scalloped dress with a chubby and beautiful baby girl sitting on her lap. Frankly, she didn't seem cruel, arrogant, nor any of those negative words. From what I see, she's one of those women who'd take care of you for the rest of your lives, but the fact that she was also a homewrecker, obliterates that impression of mine.

"Yes, it's her." he responded, gazing at it. "As much as I hate her for her unforgettable mistake, I had learned to love her the same way I love my mother, just for Kora."

"That must've been hard. Not all are that brave to embrace an unforgivable human"

"It was hard. I loved someone who was on the verge of breaking my family apart."

"You had the choice not to love her, right?"

"I did, but I think being able to love someone whom you hate from the bottom of your heart is the colossal revenge you can ever do."

"How sure are you that she deserved your love?"

"How sure I was? It was when she gave us a warm welcome into her humble abode despite the fear of getting lashed out and attacked for her awful and agonizing choice."

"Is that all of it? You nurtured her with love for that alone?"

"Regardless of the odds, Ms. Kaitlyn spoke to my mother in the highest regards."

"For me, that's one of the most fortuitous event to never happen in my life."

"It will happen to you, believe me." he assured, putting back the photo.

"How do you know? I can't even see it, but how did you?"

"Ethan, I am certain you know about this, but I'm gonna tell you anyways." he reminded, pointing at my chest. "Sometimes, your heart needs more time to accept what your mind already knows."

"Frankly, that moment when I saw you talking to your mother." he recalled, "I could see the amount of change in her eyes."

"The reason why you're struggling to see or feel the change she has done for you and your father," he continued, "is that you're still dwelling in the past, you're not trying to pull yourself out of that deceiving and vengeful abyss of your past."

"I don't trust her and her actions anymore, we've given her enough chances."

Enough is enough. Father and I had given her chance after chance, yet she threw it into the pit of arrogance and ignorance until we forbade her to re-enter our lives.

"Enough chances? Are you sure about that?"

"Are you doubting my sentiments? It's the truth, Kody."

"Hear me out for once, Ethan." he demanded, "Do you think she'll come back begging to you and your father for another chance if all of it was enough?"

"No, she wouldn't be."

"Exactly, Ethan. That, my friend, is your answer." he applauded, smiling at me.

"Father has always reminded me that homewreckers like her never deserves a second chance."

"I hate to break it to you, buddy." he disagreed, "but it's not always like that."

"I'm the type of person who believes in improvement, growth and change." he added, gesturing.

"What if they never changed? What if it's just one of their tricks to manipulate you again?"

"Would you know if you never tried nor risked?"

"No, you wouldn't, but not all people change. They are just putting up that mask, so they could deceive us once again."

"Ethan, we're given a chance to change and the need to change for another chance."

"Everyone does not deserve those chances, it's just a waste of time and effort. They wouldn't learn and change anyways, it's all lies and manipulation."

"No matter how hard I try, I won't be able to alter your mind and perspective."

"I'm sorry, it's just that I've been built like this ever since that event happened."

"It's okay, no need to apologize, but I'll remind you once again that people learn when you teach them, not when you destroy them." he reminded, turning off the engine. "Take it to heart and mind that change is the only constant in life."