Two Months Ago

"Alexis! Dina! Hey, you guys!" Julia yelled across the halls. "Hey Julia!" Dina yelled back. "Lower your voices you two. Everyone in the hall is looking at us." Alexis was a shy guy who spoke very softly and he hated attention from people. If it wasn't for Dina and Julia, he would've never gotten friends.

"How were your classes?" Julia whispered. "They were alright. Yours?" Dina whispered back. Alexis laughed, "Guys, come onnnn. I just meant to speak normally." "Haha we're just playing with you," Dina said, pushing him a little. Dina and Alexis had been best friends for 15 years and Julia had been their friend for two. All three of them were 22 and were attending the same university.

"By the way, I got some tickets to see the new horror movie. Three tickets, wanna go?" offered Julia, wiggling her eyebrows. "Yes! Let's go!" Horror movies were the only thing that got Alexis all excited and loud. Well, other than food. "How about you, Dina?" "Ugh, you guys know I hate horror, but I guess I'll go for your sake." "Yayy!"

…

"That was a great movie, am I right?" Julia's enthusiasm was so bright it was making Dina cover her eyes with her hands. "Like I said, I hate horror movies." "Come on, Dina! It was a great movie, no matter how scared you were, you can't refute that." Dina facepalmed herself. Alexis too? Now both of them would gang up on her? Great.

"Well, thank you for inviting me to the movies but now I have to go see my mom." Dina's mom had been in the hospital for the past year because she got in an accident that left her in a coma. For that reason, Dina had to take up a few jobs aside from university to pay the hospital bill. "Alright! Tell your mom that we're waiting for her to wake up so she can make us some pupusas*." "Haha, I'll tell her Julia. And Alexis, I won't be able to see you off at the airport tomorrow, but I hope you have fun in Japan!" "Will do," Alexis smiled.

Dina was walking to the bus stop when she got a call from the hospital. "Hello?" "Hello. Ms. Valentiana?" "Yes, that's me." "You need to come to the hospital right now. Your mom does not have much time." These hospital workers were ruthless, they hung up right after they told you what needed to be told.

Dina ran through the halls of the hospital, rushing to her mom's room. She even bumped into a few people, not even bothering to apologize. When she got to the front of her mom's room, she stopped, took a deep breath, and entered. She sat beside her mom and told her about her day, how much she missed her, and that her friends wanted to eat her pupusas*.

"Mom, don't leave me," she sobbed. "What will I do without you, huh? There's nothing left for me if you leave." She had held it in but finally broke. Her mom was her whole world. Every single thing she had worked for was going down the drain. Her studies were to support her mom. To make her proud. Her jobs were not only to pay the hospital bills, but she was saving money to buy a better place to live for both of them. Even her friends had helped her in her emotional state so she could be strong enough to face her mom. But all of that was disappearing. And Dina knew it. No matter how many times she tried to deny it.

A few hours later, her mom passed away. With red eyes and a defeated look, Dina left the hospital room. Since she was looking down, she didn't see the person in front of her and bumped into him. "Watch where you're going lady!" "Oh sorry, I didn't see you there." Dina was leaving when she felt weight on her shoulder. "Wait a second, lady. You see, a few hours ago, someone ran into us as we were trying to leave this place and didn't apologize. It was you wasn't it?"

"I'm sorry if I bumped into you. I was in a hurry." Dina had no intention of arguing with anyone today, since she was tired and grieving. "Now, now. If you bow down three times at my feet, I'll let you go peacefully. But if you don't, I'm not so sure." Dina looked around her and counted quite a number of men, but they were all younger than her. Sighing, Dina said, "Look man, today I got a call that my mother did not have long to live so I rushed to the hospital. She just passed away and I'm just tired of everything. I worked so hard to make sure the bills were paid and she could live, but this hospital couldn't do shit. Now, don't make me any more angrier than I already am and leave me alone. I already apologized."

"This is why women should all just go to hell. They can't do shit but then blame it on other people. Your mom probably deserved to die." This man just crossed a really thick line that made him the worst type of person in Dina's book. "Excuse me?! Haha, hahaha, ahahahaha! You just dug your own grave."

*pupusas- small, round corn cakes, similar to a flatbread; filled with cheese and beans or meat