Two Widows And A Teenager

‘What are the rules of rebirth anyway? I thought if there’s such a thing as reincarnation, I would appear in the future instead of the past.’

She rummaged through the things in the girl’s closet, dresser, and bags to find clues about her identity.

An identification card. It looked new.

Third Year High School student.

On top of a study table were stacks of textbooks and other school materials.

‘Don’t tell me I’ll have to go back to school?!’

She slapped her forehead, feeling frustrated. She laid back down, trying to close her eyes and sleep, but to no avail.

She stood back up and walked out of the room.

It was dark, all of the lights were turned off. She used the room’s light to guide her to the switch.

On.

She looked around and saw a long wooden dining table with wooden chairs. There was also a living room with a grey-colored couch and a glass coffee table.

When she looked up, she noticed that there was another floor above.

She then looked around to find the refrigerator or the pantry.

There was no pantry, as everything was placed without organization.

The refrigerator was quite bare. There was only one big piece of meat in the freezer wrapped in a colored plastic bag.

There was a liter of soda, a few pieces of egg, a jar of mayo, and a few pieces of vegetables.

It looked quite depressing.

Back then, her life was still simple but compared to this, her refrigerator and pantry were always full.

She looked for milk but she couldn’t find it.

Fortunately, they at least had a water dispenser.

She took a cup from the cupboard and got herself some water.

Quenching the thirst she didn’t know she had.

She looked around, trying to make sense of the situation.

In the living room, there’s a big cabinet full of books and figurines.

She opened it and found a few photo albums. Taking it out, she brought it to the couch and began to scrutinize it, trying to trigger some memories.

‘Who knew that being an author could actually come in handy at times like this? I just need to put myself in a character’s shoes. Like, what should she do if she’s the character who experienced rebirth?’

Now that it was happening to her, she was actually impressed at how she was able to stay sane and composed.

In the photo albums, there were pictures of her childhood. Activities from school, playtimes at the park, happy times at the beach, adventure to another city, and bonding with family.

Papa.

This girl’s father had just died a year ago it would seem.

Her heart, felt pain and her tears began to blur as she thought of the father who had just passed.

‘Is her memories resurfacing?’

She closed her eyes.

She was in a trance as the girl’s memories added to her own.

Pain, longing, and regret. She wasn’t able to tell her dad that she loves him for the last time. That was her biggest regret.

They were close, she was his princess. Everything she wanted, he would try to give. Wherever she wanted to go, he would take her. When she was still little, he even used to read her bedtime stories. Whenever she falls asleep on the couch, he would carry her to bed even as her toes already reached his knees. He spoke ever so softly to her, not once lifting a hand to punish her misdeeds. He was the best father in her eyes. He was her number one ally. Oftentimes, she would even hide behind him to run away from her mom’s punishment.

Tears fell down, wetting the photo album. She quickly wiped it, not wanting to damage the pictures.

Her heart ached as if it was pierced by needles a million times. Her head fell back, her eyes closed, her lips pursed, fighting hard not to wail in sadness.

The girl’s memories became hers. She felt her loneliness. She felt her regret.

At that moment, in that big house, just like the girl when she was alive, she felt alone.

In that house that used to be lively, with her parents, her siblings who already have their own families remained only two widows and a teenager.

The two widows, her grandmother, and her mother supported each other since her father’s death.

And she, the youngest child, was left to fend for herself.

She was expected to continue to show up for school and live normally. She was expected to commute by herself when going to school regardless of the weather.

There were times she would end up soaking wet from the rain as she wasn’t able to bring an umbrella. Weather forecasts weren’t given that much importance, as long as it was not a typhoon.

When she arrives home, she has to do her laundry so she could use the same uniform the next day.

Life was tough.

But from the author’s point of view, she could understand the side of the girl’s mother. She had just lost her husband she has depended on since she married him at 19 years old. She had lost the person who was the breadwinner of the family, the person who had managed all of their properties. Her first love. Her ally. Her strength. When she lost him, she had to shoulder all of the responsibilities. She had to quickly learn what her husband used to manage on his own. On top of that, she still has to raise a teenager by herself. She had to be both the mother and the father of her daughter.

Instead of being each other’s strength, the mother and daughter would find themselves at loggerheads at times. She would be too slow to wake up for school, ending up tardy, messing up her record at the Prefect of Discipline’s office. Instead of paying attention in class, she’d rather pay attention to her crushes. Spending more time making love letters, daydreaming about getting married to them when they grow up, and stalking them in their social media accounts. Instead of studying, she would rather watch anime shows, even sleeping late because of it. If either her mother or grandmother wanted to watch their favorite tv series, she would have a tantrum because of it. Her mother noticed that her daughter had a problem with anger management but she didn’t know what to do.

As a person who had the same name as this girl, she sighed in disappointment. ‘Girl, I hope you’ll be better in your next life.’

As for her, she was well aware that her life before was not perfect. Because of not being able to commit to her decisions, she wasted a lot of time trying to find a career she was passionate about. When she realized that writing stories were a dream come true, she was only given five years to enjoy it. She had abused her own body, taking the medication without a proper prescription, drinking alcohol as a way to relieve stress, and sleeping late to meet deadlines, damaging her liver in the end.

She sighed. Regrets are always at the end.

‘Since I’ve been given another lease in life. I should live well and make better decisions. Starting with the relationship with the grandmother and mother.’

She pressed the buttons on the phone again, unlocking it with the password from the girl’s memory.

“Tsk. Not even any credits?”