Life And Now

And the guy's partner suddenly died in a car accident.

No slow motion.

No panning in.

No rushing of people and ambulance.

No cut scene of a body lying on the tarmac.

It fast-forwarded to his partner four years later who still had the difficulty of what had happened.

And so he climbed mountains. Climbed each and every mountain that he could in order for him to feel his partner's presence.

But the more he climbed, the more he felt his partner farther away.

His final climb was towards the Himalayas, where hopefully, find the peace he was searching for.

End scene.

Nalungkot ako sa istorya.

"Human vulnerability is something I am still not accustomed to," I told my friend D.

"Pero G, everyone will always have an Achilles heel." He replied. "And for him...It was his boyfriend's love."

"Pero grabe ano? They were planning their life together. They had just rented together and he was even willing to take the long commute daily. Even if his University is far from their rented place. The partner died at 18. Ang bata."

"But it is life, G. There is suddenness in everything."

I suddenly remembered a book I recently finished where an immortal guy can prophesize who will die and who will survive just by drinking from his coffee cup he keeps in his vest.

Once, he was having the dinner of his life at a posh hotel with an acquaintance. The freshest seafood and the fanciest wine that the hotel could offer. The city, unfortunately, will be bombed early morning. And survivors will be few to nil.

This he knew.

The waiter who was serving them was in his best spirits. Even suggesting what food to order and what wine to drink.

The acquaintance could not understand why he could not tell the waiter that he will die in the morning. He was outraged at the thought of not being with his family even though they will all perish in the morning.

In these uncertain times, there is unrest. Everyone feels everything is spiraling out of control. It is in these times that we do not know what the future will be there for us.

Should we suffer or not?

Should we let other people suffer or not?

Should we let ourselves suffer or not?

Or perhaps, take this as what it is, the suddenness, the chaos, and the out-of-control.

"He does not need to know this, because it is through the not-knowing that he will not suffer. His life, as he is living it - well, and with love, with friends - and then suddenness." - Gavran Gaile, The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht