Tina, how I used to envy her!
Those teenage days when you know nothing about problems or stress. You just knew it was fun, fun and fun....
You knew when you wakes up, your school uniforms, socks and shoes were all ready.
As you sat down for breakfast, hot chocolate was served and ready, your toast and scrambled eggs with the usual baked beans in the plate ready to be gobbled down.
Sometimes I wonder if Tina had breakfast like mine? I bet she had a more sophisticated meals. She was rich after all. And judging from her dresses and shoes and school bag they were more trendy and expensive than mine... but her greatest assets were her sense of humor that nobody can dislike her, I didn't but I envied her.
She had the best birthday party when she was sixteen, lavish food and drinks, plenty games with awesome gifts and best of all, there was a dance!! My parents would certainly freak out if they knew I was dancing with a boy....
On my sixteenth birthday, she gave me my first watch!
As we grew up, she earned that popularity amongst the boys, yes, boys who was by your side a minute ago vanished the minute she walked in ! Grrrrr.... how I hated that moment!
Despite all that popularity and envies, we stuck up as best friends and I got all those fabulous hand-me-down stuffs of hers... so I was at par with her. I could dress up like her too since I was wearing her dresses and shoes . I also learned how to apply make-up since I used to be her 'face' when she needed to try out her new stuff.. so there I was, contented and happy but still envying her ! 😊😊
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Anyway, we grew up, left school, we worked and got married. We separated and lost touch (there was no mobile phone those days)... and fifteen years later, we bumped into each other!
To my surprise, she was fat and plump, had pimples and dark pigmentation over her face. Where have all that beautiful skin of hers gone? Her figure that I used to stare in awe because she was so pretty and slim, unlike me.
And after that meeting, we were constantly in touch, recalling our younger days. How I miss those days!😊
Oneday, I received a phone call from one of her daughters. Tina was admitted to the hospital!
I rushed and saw her with the oxygen mask as well as those one thousand and one drips, I broke down and cried. Why and how did this happened?
Because I was so excited with our reunion, I forgot to ask her why she had put on tremendous weight and why she was so weak.
Apparently she was diagnosed with cervical cancer, stage 4 and she was on medication to balance her hormones.
I held her hands, spoke softly to her while she was drifting in and out of consciousness. I couldn't fight back the tears as I watched her slowly breathing her breath away and finally with a soft sigh, she was gone!!!
Today, 5 years ago. It felt only like yesterday, memories still lingers. I could actually hear her voice and her laughers. I still miss her. And my prayers goes to her each and everyday.
You may be gone from my sight Tina but the memories stays forever in my heart.. the girl who happened to pass by.....
