CHAPTER 43

Three months have passed, yet what happened then felt like a bad dream. My relationship with Hector ended, and Eric and I have reconciled. This decision brings a sense of relief and renewed hope for the future.

I hope Hector's new facility offers better care and that Maya and Marco are gradually adjusting to life in America. During our last meeting at the hospital, there was a distant recognition in Hector's eyes. I hope that, perhaps, he's already come to terms with the fact that we weren't meant to be. I still remember him walking away, his shoulders slightly hunched, as if he had already begun to erase me from his life.

Eric and I have moved forward with our plans, deliberately avoiding mentioning last month's chaos. Every time our eyes meet, a pang of guilt twists in my gut, but I force a smile. When he casually talks about our future together, I squeeze his hand, determined to make things right. The weight of my decisions lingers between us, but with each shared laugh and gentle touch, we slowly mend the fragile threads of our relationship.

"I can't decide, Tita. What would he like best?" I asked, fidgeting with the tablet in my hands.

That afternoon, I went to Tita Cecile's unit to seek her advice on Eric's birthday gift next week.

"Oh dear! My nephew isn't picky, Ara," she reassured, her eyes twinkling as she scrolled through the options. "A simple gift will do. The real surprise is the party we're planning; we've put so much effort into it. It's bound to be exciting!"

I sighed, feeling the pressure mount. "Eric's the one who usually comes up with the best ideas. I'm afraid we won't even surprise him," I confessed, my fear of disappointing Eric evident in my voice.

Tita Cecile chuckled, her voice filled with mischief. "Then I'll give him a good knock on the head. He better be surprised after all our effort!" Like a naughty child, her playful tone brought a smile and a laugh to my lips.

An image of a brown butterfly flashes on the tablet's screen, freezing me in place. The lighthearted atmosphere vanished as a wave of anxiety crashed over me. That butterfly symbolized a time I wanted to forget. My heart raced, and fragmented memories swirled in my mind, threatening to pull me back into the past.

"I think we should go to the mall. What do you think?" Tita Cecile spoke, snapping me back to the present moment. I gave her a forced smile.

I stood up, but suddenly, my Android phone rang. I picked it up from the top of the coffee table and felt surprised to see the name of the person calling; it turned out to be Ma'am Yolly. We didn't have any plans today, but I answered the call.

"Hi, ma'am Yolly. You surprised me," I said to her, walking away from Tita Cecile.

"Hi, Doc. Ara, could you drop by here at my office?"

"Why, ma'am?"

"You knew Marco De Leon, right?" Hearing the name had shaken me. I turned tongue-tied and felt surprised. "We found Marco yesterday in Greenhills. Can you help us? He's at our office now."

My mind raced. Could Ma'am Yolly be talking about Hector? The thought made my knees buckle, and I sank to the floor, dropping my phone.

Tita Cecile approached me. "What is happening to you, Ara? Why?"

I am unable to move. Am I going crazy again? Was Ma'am Yolly talking about Hector? Because that's what I understood. I noticed that Tita Cecile had picked up my phone.

She responded. "Hello, this is her godmother. She – "I came back to my senses.

I snatched my Android phone from Tita Cecile. "I will go there, Ma'am Yolly. Please wait for me," I swiftly answered.

I stood up and bid farewell to Tita Cecile. I hurried out of her unit without wasting any time.

***

Unfortunately, it was already eight in the evening when I reached the city hall compound, where the social welfare office was. Ma'am Yolly assured me she would wait for me there.

Sitting in my car, I tried to steady my racing thoughts. As Mommy Gloria had confirmed, Hector was supposed to be in the U.S. with his family. Leaning back, I closed my eyes, trying to steady my breath. I hoped Ma'am Yolly was mistaken.

Ma'am Yolly's call interrupted my thoughts. I unbuckled my seatbelt, took a deep breath, and headed to the only open office.

"I was shocked, Doc. Ara, because our shuttle almost hit him," Ma'am Yolly explained. My eyes widened, and I couldn't blink. It was indeed Hector. I could see him through a large window in a room. He was staring blankly into space. "Luckily, I recognized him. I tried talking to him, but his amnesia was evident."

My heart ached at the sight of him. His situation seemed even worse now.

"I will talk to him, Ma'am Yolly," I said. Ma'am Yolly nods her head.

I entered the room, memories of last month's hospital chaos flooding back. He had recognized me then, but now, his eyes were vacant.

"Hector... Hi." I piqued his interest.

He looked at me. "Who are you?" confusion etched on his face.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I felt like I was talking to a different person now. There was something different about the tone of his speech. I stare at his lifeless and vacant eyes. What happened to him? Why does it seem like his amnesia has worsened? Then, I felt Ma'am Yolly's presence approaching me.

"His amnesia had become much worse, ma'am," I said. Hector's piercing gaze made him look like a lost child. "He still had trouble remembering his past."

"Oh my! That's why he's like that now, poor dear."

How did this happen? I thought they had left the country. "Do you know Gloria Villanueva and Maya de Leon?" I asked again.

He stared at me, his tense brows deepening my concern.

"Ma'am Yolly, can I take him to the hospital now? Is it okay?"

"It's okay," Ma'am Yolly answered. "That's why I called you. You're treating him, right? Okay, doctor, bring him there."

"Thank you, and sorry for bothering you,"

"It's okay, Ara. And don't say that. You're not a bother. Please bring him back to his wife and son. They might be looking for him. We only saw him alone."

Ma'am Yolly's words echoed in my mind as I tried to piece together Hector's situation, even as we left her office.

Hector followed me quietly, moving like an innocent child again, his silence unsettling. My mind raced with questions about his mental state. Does he have a D.I.D. now? Hector looked unaware of his surroundings. Is he no longer in his right mind? Is he experiencing psychosis now? I settled him into the car and took the driver's seat, determined to find out what had happened to him.

"I'm hungry," Hector finally said, breaking the silence.

His awareness of his hunger gave me a slight sense of relief. I stopped at a fast-food drive-thru and handed him the meal, which he devoured quickly.

"Hector, do you know me?" I asked softly.

He glanced at me briefly, his eyes devoid of recognition, before resuming his meal with an urgency that spoke of days without food.

Why are you like this now, Hector? If only I could tell him. I ended up deciding not to bring him to the hospital. I want to be with him. I'll take him home to my unit.

***

"Who are you?" Hector kept asking me.

Hector sat on the sofa like a proper, prim statue. He talked to me his usual way, yet I couldn't decipher his thoughts.

"I'm your friend," I answered.

I noticed that the wound he sustained from his fight with Eric last month had already healed. I moved beside him and held his left hand. Hector seemed to have become numb, as he didn't even react.

At that moment, I succumbed to hiding my tears. I curled my arms around Hector's body, but I didn't hear him ask why I was crying. I was crying, but no one was comforting me like he used to. It felt like I was embracing an inanimate object.

Even though it hurts my heart, I should still be happy and thankful that Hector is with me again. Before, only his pictures and memories filled my home, but now he is here by my side, alive and well, even though I am just a stranger in his eyes.

I wiped away the tears, stood up, and went to the cabinet. I took a blanket and pillow.

"I'm itchy... Can I take a shower?" Hector said upon my return.

His words had given me optimism. He still has motor skills. He can move without much effort, so I could speculate that he had no "psychosis." I observed his movements again and accompanied him to the bathroom. He voluntarily took off his shirt upon entering.

I remembered the clothes my father left behind when they vacationed here. I will temporarily have him wear them. They were freshly laundered, so I searched for them in my closet.

When I returned to the bathroom, I was startled to find Hector standing motionless, naked, and tapping his head with his left wrist. My heart clenched at the sight. After hanging the clothes on the hook, I stepped in, determined to help him shower. His vulnerability in that moment starkly contrasted with the strong protector I once knew.

Tears streamed down my face as I bathed him before I realized it. There are moments when I can't help but hug his body tightly. Hector remained motionless in the shower as I scrubbed him, his muscular arms a painful reminder of how he used to protect me when I was wrapped in them. The overwhelming longing flooded back. I thought I had forgotten everything, but it all seemed to have returned, leaving me even more vulnerable.

After bathing Hector, I gently dried his body with a towel. He looked so helpless, still unable to care for himself. His exhaustion was evident in his eyes, and he quickly fell asleep on the sofa when I brought him back to the living room. I gazed at his face and caressed it, unable to believe that, after nearly seven years, I was touching him like this again.

Sleep eluded me, so I now sit on the floor, leaning against Hector as he sleeps on the sofa. I'm holding a tablet, constantly researching his condition and trying to develop a theory.

I want to have an answer to the many questions that are bothering me. I thought they were already in the U.S. How did he end up in Greenhills? Does Mommy Gloria know about this? She suddenly came to mind, so I quickly grabbed my Android phone from the low table because I still had her contact number. I was about to call her when it suddenly vibrated. It turns out Eric was calling me.

I stood up and went to the balcony. I answered Eric. "Hello."

"Baby, Tita told me you left early this morning. Why? Is there a problem?"

"Uh, nothing," I lied, my heart beating faster. "It's just related to my work."

Then, out of nowhere, Hector screams from the living room. "Don't leave us!" He seemed to have woken up abruptly.

I panicked and went towards him. I found him sitting on the sofa, crying uncontrollably.