Afterglow

Characters:
- Gab
- Miguel

Setting:
1. Sky fell into its dark shade as she lay her body in her bedspace. She checked her wall
clock, forcing her body to move and stand. She’s physically tired; it’s around 6:00 P.M
and she just got home from her late afternoon duty.

2. Who would’ve thought she would find herself running to their nearest city hospital at
11:00 P.M. Tears fell down reflecting her hopes for his survival. If she just knew, she
would’ve fought further and harder for them to work. The call was more like an impulsive
decision, she knows that they can still withstand that heart dreading misunderstanding.
Afterall, they’ve done it for years.

Conflict: Man vs Circumstance

Love is now a scary place. It was once a prosperous and chivalrous home of love they’ve built
throughout their five years of union. But just like any other normal people who possess flaws
which created chaos within the environment that they step in, they made mistakes. Mistakes
which introduced discomfort in their relationship, they became distant.

For Gab, she is tired. Nothing more, nothing else. It surely is tiring to chase happiness with the
man she chose to love. More to that, she has a career to pursue. She’s a “barely surviving”
medical practitioner, breadwinner of her family, and the woman of the hour. She’s a one call
away friend, sister, and daughter; you can barely see her refuse, as if she is fearless and her
weaknesses do not eat her soul. Her journey with Miguel was her only reason of staying. The
things they’ve experienced and learned together, the time they’ve spend is too meaningful to be
wasted. She’s not the type of person to run away from fate’s greatest challenge, but this one is
just too much to bare. She isn’t the world’s strongest soldier either, so she made a decision.

She stood up as she dialed Miguel’s number for the third time now. She’s getting impatient. She
has things to accomplish and she doesn’t have enough time to linger more in this relationship.
She never wanted to end their five years journey in just one call. But he doesn’t have the time
either, for her and their dying relationship. So, it’s better to end things like this than to further
proceed in this painful imprisonment.

“Miguel, come on, answer the phone now,” she sighed as she stared at the busy street. She
realized, people come and go, and he’s one of those people in her life.

After the fourth ring, her man’s voice she heard. He answered, “Gab, love, why did you call?”

“Hear me out.”

“What?”

“Please be serious for a second”, she almost begged.

“Okay, tell me and I’ll listen” she was almost convinced.

Silence and tension were heavy in the air.

"I'm exhausted, and I know you are too," she continued.

"No, let's talk in person. Just wait for me," he countered.

"I can't-" she began, her sentence cut off by the abrupt beep of the phone.

When the call ended, Gab stared into the distance, thinking when this cycle would finally break.
She didn't expect him to arrive. Experience had taught her better. Yet, a small part of her
yearned for his presence. Minutes turned to hours, but Miguel remained absent. Gab then
realized that she was only waiting for a knock on her door that will never seem to come.

With each passing moment, Gab's hope vanished and just accepted the fact that today isn’t the
day that would bring her closure. Perhaps another day would.

The evening has started and the glow of the television illuminated the room. Gab sat on the
sofa, seeking solace in the distraction of the shows. However, her attention was caught by a
report showing an accident not far from her home, the result of reckless speeding. The
wreckage displayed on the screen sent a shiver down her spine. The vehicle looked too familiar.
It was Miguel’s car, unmistakably so.

Cold dread washed over her as reality crashed in, followed by her vision spinning. She grabbed
her keys and raced to the nearest hospital.

"Miguel, please, hold on," she whispered to herself.

As soon as she arrived at the hospital, she felt her body tense, every step felt heavier than the
last. Despite the urge to run, she forced herself to maintain composure as she entered the
room. There she saw Miguel lay, fragile and vulnerable, and her heart shattered at the sight. In
that moment, she realized she never wanted to be apart from him, despite the challenges they
had faced over the years. Amidst her racing thoughts, one thing was clear. All she wanted was
to be by his side, a wish that had seemed unattainable.

Day and night, she remained by his bedside, not caring about the consequences of her
absences. Her responsibilities faded into insignificance as her only concern became Miguel’s
well-being.

"I'm so sorry, my love," she murmured, with weariness evident in her voice.

Although Miguel was in a state of deep unconsciousness, Gab talked to him every now and
then. She had also vowed to stay committed to him and that what they had gone through was
merely another obstacle they would conquer together.

She struggled to fight back the tears that were threatening to spill, but when her warm tears fell
on his eyes, they opened and he could see again. They were married a week later.