10/06/2024
๐๐๐ ๐๐ช๐ฃ๐จ๐๐ฉ ๐ค๐ ๐๐๐ก๐๐ข๐ฉ๐๐ฃ
(๐ ๐ด๐ต๐ฐ๐ณ๐บ ๐ฃ๐บ ๐๐ข๐ณ๐ฌ ๐๐ข๐ฏ๐ข, ๐ง๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฎ ๐ฉ๐ช๐ด ๐ฃ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฌ, ๐๐ถ๐ฏ ๐๐ฐ๐ธ๐ข๐ณ๐ฅ๐ด ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐ช๐ณ๐ฆ)
The waves on this beach can erase touristsโ painful memories. There are occasions when tourists would complain about not being able to remember something from their past after spending some time alone while watching the sunset and the gently crashing waves. However, it was a good thing for many because not only that it erased painful memories, but it also helped them forget what it feels like. I first discovered this place when one of my friends invited me here to celebrate his birthday.
The sand is pure white and powdery, and the water is usually calm and crystal clear. During the sunset, the surface of the water turns into gold like a huge concave lens mirroring the sky. Itโs a breathtaking view like no one else in the world. The coconut trees glorify this very hour by just playing with the gentle breeze, a perfect moment for anyone who would love to stride along the seashore and feel the golden luminance of the surroundings.
It was also at this very hour when I happened to meet the wave that was responsible for erasing the memories of the tourists. I was sitting on the sand and quietly watching the deep sky with scattered pinkish clouds. Just a meter away, was a crashing wave gently hugging the shore. I was drinking a can of beer and just as I took it from my lips, I heard a voice nearby.
โYou have plenty of that? Mind if you offer me a drink?โ The wave asked and as my Adamโs apple bobbed up and down, my brain stopped functioning for a couple of seconds. It was an actual wave, with no form, just a mere wave tossing back and forth, speaking like an ordinary person.I stretched my arms and offered a can of beer, but I just heard him laugh.
โToo bad, I donโt have a belly for that,โ the wave said.
โHow do you do that?โ I asked with confusion.
โWhat? Are you confused that you hear me speak?โ the wave asked.
โNo. Iโm rather confused at how you could speak again after being tossed by the wind and crashed in the sand over and over,โ I answered.
The wave laughed again which made me feel that I was the one being strange between the two of us.
โSo, what is it that you want to forget?โ the wave asked in a serious voice.
I looked at the horizon followed by the breathing in and breathing out that seemed to get heavier every time I do it.I remember the day I left home fifteen years agoโan unforgettable moment that marked a huge hole inside my heart. I was truly devastated by the loss of my father, followed by the loss of a friendship that I have nurtured since childhood. Everything was taken away from me at the age of sixteen. The depth of my despair was indescribable and the only thing I knew was to leave that place to forget everything. I could no longer find the sense of belonging, every face was becoming unfamiliar, and the more I stayed there, the more I could no longer feel my existence. In Manila, college kept me busy or maybe it was the other way around. I have learned to move on but to forget everything was never possible. After all these years, I could still feel and remember everything.
โSo, what is it that you want to forget?โ
I did not answer the question, but I smiled back at him and said that Iโd rather choose to remember everything. The wave went silent and did not respond, I think it was just waiting for me to continue.
โThere were days when it was just too hard to move. I didnโt have any motivation to aspire for bigger things because I had nothing left. Whatโs there to fight for anymore? Isnโt it just easy to vanish as well?โ
The wave made a sound that is hardly audible, just a mere popping of bubbles washed out in the sand.
โIโve been too used to this kind of pain. And it feels like itโs part of who I am.โ
I stopped and waited for the wave to respond but I heard nothing.
โI believe that everything that I went through in life has an explanation. The reason for that is because I need to wrestle with my own self, to fight my own demons, and to overcome it so that I can also share my story,โ I continued.
The wave responded at last.
โYou know, you are the first person that has ever rejected my offer. And this is exactly the moment Iโve been waiting for,โ the wave said in a gentle and hopeful voice.
โWhat do you mean by waiting for this moment?โ I asked.
โYou just made me believe in humanity again. I thought people were already hopeless and thereโs no way they can acknowledge the power that they possess to transcend these painful memories into a story that they can share to the world. You proved me wrong,โ the wave said.
The energy in its voice slightly diminished. The popping of bubbles every time it crashed in the sand was just getting more and more satisfying.
โI want to live my life by accepting who I am and everything that made me who I am today. I want to remember everything until the end. Thereโs nothing more important in this lifetime than to just be free, loving, compassionate, and understanding. This is my goal.โ
I waited for the wave to respond again but this time around, I heard nothing, just a mere crashing of the waves gently crashing in the sand. The breeze started to get colder, and it was at the moment I noticed that the temperature had slowly dropped. The fog haze was gradually forming, and the sea has become calmer. The surface of the water mirrored the sunsetโs pinkish glow, and I could imagine myself as a perfect silhouette from behind.
โIโm glad I chose to remember everything.โ
