My collection of poems

My collection of short stories

Materials for English Teachers

Some pictures of West Side Story

Loving Rain

There was always something about it. Ever since he was

young, he loved the rain. There were many times when

he'd be playing with his toys and would look out the

window, seeing the rainfall. Upon noticing, he'd pack

up all his toys, move them all to the front door, and

play there, with the window of the screen door open.

He loved the rain so much that every time he could,

he'd go in the garage and just watch or go for a walk.

It was something that he could never put into words,

despite him being the best at doing that for anything.

Attempt upon attempt, he never could...and neither

could his group of parents as they monitored him.

He had emotion, he loved toys, he played nicely with

other kids, he loved to hug, and he would sleep

soundly. Imagine that, a mis-match of genes with

emotion.

Admittedly I did not know him in my early years, but

we have been the closest of friends since, well,

forever as far as I'm concerned. At first I didn't

know, but when I did, it didn't matter. He was

him...and the best friend I could have ever hoped for.

Growing up was totally fine. I think I was the only

person outside of his 'family' who knew, but it never

meant anything to me. He is here and that's one thing

I am, to this day, still thankful for. Anyway, time

passes and people grow, including the both of us.

Nothing really 'big' happened until his later teen

years. We had gone through practically everything

together, friends for life. Over time, I didn't even

notice much. I knew where he had come from, but that

never seem to make any difference to him, and rightly

so. As he grew older, however, it started to hit him

harder and harder. He didn't know who 'he' was, or

what he meant, or anything with regards to being able

to identify himself as a human.

As his friend, I was torn because I couldn't help him,

I didn't know. There was no question he was human, I

guess it was just a matter of him accepting it,

considering how he came to be.

Aside from that, he did meet a very nice girl a long

time ago. They really grew on each other and, over

time, fell deeply in love together. Hmph, it was

almost like a storybook looking at them two. A very

cute and loving couple that were so meant to be.

Surprisingly enough, she took the news pretty well

when he told her. Granted, he spent hours wondering

what the look on her face meant. I'd see him lying in

bed just looking up at the ceiling for hours on end.

From what little he told me, the look made him really

question who he was and who he was meant to be.

I encouraged him not to completely right off his

emotions and reminded him that, above all, he was a

human-being. Accepting that, he asked, "Sure, but am I

really?" I knew what he was asking and his question

totally stunned me. In response, as the one person who

could say who knew him the most, I flat out said that

he was human and something to be greatly respected and

accepted just for that.

When we met on our way home from school one day,

shortly after he had met her for the first time after

telling her, he told me what happened. Yes, guys do

talk about this stuff, but they love to hide behind

the lie that they don't even more. I'll only say the

most relevant thing said by both, considering the

trust between him and I.

She looked at him in a new way, but the silence was

too much for him, so he spoke first and said, "If U

want to know something that's wrong with me, (brief

pause) I'm alive. But, seeing...you, that's all I want

to be." She cried as she hugged him, whispering the

following into his ear, "I love you." From everything

I know and have known about them, they became a lot

closer and I always figured their hearts were

inseparable after that.

I never knew this would have happened, but considering

how destroyed he became, I think it's worth

mentioning, though in the strictest confidence. They

were at her house one night, just over for supper with

her parents. It wasn't a first nor was it an unusual

event for them, but it's what happened later.

Her mom and dad, I don't know. However they managed

to, they did. Now they knew. Everything was, according

to him, 'going fine', until the parents spoke up. They

had been quiet and conversation had been steadily

focusing more on him. Pretty soon, the parents turned

more than vicious or cruel. They could not accept him

even being human, despite the fact he was alive. I

don't remember very much of what he told me of all

that was said. Come to think of it, he physically

could not find it in him to tell me much afterwards.

In fact, I was lucky to have been in the same room, to

be honest. More or less, her parents, for the large

part, condemned him for not being human.

In response, all that he told me he did was cover his

plate with his napkin and leave. He mentioned

something about them asking what covering his plate

like that meant, but he just said that he blurted out

something like, "Look it up in a culture handbook."

To be honest, I don't know how he managed to draw

breath, but he did. I knew he had it in him.

A week or two passed and then, one day, they met in a

crowded hall. She said she wanted to be with him, but

what her parents had said had removed everything he

had thought and any value about what it meant to be

him. He became bitter that way, and emotionally

self-destructive. All I remember him saying to me was

the last thing that was said, and it was by him. "I'm

return to the hell I was born to live." That left her

devastated, but nothing could have prepared anyone for

what followed.

I don't even like to picture it, although I guess I

should for the sake of saying. He ran outside and as

he paused and looked around, he immediately noticed

some kids about to run out onto a busy street. I'll

skip over what's hard for me to say, but the children

were all saved no thanks to...what he did. Thinking

about it now, I don't know which had more damage done

to it, the car that swerved or...him. Oh, the driver

made it too and was a very kind and sober woman.

He was almost unrecognizable and was pretty banged up.

Her parents and I heard the news and went to the

hospital as soon as we could. What I found odd was all

that her parents said, as I stood by the door to his

temporary room in emergency, waiting for the OR to get

setup. The parents came, asking for repentance and

forgiveness, for they could only then knew who he

really was. It was something I had learned a very long

time ago.

Sitting in the waiting room, not far from the

operating room, we all sat and waited. The look on her

parents' faces were quite somber and they were both

very quiet. I sat beside her as she sat there,

thinking. I could only guess what was running through

her mind, despite her being very quiet and seemingly

alone.

Standing up, I walked over to the nearest double

doors. I could see the heart beat monitor as they were

working on him. So much...damage. I looked back at

everyone on the chairs. Without any sound, she began

to cry. I watched a tear roll down her cheeks. Before

it fell, I sighed and turned back to the monitor, it

was flat-lined.

CRASH! I don't know why it seemed that loud to me, but

it did. Her tear hit the floor as the thunder would

your ears. At that instant, the very microsecond I

heard the tear hit the floor, the heart

monitor...'bleeped'. She began to cry harder and

harder, louder and louder. She loved him.

My head kept turning between her tears and the heart

monitor. They matched.

It was one of the most remarkable moments in my entire

life.

He always loved the rain...and his heart will always

beat with it.

Email; jati@apkasi.or.id
gumawang@paskal8.com
jgumawang2001@yahoo.com

Copyright@gianthoe2002