The night was unusually cold and foggy. This was the night the tough battle with cancer ended. When
Tasha took her last breath, Carlos stared at the electrocardiogram as her heartbeat plummeted to a
straight line.
At that moment, it dawned on Carlos that his beloved woman had left him again. Sadly, this time she
was leaving forever.
Sara was sitting next to the bed, but she was fast asleep. For five minutes, Carlos stared speechlessly.
Then, he pressed the notification button and this woke Sara up.
Awake, she was shocked beyond words. She stared blankly until the doctor on duty ran into the ward.
"I'm sorry for your loss. Please take heart." After examining Tasha, the doctor patted Carlos on his
shoulder and walked out of the ward.
At the hospital, life and death was a normal thing. On a daily basis, doctors saw people come and go.
Perhaps the doctors actually meant it when they sympathized with the family members of deceased
patients. However, in the end those words didn't change anything.
Of course, Sara already knew that her mum was gone. But she just continued to gaze at her lifeless
body.
Suddenly, she stood up and touched her mother's face. Regrettably, when her mother was still alive,
Sara had never touched her face. She never did because of various reasons. Sara knew that if she
didn't do it now, she would never get another chance.
Meanwhile, Carlos remained silent and he didn't shed a tear. Surprisingly, as he looked at Tasha who
appeared to be sleeping peacefully, he didn't feel as gloomy as before.
At that moment, it was as if a burden was eased from his heart. Previously, Carlos thought about when
she would pass away and his heart was heavy. But now, he no longer had to worry.
The worst had already happened. Standing there, Carlos felt his heartbeat decline like the straight line
on Tasha's ECG. The death of a loved one is probably the saddest thing in the world. There's nothing
that could be compared to grief.
As the night progressed, Carlos still didn't touch Tasha's corpse. He just sat on the edge of the bed and
remained mute.
Sara informed Jacob of the sad news. Immediately he heard, Jacob made his way to the hospital. The
biggest advantage of having a partner is to have someone to lean on during difficult times.
"Dad, I know this is sad. But, everything will be fine. Don't take things too hard on yourself," Sara said
as she looked at her father in worry. Since the moment her mum died, he hadn't said a single word.
Finally, Carlos said, "Tasha, remember that I'll marry you in the next life. Sara will still be your daughter.
You didn't do anything wrong. Really, Tasha." Carlos stared affectionately at Tasha's face. He wanted to
remember the way she looked forever.
He yearned to take the living Tasha back home. But, this was an impossible desire. Carlos sighed
heavily. Just then, Jacob dashed into the ward. "Dad, how's Mom doing?"
"Well. Jacob, your mother-in-law just passed away peacefully. At last, she is free from all the pains of
the disease," Carlos replied helplessly.
Immediately, Sara sighted Jacob and she threw herself into his arms. Although, she didn't cry, she held
onto him for a long time.
"Darling, I'm here. Everything is going to be fine. Don't worry. I'm here for you." Affectionately, Jacob
looked at the fragile woman in his arms. With a heavy heart, he patted Sara's back.
Then he turned to face Carlos and said, "I'm so sorry, dad. I am sure Tasha wouldn't want to see you
sad."
After Jacob consoled Carlos, he glanced at Tasha's corpse. She had no sign of pain on her face. It was
as if she was just sleeping peacefully. Tasha's death seemed unreal to Jacob until he saw the straight
line on the ECG.
After she had embraced Jacob for a while, Sara lifted her head. Her eyes were already red and she
looked very pitiful under the light.
Carlos remained mute. He stayed with Tasha throughout the night and then went home the next
morning. For a long time, he hadn't rested because he reasoned that sleep wasn't as important as
being by Tasha's sick bed.
He could always rest in the future, but his heart would forever remain broken.
Even when Tasha was still alive, she was just like a distant dream to him. During the time that they
were separated and Carlos couldn't see or touch her, he knew that she was living somewhere in the
world.
Unfortunately now, Tasha was gone from this world forever. She died filled with regrets. And he was left
with just endless emptiness.
Nevertheless, Carlos didn't blame her. At least, her death wasn't so painful when he thought about it.
Although, the happenings of the past were painful. Time would heal the pain in the future.
A simple and brief funeral was held in honor of Tasha. Only a few people were invited. Actually, Carlos
didn't inform a lot of people about the funeral. This was because he was afraid that they would gossip
about Tasha, not minding that she's no more.
Nonetheless, only a few people knew him and Tasha. So, there was no need to announce it to the
whole world.
When he went to select a spot for Tasha's grave, Carlos chose two spots in the suburbs. The other
grave spot was for him. He wanted to be buried beside Tasha after he died.
During their lifetime, they couldn't be together for many reasons. Because of this, Carlos wanted to be
by Tasha's side when he died.
Indeed, there were still people like Carlos in the world whose love was pure. And when people like him
fell in love, they loved for real. After all, many people declared that they were in love. But, how many of
them really meant it from their hearts?
After the funeral, Carlos stayed by Tasha's graveside for a long time.
Sara and Jacob watched Carlos from a distance as he sat down and crossed his legs. They decided
not to interrupt the painful farewell. Although, none of them wanted to say goodbye, everyone had their
fair share of happiness and sorrow. And perfect merriment was quite scarce. All these were part of life.
The moment Sara saw her father sitting in front of the tombstone, she suddenly felt that the image she
had of him in her heart had grown taller. Not only did he seem taller, Sara felt that he was glowing as
he sat there silently.
Leaning on Jacob's shoulder, Sara chose to remain silent. After all, silence sometimes speaks louder
than words.
At that moment, the silence and companionship made Sara feel at ease. Then, hot tears streamed
down from the corners of her eyes. Lovingly, Jacob reached out and wiped the tears off Sara's face.
"I won't tell you not to cry, but I want you to know this. No matter where you are and why you are
sorrowful, I would always be by your side. I'll protect you and wipe your tears,"
Jacob consoled Sara in a soft voice, but this wasn't to stop her from crying. Truly, shedding tears helps
a person to get over sadness.
And Jacob understood this better than Sara. Usually, he cried whenever he was sad.
As Carlos sat in front of the tombstone, he gazed at Tasha's photo.
"Tasha, sometimes I think that people want way too many things in their lives. I used to think that I
could handle many things at the same time. At that time, I thought you could understand me. But later I
realized. I couldn't even figure it out myself. How could I expect others to understand?"
Picking up the bottle next to him, Carlos poured some liquor in a small glass and gulped it down. He
had thought about this mistake for about ten years.
The last decade had passed quickly. Sadly, all those times were irreversible. There was no turning
back.
Fortunately for Carlos, he had figured out the happenings during the past ten years.
"Our daughter, Sara is now a grown woman. I know you always wished that she remarried. But, you felt
too guilty to speak your mind. You were afraid that Sara would dislike you. Don't worry. I will make sure
your wish is fulfilled. When Sara and Jacob remarry, I'll surely come to visit you. And then, I'll make a
toast in your honor."
Carlos' face was expressionless as he spoke. He couldn't fathom how those who were grieving could
still manage to smile. Indeed, those people were very brave. Anyways, Carlos couldn't do that. Since
he couldn't smile, he decided not to cry either.
He reasoned that Tasha wouldn't want to see him shed tears. Even while they were still together, he
had never cried in her presence. And he was so sure that she wouldn't want him to do so now.
"You know what? There are some people who knew each other from the very beginning. But in the end,
they chose to become strangers. I won't be that kind of person. I vowed that no matter what you did, I
would always forgive you. Nevertheless, I am such a coward. I didn't have the courage to tell you that I
loved you."
Carlos sniffed and felt uneasy at that moment. The discomfort he was currently feeling was real and
pure.
Normally, Carlos felt that life was real whenever he was in pains. And when he was happy, he felt that
life was dreamlike. At that instance, he admitted this point.
62fb1bb41dcb31934bd49bda