1 Chapter
I felt heavy today, so I tried to listen to music. Then, there’s a song I played over and over that lifted my soul.
Suddenly, someone tapped my earphone, so I looked up to see who it was and saw a man standing right next to me. I took my earphone off.
"Yes?" I asked. His face was unfamiliar.
"What song were you playing just now?" he asked, with curiosity written on his face.
Did he just do that to ask what song I listened to? I gave the title of the song.
"Why did you ask?" I looked at him with a hint of confusion.
"Oh, noted. I just wanted to hear the song that made your head bumping in the air," he said with a smile.
He took a seat beside me on the bench, keeping a respectful distance.
"I have been watching you for a while. You seemed not in a good state earlier, but when I saw you putting your headphones in your ears and playing that song..." he suddenly paused and looked at me wearily.
"I–I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be a creep, I just happened to see you while sitting on the other bench. When I saw how you slowly lifted up since you were wearing those earphones, I wanted to feel that too. I had a bad day, and I wanted to feel lightened despite everything that happened to me," he explained.
I don’t know, but somehow I felt good towards him even though he’s a stranger.
He bid goodbye with a small wave. Since that day, I never saw him again.
---
That happened 5 years ago and still stays in my mind. Sometimes, I wonder how he is until I posted this little story on a social platform.
A week later, I got a notification that my post got likes and comments. When I opened it and read the comments, there was one that took my breath away for a second.
"Maybe, it’s you. The girl with the cute brown crochet hat, wearing a gray sweater and blue pants. If I’m right and not just a coincidence, it’s me, the guy. That’s been 5 years ago, huh? I’m doing good, by the way. I still listen to the song sometimes when I’m having a bad day. I didn’t get the chance to come back to the same place because that day I lost my house after losing my job in a toxic environment. I moved to another place the same day. After I heard the song, it struck my heart. I chose to live that day. I chose to live not just because the song lifted me and encouraged me to keep moving forward, but also because of the girl with the brown crochet hat. Now, I got another job that I’ve been working at for almost 5 years now and a good place to sleep. I also have a dog named Barky. I’m doing better than before, thanks to you. :)"
I let go of the phone and ran towards my bedroom. I immediately looked inside my drawer, and there it was. I took a picture of it.
"So, it’s you," I replied to his comment with a picture of the crochet hat I was holding.
It’s the brown crochet hat he talked about. And yes, I remember I was wearing that sweater and pants at that time because of the bruises I got from abuse that I wanted to hide.
---
2 years later...
I opened YouTube and the first that popped up was the music video of that song with a red line at the bottom that indicated it was already watched. I ended up listening to the song instead of searching for something. I got this hobby of reading the comments on the music video. It’s more about how this song helped them get through the day—it’s not just me and that guy. Then I saw a comment from 4 years ago.
"I had a little crush on this girl. She’s the reason why I went to the park every day but never approached her. Until one day, something unfortunate happened. I had a bad day, and the only good thing that day was her bright soul. That’s what gave me the reason to approach her and ask what she was listening to. And she said this song, and since that day, I’ve kept listening to this song. It helps me keep moving forward and this is the only way to have a connection to her despite us living in different cities. I’m aiming to be better, and damn, I will go back to see her and marry her."
There were many people who replied to his comment. I read them all until I saw that he even replied.
"Update: I found her :)"
That’s 2 years ago...
I kept scrolling and reading the replies.
"Update: I married her and we expect a baby boy 2 months from now."
That’s 7 months ago.
"Honey, did you see my phone?"
My attention was diverted to my husband who had just come inside after his gardening.
"Ah, yes. I have it with me. I saw it on the table and searched something on it."
I exited YouTube and gave his phone back. He took it, and his other hand slowly went to my 7-month bump.
"How are you feeling?" he asked in a soothing voice.
"Feeling good. I’ve got a good husband who keeps looking out for me and taking good care of me," I said while looking at him with affection.
He smiled.
"You’re my wife, of course," he said and kissed me on the lips.
I heard Barky wagging his tail as he barked.
I feel so much emotion right now. In the end, we ended up together.
---
