DARK SUMMER
(a true story that happened 2 months ago)

It was past midnight, I was in the ICU, watching over my father who was in coma since yesterday morning when we came here. I was beside him, in a darker area, gripping a book to cast the time. Suddenly, he opened his eyes and saw me reading. He moved. He wants to say something to me, but he can hardly speak. I can't decipher what he was saying. Then he spoke, and it was clear, the words I will never ever forget.

Summer times are barren days waiting for you to fill it in. You may fill it in with amusement that you cannot carry out on school days, such as going on vacation to the beach, playing or surfing in the computer all day, watch movies or even sleep the whole day. Oh summer, you are such lovely days, you could do anything you want and whenever you want. Summer, when boredom is your worst enemy. But last summer, boredom was not my enemy. It was worse than an enemy. It was one of the time I most feared.

Days before that time, my days were so typical, when I suppose to fill those with what enjoys me the most, like reading a book, surfing the internet, studying for a college entrance exam and sleeping. But my sleeping isn't so typical, I am up all night and sleeping almost the whole day. Since me and my family sleeps in a one big room, I lay awake until they're all asleep. Read, study, internet, that would keep me up until 4 to 5 AM in the morning. My father would wake up and scolds me, "Hoy! Tug na! Di na na mao imong gibuhat oy! Madaut na imong mata!"/"Hoy! Matulog ka na! Hindi na tama yang ginagawa mo ha! Lalabo yang mata mo.” And I would finally sleep and wakes up at late noon.

The next night, I would still do my routine, until I reach another peak time when my father would reprimand me. It was about 4 in the midnight and I wasn't still sleeping and I would watch my father if he wakes up so that I wouldn't be scolded again. I was so busy with what I was doing when he noticed that I wasn't still sleeping yet, "Hoy! Nabuang naka? Na mura naman kag mangawk! Di na man ka matug! Unsaon na man lang na nimo inag klase? Wa na ma lay tug-tug!"/"Hoy! Nababaliw ka na ba? Para ka nang multo! Di ka natutulog! Panu na yan kapag pasukan na?" He yells at me until my mother and siblings would be awaken from the noise.

Then another night, it was already 4 am and I was still awake. I was cautious if my would wake up because he would shout at me again for sure. Suddenly, he got up. I thought he would throw words at me again. But he didn't, and I wonder why. He only said that it's so cold, even if I think it's not. Later that morning, he had a very high fever and we immediately brought him to the hospital. When he reached there, he was in critical condition and was in coma.

It was past midnight, I was in the ICU, watching over my father who was in coma since yesterday morning when we came here. I was beside him, gripping a book to cast the time. Suddenly, he opened his eyes and saw me reading. He moved. He wants to say something to me, but he can hardly speak. I can't decipher what he was saying. Then he spoke, and it was clear, the words I will never ever forget. "Adto pagbasa sa landag,"/"Dun ka sa maliwanag magbasa" Then, I went to the more illuminated area and read, my anxiety faded away and was confident enough that my father would be okay.

Until the morning came, I slept less, the doctor frankly told my mother that my father is already so weak and the machine is the only thing that works for his heart. An hour later, the doctor went out from the ICU, and he told us that my father has just died. Seeing and hearing your mother cry is like a hundred knife stabbed directly in your heart.
"Adto pagbasa sa landag"/"Dun ka sa maliwanag magbasa." Those were the last words of him. Even if he's already struggling to fight for his life, love and care still come out from his mouth. And I know for sure, he is the best father I ever know.

There is one song I will really love forever, "93 Million Miles" by Jason Mraz. One of it's lyric: ["Oh my irrefutable father, he told me, "Son in your life it may seem dark, but the abscence of the light is a necessary part."]This line strikes me really hard. Tell me how it contradicts my father's last words. Maybe my father wants me to go into the light, because he knows that I will be in the dark so soon.

My father's death may have left a huge and painful hole in my heart. But that doesn't mean that I would forget that there is God, and that I have hope and I still have my dreams. Life goes on. I will make my papa proud.