nothing at all?
One afternoon, I finally did it.
I threw myself on the floor of the living room—
motionless, silent.
And I waited for Lina to come in.
THE REACTION I NEVER EXPECTED When he
opened the door,
he took off his slippers as usual,
sweeping in silence.
But when he saw me lying there…
The broom fell from his hands.
He ran to me.
He dropped to his knees.
And before I could even react,
her tears fell on my cheek.
I couldn’t stand it.
The tears were real.
The fear was real.
His trembling voice was real.
Lina:
“Sir… sir… please not now…
Please don’t leave me… please…”
She sobbed like a frightened child.
He didn’t call me “Mr. Reyes” as always—
just “Lord,”
full of pain, fear, and supplication.
And maybe…
that must have been the moment when I told him the truth.
But I didn’t.
I wanted to see what I would do next.
THE TRUTH THAT SHOOK ME TO THE BONE
He called an ambulance—
with his hands shaking.
Running back and forth around the house,
not knowing where to get strength from.
He held my hand.
And he spoke softly.
Lina:
“If I knew, sir…
How kind you’ve always been to me, even when I couldn’t tell.
If I knew how much…
I value it.”
And then—
My heart began to pound.
Not because of pain…
but because of it.
I couldn’t take it anymore.
I didn’t want to see her break because of my lie.
So, slowly,
I opened my eyes.
THE IMPACT THAT LEFT HER SILENT
Me: “L-Lina…?”
Lina (backing up, stumbling): “S-Lord? Is he alive?! He’s alive!”
She ran away—
embarrassed, trembling, with a red face,
as if she was going to faint.
Me: “Lina! Wait!”
I caught up with her in the kitchen.
She was leaning on the refrigerator,
holding her chest, panting.
Me: “I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have done this.”
Lina: “Lord… why did you deceive me?”
Me: “I wanted to know if you were… real.”
Lina: “I’m real, sir.
I’m human.
It hurts. It scared me.
And yes… I have feelings.”
I looked at her.
Me: “What… feelings?”
Lina (closing her eyes, turning around):
“The feeling that… I don’t want to lose it.”
And at that moment,
Leave a Comment