An Angel' Story Contest: week three

The competition is getting more fierce, and again its getting more and more harder to choose for the best story. therefore for this week we selected 2 most touching stories.

1st story:
Name: NK
Gender: Female
Title: Angle
Story:

I stared at the slow rotating blades of the fan. The warm humid room was hardly a good place to struggle to keep awake after a 30 hour shift. Sneaking a glance at my watch; I see my duty at the clinic was drawing to the end, thank god. The nurse outside calls out a name, and I waited. I nearly nodded off but was awakened by the soft shuffling of footsteps and the sound of a woman’s voice talking to an old man that seemed to be her father.

As they sat down I couldn’t help but notice the face of the old man. One eye was barely open, and his mouth was twisted in a lopsided smile as we made eye contact.

They were plainly dressed, clean but withered old articles of clothing that had clearly seen better days. The woman was both pleasant and to the point. 5 minutes and several questions later, it was pretty clear the old man had had a stroke. He had to be admitted for observation lest his condition took a turn for the worse.

As the doctor drew up the necessary papers, I saw the old man turn to the daughter.

He put his hand on hers and gave it a squeeze. He whispers to her in her ear, something I cannot catch nor guess. They left together, the father leaning on the daughter’s arm, his feet still shuffling on the clinic floor.

Minutes later, the daughter comes in alone. Her head is low, her hands clutching the admission papers. They’re shaking uncontrollably. She patiently waits as the doctor finishes up with another patient, a man with a headache, nothing important. As the other leaves, she sits down quietly and takes his place.

Even before she says it, I know what she came back to say.

I cannot have him admitted, she says, there is no one that can be here with him.

I have three young children at home, I have to be there for them, she says.

He refuses to stay here alone, he wants to go home, she says.

The doctor seems almost callous as he looks her in the eye and steadily says without a trace of emotion, that it is entirely her choice.

“But if he dies, are you ready for that?”

The line shatters me, it breaks my heart. I scream inside my head withholding the urge to shake her and tell her to say NO, NO, NO.

But she nods her head and she says yes.

The doctor takes back the admission papers, writes a release form and hands it to her to sign. I watch as she takes that wretched piece of paper, almost a death warrant in its right, and she signs on the dotted line.

She hands back the paper to the doctor, and as he places his signature, she turns away and I watch her wipe the tears from her eyes.

Even though she doesn’t say it, I know what she means to say.

We cannot afford it, she says, there is barely money for essentials every month.

I have three hungry mouths at home, to clothe and feed, she says.

He refuses to let them suffer because of him, he wants to go home, she says.

I watch her leave. I smile and say thank you to the doctor for letting me observe his work. I make my way to that empty stairwell where I know nobody ever passes by. I sit down and weep, wondering why anybody should ever have to make that choice.

I stop when I realize it’s almost dusk, and I feel like I’ve aged years in a day.

I can only guess what happened to that old man, but I’m sure he passed on contented, set on his decision for his daughter and grandchildren. All he had left was his life, and he gave it away, because they could not afford it.

I do not know if he was a fiend, a thief, a cheater or a liar.

I do not know if he was a beggar, a roadside hawker or a cleaner.

I did not know the story of his life, but this part of it seems mine to share.

I do know that he was a loving father and grandfather, and to me, an angel in his own right.

Why look to the heavens for angels, when they walk among us?



2nd story:
Name: Hanna Afifa
Gender: female
Title: Till Death Do Us Part
from author:
This is my story. It had happened before, but only in my dreams. This was a dream I once had. Enjoy :)

Story:

Tom and Leah have been best friends since the first time they met 23 years ago. Today Tom is in India, furthering his studies in medicine. As for Leah, she has been staying in Malaysia teaching in a kindergarten. As kids, Leah had always had the heart for Tom, but she had never told him because he was always teasing her about how big she looked and how much she always ate. Little did she know that Tom always liked her just as she was.

Years passed, and neither of them confessed about their love for the each other. One fine afternoon at the university, news spread that Tom had died because of lung cancer. Nobody, except for his family knew about his disease until the day he passed away.

Leah was not told about Tom’s passing, and on the very particular day he died, Leah had decided to confess to Tom about her love for him in the past 23 years they’d known each other. She packed her bags and flew to India.

Above, Tom knew he had to return, and complete one of the most important goals of his life; confess his love with hope to be loved back. Looking alive like a normal living human being, the angels gave him 3 days to do what he had to do and Tom was sent back.

In India, Leah, with her highest confidence, went to Tom’s rented apartment. She knocked on his door and waited for at least half hour. Tom, only as light and not human opened his door lightly. Tears fell from his face when he saw the sweetest smile on the most beautiful face of the woman standing before him.

Leah opened her arms in expectance that he would hug her. Unfortunately Tom knew that he could not touch, nor feel. He avoided any contact with Leah as he did not want her to know that he was only virtual.

Leah and Tom spent the best two days of their lives spending every minute together. At the evening of the third day, Leah, sitting next to Tom said, ‘I have always loved you Tom, since the first day we met 23 years ago. You have stolen the key to my heart.’ Droplets of tears fell from her sea green eyes and fell onto Tom’s palm. Leah grabbed for his hands. To her shock, her hands went right through his! It was as if she was not touching anything. She gasped and her eyes grew large.

Speechless, Tom tried to open his mouth to speak. At that very second, a ray of light shone from the sky, indicating Tom to return to where he was supposed to be. It was time for Tom to leave. His body became light and he was beginning to disappear.

A drop of tear fell from Tom’s cheeks and onto Leah’s hand. She felt it. Tom whispered to her ears, “I died three days ago, dear friend. I’m sorry you had to find out like this, I wish I had told you about my cancer years ago. We could have at least spent more time together.” As he spoke, his voice became slower and his face began to fade. “ I never knew you ever loved me but I’m sorry now that I have to go. Now I have felt the feeling of being loved.” With all the strength and power he had left in him, Tom closed his eyes and gave Leah a light kiss on her lips. As surprised as she was, Leah could feel his dry lips pressing against hers. He moved back and looked her in the eyes and said, “ And now I also know the feeling of loving someone who loves you back. I love you, Leah.”

The End