Waking up from a long a deep sleep. I stretched my whole body and yawning just like a cat. And oh, I feel hurt in my head. I look at the wall clock, ohh it's already 10 o'clock in the morning. I force myself to think about what happened last night. I stand up and take a short walk within my room. Going to the kitchen and there scattered a lot of plastic wrappers and a bottle of alcohol, how messy is this! And my stomach is humbling just like when someone beat the tumble so I hurriedly looking for something to eat. I am hungry and I am thirst. I want to drink that is very cold water or soft drinks. But ouch, I forget I don't have a refrigerator. So I go outside and buy ice cube and something to eat I buy noodles.

Going home I remember that my long-lost friend visited me yesterday and we started to drink at exactly 1:oo in the afternoon. " Wow it's too long we've been drinking. And that is why my head is aching hahaha.

So after taking my lunch and I take a bath to refresh again, for I need to report at my work. I send already to my workmate that I am going to work late. So I rushed going to my work. There will be a lot of workload waiting for me. At last, I'm here at my workplace, just recollecting first the moment that we had yesterday with my best friend(before).

His name is Jake, and we are very close before since we are neighbors and at our young age we had a lot of memories. The day after the recognition day (we were in second-year high school) he rushes to enter our house and he said to me that we meet maybe for how many years from now. So I ask him, why? But he didn't answer me and go back to where he coming from. Their house is closed and I don't have any clue of what had happened. My mother asks me, what had happened to Jake, and I only answer her - I don't know Ma.

I didn't see Jake from that time and I don't have any news from him. Their house is close and no one there. No one knows where their whole family going. And I even ask also to our classmates and friends, I am hoping that they know where is Jake and his family. But I am sad because they don't know too, and besides they ask me back coz we were too close just like were twin. As what our teacher called us. I am lonely and I don't want to be close to others.

Enrollment comes, and still, I don't have any news about Jake. I even ask our latter adviser if Jake got his report card already. And the teacher told me, that yes. Before recognition day. And I ask my own self why is it Jake doesn't even mention it if he already knew that they had to go somewhere. I felt like I am betrayed at that time. I told to myself if I see him again, I don't want to talk to him. I don't want to be his friends anymore." I will have to look for another friend and I will forget him forever." That was my word.

If you are at a young age, you sometimes don't even know what it means.

SO I tried to move on and forget Jake, but sometimes I had a smile on my face when I remember our past laughter and memories. But with the help of my family and older sister, I had some new friends at school. I know how to mingle with the other students at school. I now participate in any curriculum at our school. My mother is happy because now I know how to dance, I am not that same kid that is so timid before.

Fast forward, I finish my studies in high school. And I am working as a construction worker to sustain my studies in college. Even my mother can't afford my tuition, I look for any option just to finish my course. And thanks, I am accepted to be a helper to a foreman. At first, I don't know what to do, I thought being a helper with a foreman is good for a foreman is the high position at a construction. But I am wrong, I have no difference with the laborer. But it's okay I lift and carry based on my capability. I finish my contract for only six months and I don't apply there again. It's really hard being a laborer, but I salute them all. We mostly exposed to the sun and a lot of dust and sometimes you've been wounded if you don't have to take good care of all your moves. There will be a lot of debris and sharp other things that can cause you to death.

And I apply to other sector jobs, and I been into groceries working student. I work in the daytime and before five o'clock I am preparing for my school. It's just I enjoy my work and I know how to handle customers too. And because of that, my employer adds a little bit more to my salary. And because my employer is good and has a generous heart also, I stayed there till I finish college.

Let's fast forward the story, I graduated my college life and got my diploma. My employer at that time, allow me to resign from my position. In order for me to apply for another decent job. So now, I am here being an executive assistant at a big company.

But wait, where is Jake now? Is he going to....Where? I don't have any contact number for him, since yesterday I ask but he always said that later, I will give you. I am into despair again, so I put all my paper works again on my table and I ask my team leader that I have an emergency.

I don't know if my team leader answers me when I immediately open the door and rush home again. I look into something, hoping there will be any documents or something that Jake can give me a clue this time. I look at all those messy things in my room and there will be no clues. What the happening this Jake will be? What and why is he doing this to me?

I go out to the neighbors' door and knock. And ask them if by any chance they saw someone going out for my house. But I got a negative answer, they don't see and they don't even recognize someone even if yesterday. I feel frustrated. My head is still aching because of that alcohol and I have still hungover till now. I called my mother. Because I am now alone in my house, I am far from my hometown. I am now in the city.

And, I come to my senses, why and how we meet again Jake? How did we meet yesterday? How did he know my address, is he ask my mother? Did my mother know also my address? In which I don't give them yet my exact address because it's my first month here in my new house. And I don't have time yet for these past few weeks, busy with our new company's project. How come we meet Jake yesterday? And why there is a lot of Alcohol at my place? No, I am not dreaming... I need to call my mama. Who knows that I mention my address to her in which I forgot to think of when.

I dial the number of my mama. And mama is very happy just to hear my voice. He asks me If I am okay. I almost forgot to ask her my purpose why I called her. I ask her if she still remembers Jake.

My mother replied, " Jake the son of our neighbor, that most called you and Jake are twins? ". Yes, ma I said.

"Yes, of course. Do you have any idea where are they now? " Did he send you a friend request on Facebook?" My mother asks me another question.

My mother too doesn't have any idea where they are now. I feel numb at that time, I am frightened and started to stand my hair strands in my skin. Where are you Jake, and why are you visiting my place? And I started to cry. Why of all those times, you are not showing me? But what might really happen to you, Jake? These are my questions that remained in my mind. I wanted to shout, but what the purpose of being dumb? I don't fool myself, maybe it's all a dream and I drank with no one last night. No one here aside from me, Jake is only a dream. I put that in my mind.

A few minutes later, my eyes catches something, I found my tablet at my table. Maybe I forgot to put this in my bag. So I open it, to my surprise I see Jake on my tablet screen. And I stared at it, and it's just like he still there. I scold him. Why are you doing this to me? I forget you totally, but why you appeared to me just like a dream? I don't want a joke and I don't want a horror. If you are a ghost, just live me alone. I am now happy with a lot of friends. Go away from me!

I cried a lot. And I continue talking to myself. " You don't even tell me where you going at that time and now you showed me, and again you flew away not even saying goodbye to me? I am like a crazy one, talking to myself. And crying.

I feel hurt again that time. And I can't bear this. Maybe I will be turned into a real crazy if I will not open this to my family. I trust my family so they are the only one who must know about this crazy thing. I packed a little thing so that I can catch up with the Bus going to our province. I don't need to ask permission from our office if I will absent. I am going crazy now. So thank God, before leaving my place someone called me, oh it's my boss. He asks me for the file I made last week, and he offered me another vacation leave for a month because we'veve done already our project and we got our target.

My mama surprise at my arrival. She doesn't expect me at that time to come home. My mama discovers that I am pale. " What is happening to you? Are you sick? Mother asks. " No ma", I replied.

"Okay, why you don't even tell me that you're going home when you called me this morning."

"Ma, I don't know."

"Do you have a problem, my son? " "Just tell me, maybe I can you out of that".

I started to cry and told her everything. My mama feels confused about what he heard base on my story. I show her the picture, so that she may have sympathy for me and comfort me. My mother did not speak.

"He not even change his looks! Are you sure, that this is Jake? This is the young age, Jake! How sure are you?" She asks me.

Mama opens up another conversation, why don't you try to search for him on the internet? Before mama asks me that question, my older sister arrives.

"Oh, handsome bro you're here. Oh by the way..., your twin!"

"What? I interrupted her with that question. DO you have any idea where he is now ate? (Ate is my callsign to my older sister) Where is he now?" I ask her three consecutive questions.

" Oh poor boy, I have a source that Jake was looking at you. Oh sorry younger brother, Jake was already dead. He is now at the morgue, oh where are you working? I think it's in the city where you at."

"Are you kidding me?' Where you got that fake news ha?

"I am serious younger bro, her sister adds me on Facebook this morning. And he sends me this, she asks help with me to process the papers. Their family lives in Alaska for that time they leave. His mother remarried one of the citizens there. And they had a hard life there. That's why they don't even send us a message or just add to some social media. Jake knows that you hate him. And he pursues his studies to show you one day when he can come back here and personally ask forgiveness with you. But after landed the plane at NAIA the bus he riding on got an accident. An he is the only one who got injured. Upon arriving at the hospital, he got complicated with his heart problem. And don't even recover from that accident. " I'm sorry brother for this happened to your long-lost friend. "she continued.

While listening to her, my tears fast running away from my eyes.

And that was the sad story. Jake even shows his friend how happy he is when he sees his long-lost friend. That is the real friendship, he even visits him even if he is already dead for the last time.

__________________The end________________________

This is a fiction story only. Hope you like it. Thumbs up if you like, thanks for reading. Picture from Unsplash.