Lying in state is the body of Mark’s Math teacher, Mr. Garcia, in his home. Mark, along with his friends, visited the place to see him even though they can’t converse with him anymore.

They look at his lifeless body in the casket, they… just stare. They don’t say anything for a while, they have nothing to say. Here he lies, a man with a lot of knowledge but decides it is worthless and throws it away. Not looking to improve and start over but to end it all, once and for all.

“Sir Garcia is really smart, I admired him. It’s sad to see him like this,” says Ruth

“Yeah. It’s sad,” says Justin.

Mark sighs and says, “This is a mess. Look at his family.”

They look at an old woman in the corner crying and see her lying on the ground with someone consoling her.

“Why does sir have to end it like this? Doesn’t he know that it’s gonna affect his family?” says Cesar

Mark looks at him and says, “I don’t know why but it has a ripple effect on his family as we can see. Maybe it’s very hard for him to find a job or something, or he thinks he’s worthless. He may have thought that it’s not gonna affect his family, but the story’s different.”

Mark finds a seat while the others follow suit. Sitting down they just stare at the casket, no one dares to speak while the old woman wails at the corner.

Cesar looks at the old woman for a while, and Samantha notices him with this and says, “Who is she?”

Cesar sighs and says, “I don’t know, but it doesn’t hurt to find out.”

Cesar gets up and Samantha follows with him. Cesar approaches the old woman crying, stoops down, and says, “I’m sorry for your loss.”

The old woman says, “Why does this have to happen? He’s a smart boy, he’s a kind boy.” And she continues to wail.

“Yes, he’s very smart ma’am. I’m sorry that this has to happen to him,” Samantha says as she puts her hand on the old woman’s shoulder. Cesar smiles at Samantha and looks back at the woman.

“Who is he to you, ma’am?”

The old woman looks at him and says, “Your teacher is my nephew. Her mother is my sister, and she didn’t survive while giving birth to him. He’s an only child. His father didn’t accept the baby when the mother died; instead left the baby to me so that he could start over again with a new family. I didn’t marry, I only had my nephew with me. I loved him so much. I worked at an eatery where I also brought him over so that I could take care of him. I considered him my son as I raised him to adulthood. When the time was right, I told him the truth that he was not my son and that he was the son of my sister. I told him that his mother died while giving birth to him, and his father left him to me after her death. I can’t forget him hugging me that time saying to me that no matter what, I’m still his mom and that he loves me. Even though I’m not his mother by blood, I’m his mother by heart.” The old woman wails again dreadfully. “Why Gerald!? Why!? Why did you act in haste!?”

Samantha puts her hand on Cesar and says, “We’ll let you grieve, ma’am. We’re sorry again for your loss.”

Cesar gets up and the both of them return to their seats.

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With Ruth beside Samantha, she says to her, “What did you talk about over there, bes? And who is she to sir Garcia?”

Samantha tells her about the conversation they had with the old woman. Mark and Justin hear all this and their countenance is downcast. After she has finished explaining it to her, silence again prevails.

Mark notices this, ‘Why is it silent? This is strange.’

He looks at the old woman only to see her staring at the casket, silent. Her face is filled with sorrow with her back hunched, he can only see hopelessness in his eyes. He glances at Justin beside him and then to the casket.

“Is this how we end, Justin? In the end, we are just lying down in a casket. But we are just delaying it to happen as if we will prevent it.”

Justin sighs and says, “Sometimes life is funny. We are given life so that we can die in the end. I don’t really know why this is the case but we just have to accept it, it’s better this way.”

“I think I have the idea but it’s hard to grasp it.”

“Spit it out, I wanna hear it.”

Mark sighs and says, “I think we die because of our ancestors.”

“What did the cavemen have to do with us dying?” Justin chuckles. “Everything’s just the same as in the past, it’s survival of the fittest.”

“I don’t think we were evolved but that’s a subject for future discussion. But I’m not talking about the cavemen, Justin.”

“Oh, hehe. Let me guess, Adam and Eve.”

“Yes, that’s what I mean.”

“You know, Mark, I’m amazed at what you have. It’s as if I want it because nothing could go wrong with your faith.”

Mark chuckles, “I don’t think nothing can go wrong in my life just because of my faith in Christ.” He smiles at Justin. “But it’s just that I have peace through the storm because I have Christ. Problems are normal, even death, in this world; but in the midst of all that, Christ lives in me and I will live with him forever.”

“I think I want that Mark, I want what you have. That faith of yours is attractive to me. Being a Catholic doesn’t really give me any purpose but with what you have, it’s like you have the answers to everything.”

Mark chuckles again, “Again I’m not God that I know the answers to everything, but that I have the Holy Spirit to give me the answers that I seek. I don’t know much of Catholicism since I didn’t experience that life that you have but follow the path of the Spirit and he will guide you where you should go.”

“I don’t know where to go, Mark. I don’t know what I should do.”

“You know a disciple of Jesus asked him where he’s going because Jesus tells them that where he goes no one could follow, but that they will meet him later. And Jesus tells him that he is the way. So don’t follow everything else but Jesus. Pray to him only and worship him only, in spirit and truth.”

“I get the idea now, Mark. All my life, I prayed and worshipped the saints and the statues. They are just statues, Mark, that’s it. They’re nothing more than a statue who can’t speak and cannot do anything without human assistance. Mark, being in the Catholic Church is for me a dead religion. There’s emptiness in it, I can’t explain it but it’s a dead religion.”

“Would you like to accept Jesus as your only Lord and Savior?”

“Yes, Mark”

“Let’s bow our heads and follow my lead in prayer”

The both of them bow their heads with Mark closing his eyes while Justin just opens them.

Mark starts with, “Lord Jesus, I trust you as my savior. By trusting in you, I am saved. Forgive me of my sins and cleanse me with your blood. Give me the Holy Spirit, Lord, and show me all the truth and what Jesus has said. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

And Justin follows suit with the prayer and ends with, “Amen.”

After the prayer, Mark looks up to see Justin with tears on his face.

“Thank you, Mark.”

“All glory to God, I’m just an instrument.”

“Thank you, Jesus. Can I join your church, Mark?”

“Of course, you’re welcome in our church. And remember, Justin, that being a Christian doesn’t mean everything will be fine. But you will have an umbrella when it rains.”

After a while, they eventually greet the old woman goodbye as they leave. At the threshold of the door, they meet Ms. Berido, looking sullen.

“Ms. Berido. We extend our condolences to you, ma’am.” Cesar says, who is at the front of the group.

“Thank you, Cesar,” Ms. Berido says. “Thank you for paying homage to Mr. Garcia. I’m just going to pay respects to him also. Anyways, go on your way. I don’t mean to hinder your leave.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” says Cesar. “Let’s go guys.”

The five-man company leaves the house with nobody speaking a word. But they hear, at a distance, a terrible wail. A wail so terrible that it could bring the dead to life, but… not in this life.