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March 27, 2007 was and will be a memorable day for
me, for my family and for my 23 year-old sister , Sharon Lyan Espeleta. It
was the day when she finally spread her wings and flew (with the blessing from our
parents, of course) to Dubai, well, maybe to find a new working experience for
herself as a stepping stone in the fulfillment of her dreams - to work abroad as
a pharmacist. Actually I didn't bother to ask her at first when she told
me about her plans about 2 months ago. Maybe, I just don't want to make her feel
that she doesn't have to work abroad for a living coz she's already well
compensated here as far as her job at the Riverside Medical Center is concerned.
A night before
my sister flew to Dubai, we had a small gathering. It was attended by our
closest relatives from Bacolod and Ma-ao. Actually, my sister intended to
have a small party so that she can spend a soulful night with each of our
closest relatives. We had a cozy dinner and a brief talk and was later on
followed by a "mini-concert" (which was made possible by our Magic-Sing).
It was one long night for all of us. We already slept at 2A.M. singing our
hearts out and helping her pack her things up.
On the day of
my sister's departure, everybody was a little bit quiet when I woke up.
When I went to the kitchen to help my parents prepare for breakfast, I could see
through their eyes a mixture of happiness and a little bit of anxiety that their
one-and-only daughter is finally up for a new challenge in her life which
is a thousand kilometers away from them. But, of course, they managed it well to
keep it only to themselves.
After a brief
breakfast, we packed our things up to catch the 10A.M. flight. My sister
already warned my parents not to go with her to the airport so my parents
decided to stay at home. Then, it was time to bid goodbye. My
parents gave a tight hug to my sister with the tears of joy. They promised
that they will always keep in touch with her other as soon as my she arrives to
Dubai. After which, we had an hour travel to the airport with my uncle, my
aunt and my little brother.
While on our
way to the airport, I had a couple of flashbacks. I had a chance to
reminisce the past 23 years that I have spent with my sister - from our
childish quarrels when we were still small; to the time when we were sent to
Iloilo for college and until the present, when we were again living in the same
apartment with my little brother. And then, I have come to realize that
our relationship as siblings were never perfect. We weren't that close as
other siblings do. But deep in our hearts, we know that we respect and
love each other the way our parents taught us when we were kids. We may
have not expressed it fully through words, but it was better shown through our
actions. In fact, the day before the departure, I gave her a simple
souvenir - a photo album which has our latest picture and a small photo that was
taken when we were toddlers. My sister said that she was touched by that
simple souvenir that I gave her and that she can't stop herself from crying.
And at last,
after an hour of travel, we finally got to the airport, and after a couple of
minutes of processing for their tickets and some stuff, it was already my time
to say goodbye to her. I gave my sister a very tight and long hug, the one
that I have not done before. My sister was crying on my shoulders when I
was about to explode in tears, too. But then, I only kept it to myself coz
I didn't want her to see me that way. I don't want her to know that
will feel sad that she won't be around in two
years because I want her to feel that I'm very happy that one-by-one, her dreams
are already coming true and that I'm very proud of her.
For sure,
we'll gonna miss her. But two years is quite short. After 24 months, when
she comes back, everything will get back to normal as well. We will still
have petty quarrels and she will still be the same moody Sharon that I have
known, but what the heck? She will still be the sweetest sister in the world.
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