The Mango Branch

SWEET MEMORIES

The train clicked through the soft, misting drizzle, rushing toward a city of ghosts of memories. I was traveling back to a childhood love left untouched by adulthood. I wasn't even sure if I would ever see him again. I was just coming back to the only place that still felt like us, where every heavy raindrop reminded me of how long we'd been apart.

This garden was filled with the echoes of him running ahead of me, teasing me by snatching the treats his mother had brought for us. Those were the days. I walked over to the mango tree and climbed onto a familiar branch. The tree had grown up, just like us. Being here, surrounded by my most precious childhood space, finally allowed me to relax.

THE AWAITED CONFESSION

The sound of approaching footsteps caught my attention. For the first time in all these years, a familiar sensation washed over me, making it feel as though he was finally coming back to me. When I turned around, I was shocked to see the investor standing there. Why is he here? Without saying a word, he climbed up the branches and sat right beside me. I couldn't understand why my heart was racing so fast in his presence.

She looked absolutely beautiful in her gown, sitting on the branch at dusk. Her glowing face made me lose my words for a moment.

I asked him what he was doing there, trying to assure him that I wouldn't back out of our business deal and would return on the day of the contract signing. Instead of answering, he gently placed his finger over my lips to silence me.

Shhh...

I am not here for that mere contract. I am here only for you. I want to tell you a story, so just listen...

An earthquake once left a young boy orphaned. His greedy aunt sold him to a talent management company that profited off gifted children. His aunt basically sold him to an art company that took almost everything he made and locked the rest in a savings account he couldn't touch. He was trapped in a golden cage, counting down the days until he was free.

Years later, the boy set out to find his childhood love. When he finally tracked her down, he misinterpreted a situation and mistakenly believed she was dating someone else. Heartbroken, he scrambled to find a business excuse just to stay near her. Soon after, the girl's mother revealed the heartbreaking truth: the girl had been waiting for him the entire time, carrying immense pain beneath her surface.

Armed with this knowledge, the boy rushed to confront her, determined to confess his love and ask her to spend the rest of her life with him.

"Stunned, " I looked at him and asked, "Who are you?"

"I'm Celio."

I threw my arms around him and began to weep. Moved by the raw emotion of the moment and the release of all these years of hidden pain, Celio couldn't stop his own tears from rolling down. I tried to console him, wiping away his tears and whispering for him not to cry, even though my own heart was aching.

Holding her after ten years of being completely alone... it felt like I finally had a family again. I couldn't stop the tears even if I tried.

Below us, the manicured garden paths blurred into a misty green haze as a steady downpour began. Seeing the storm pick up, I led him inside the house.

Our hair was completely soaked. Since my bedroom was the only part of the old house that was clean and had working lights, I told him to go change in there... I fetched a bathrobe and a towel for him. When I walked back in, he was half naked and in the middle of changing. Feeling shy, I quickly averted my eyes. Once he covered himself, I tried to hand him the clothing while hiding my gaze, but my eyes caught his arm. It was bleeding he must have scraped it against the rough tree branches when we rushed inside.

I rushed to his side, telling him not to touch the wound. I insisted he take a warm bath first, after which I would apply the medicine. He grew a little shy under my sudden gaze, quickly adjusting his clothes before taking the bathrobe and towel from my hands and heading into the bathroom.

It brought a quiet, happy smile to my face to see how deeply she still worried about me. After finishing my bath, I stepped out into the room.

"Remove your bathrobe," she said firmly.

I blinked, teasingly rephrasing her words in my mind. She quickly clarified, "I need to apply the medicine. Show me the wound."

I carefully applied the antiseptic, scolding him gently. I told him he should have revealed his true identity to me much earlier, and then he wouldn't have ended up getting hurt.

"I was just terrified that you might not want to live your life with me anymore," Celio replied softly. "That's why I stayed aloof."

I intentionally pressed the medicine a bit harder against the wound to make a point. "Aloof? Forcing us to stay aloof all these years wasn't enough for you? You had to add another week of deception on top of it?"

"I am so sorry," he murmured, looking directly into my eyes.

"But from this moment on, I will never let you be alone again. Will you let me stay by your side forever?"

A heavy, beautiful silence settled between us. Breaking the tension, I quietly said, "Come down to the hall for dinner in a few minutes."

She had prepared a warm dinner and was waiting for me, looking deeply lost in thought.

I served him his food and finally spoke my mind. "I have waited for you all these years. Having you sitting right beside me feels like a dream. Knowing that you wanted me just as much this entire time makes it feel completely unbelievable. Even if this is a dream, I want to live it with you. When we return to the city tomorrow, I will officially introduce you to my parents."

(Even though the long years of waiting and the pain are still heavy on my mind, knowing that he was entirely alone all this time makes me want to move forward and build a life with him even more.)

"I agree," Celio said with a smile. "We will take the earliest train back tomorrow morning."

I nodded in affirmation. Suddenly, the doorbell rang.

It was Uncle John, my paternal uncle. I had called him to meet me here, as he always manages the property for me whenever I visit. My aunt, however, strongly dislikes our family. She has never forgiven my father for the car accident years ago, which she blames entirely on his driving mistake. If my father had turned the car just two minutes faster that day, my cousin's left hand wouldn't have been severely injured. My cousin's hand was messed up so badly he could never really use it again. But Uncle John never held a grudge. He knew it wasn't my dad's fault, it was his own wife who had recklessly let a kid get behind the wheel.

Fortunately, Uncle John didn't blame my father. He knew the truth, it was his own wife who had recklessly allowed their young child to operate a vehicle alone at such an early age.

When Uncle John walked in and saw me with a handsome, well-built guy who was standing there panicking in a bathrobe and towel, he openly asked if Celio was my fiancé. I quickly held my uncle's hand, explaining the entire situation to him. He smiled and agreed to let Celio stay at his house down the road, since my bedroom was the only livable space left in our old home. He handed me some breakfast supplies for the morning and reminded me to visit my aunt to clear the air before we departed tomorrow.