1 Chapter 1

   Walking down the street, you will find an old man sitting with his old guitar. He sings an old song I don't know about, but I think it's a love song. Every time I walk on this street to my house, I always see him and hear him repeatedly sing the same song. Some people gave him a penny or food thinking he was a beggar, but I'm a little different because I noticed that he doesn't even bother to get the money, so instead of giving him anything, I just stand not so far from him and not so near him just to listen. I closed my eyes and little by little I tried to understand his song, and I must say it's a wonderful song, so I listen to him every time I walk on my way home. Sometimes I want to talk to him, but I always restrain myself. Like usual, I listen to the old man, but it's a little different this time because he sat beside me. I didn't avoid him and just let him play his guitar. After he sang, he asked me

"Did you like it?"

"Yes",

"Do you want to know the story behind the song?"

"Yes",

"Ahahaha, I knew it; you're curious, yet you didn't speak to me."

"Yes",

"Alright kid",

The old man named Matthew told me that he once lived like me; I just found out that while I was observing him, he was also observing me. He also had a simple life without any worries until he met Cinthia, his classmate in high school. Cinthia became his neighbor; she will knock on his door to give food or treats and will talk a lot about the places she visited before, and Matthew will just sit and listen to her. This situation became routine until Matthew decided to invite Cinthia to go somewhere she likes because he had a day off and wanted to go somewhere just for Cinthia not to get bored with him, although they were just friends. Cinthia became happy because this time Matthew initiated inviting her, and she decided to go to a romantic place just to give a hint to Matthew. They went to different places every time Matthew had a day off, or he would just stay at home. Matthew realized that since he met Cinthia again, he started to feel different emotions, but he's not familiar with them; all he knew was that he was happy and excited to meet Cinthia.One time Cinthia didn't come to him, so he went out and knocked on Cinthia's house, but no one answered. He waited, but still no one came, so he went home. He stopped at the door because he noticed a letter at the window. He took it and went inside the house. He read the letter that came from Cinthia, saying that she wanted to talk to him about something important, but her mom came and had to go with her. Her mom took her phone, so she can only write a letter; she says that she doesn't know when she will come back. After reading the letter, Matthew didn't know what to do, and for the first time, he felt empty. He continued his usual life like when there was no Cinthia, but the emptiness inside him grew until 2 years had passed. In those years, he finally realized why he never forgot Cinthia, why he felt empty day by day and like years in every second, why he had never thought that he would fall in love, and the worst is that it was too late when he realized. Matthew keeps praying for Cinthia to come back and has promised that he will not miss the chance again. Then Cinthia really came back; she knocked on Matthew's house and was shocked at how it was opened immediately; what's more, Matthew hugged her tightly. Cinthia's eyes became full of tears because Matthew kept blurting out that he was sorry and that he loved her. Matthew cried for the first time to see the girl that he had been waiting for. Cinthia cherishes that moment and didn't let go of Matthew's hand because, even before she became friends with him, she already loved the guy, but her situation is quite special because of her family. That time, Matthew talked a lot while Cinthia listened with a smile. Matthew noticed her silence and asked her why. Christina didn't want to ruin their reunion, but she couldn't lie to him. Cinthia told him that she was already married; she cried while telling him the story that she was forced to marry the guy he doesn't know because of their family business; Matthew told her that if she doesn't like the guy she can just run away with him; but she shake her head slowly; Matthew was full of doubt; then Cinthia held his hand tightly and said that she was pregnant. She just came back because her husband had a meeting near his place. She said that she also had that plan of running away, but she was always surrounded by security except that day, and she knew she was being monitored. Matthew was speechless and cried for her. He hugged her and told her that he was willing to go through any hardship for her, but Cinthia still shook her head, saying that she had a child now and couldn't be reckless. After a while, someone knocked at the door. They both wiped their tears, and Matthew opened the door and saw an unfamiliar man. Cinthia recognized him, and she introduced him as her husband. The husband showed a gentle smile and offered a handshake, which Matthew accepted. The husband told Matthew that he could visit them at their place when he has time. Since then, Matthew and Christina always meet once a week or twice a week. Cinthia's husband doesn't care but always asks about the baby. When Cinthia gave birth, her husband was not around, but luckily Matthew came and immediately brought her to the hospital. Cinthia cried and always looked at Matthew until the baby came out. Cinthia felt something, so she held Matthew's hand. Matthew looked at her and lowered his head. He heard Cinthia say that she was happy because Matthew was by her side and that he was the only man she loved. Matthew panicked and called the doctor, but it was too late; she had stopped breathing. After a while, the husband came excitedly but realized that something was wrong. Matthew cried and couldn't speak, so he went to the doctor nervously and found out that his wife had died. He was shocked and remembered the baby. He hugged the baby and cried. He named the child after her mother. He comforted Matthew and let him hug the baby, and that's the first and last time Matthew saw the baby. Matthew didn't know what to do after that and thought to stay on the street and come back home to check if someone would come, but every time he came home, he would remember those times that he was happy with Cinthia.

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