Learn To Love
Rinne5 min read·Just now--
Noera.
If asked where Noera, often called Noy, learned about love, she would give several answers. It depends on the type of love in question.
If it’s familial love, Noy learned it from her own family. From how her Mamoy and Papoy loved their family, TNF. From how her Papoy embraced his family and how they cared for her since childhood.
Friendship love, just like with family, Noy learned friendship from how her aunts and uncles interacted. From how Aunt Hiku and Aunt Ruby have always been together and supported each other until now, and from how her Mamoy befriended Aunt Iana, Aunt Echi, and Aunt Thea.
And… if it’s eternal love, Noy learned it from Papoyang, her grandfather.
Noy gazed at the middle-aged figure of her Papoyang, sitting cross-legged on the ground, in front of a grave that looked worn with age. Although still clean and well-maintained, age and weather showed how long the grave had existed. It also explains how long the person lying within has been gone from this world.
Noy watched his proud grandfather meticulously clean the grave, pulling out the growing weeds and scattering flowers. From his eyes, Noy could also see the sincerity and longing of his Papoyang for the person who had already left them when she was a child. A figure Noy still misses dearly, even though she only knew him briefly.
“Papoyang, aren’t there enough flowers?” Noy crouched next to her grandfather, holding out the bouquet of roses in her hands to him, who accepted them with a faint smile.
The lines of aging on his stern face didn’t diminish his handsomeness. The firmness of Papoyang, which Noy had always admired, could still be seen in his face and eyes. But only every time she visited this place could Noy see a different sparkle in his eyes. A spark of longing, love, and sincerity.
Her Papoyang placed Noy’s bouquet of flowers next to the gravestone and smiled slightly.
“Hello, Caine.” His voice was soft. His fingers gently brushed the gravestone in front of him, wiping off dust.
Noy looked at the gravestone and smiled too. “Hello, Mimoyang.”
‘Caine Chana’
Her Mimoyang.
Her Papoyang’s friend, partner, lover, and family. Who, from the beginning, had always stood beside Papoyang, leading this family.
“Today marks the 15th anniversary of your death. It’s hard to believe,” Papoyang said bitterly. “Your granddaughter is already this big, Caine.”
“Hehe… Hello, Mimoyang. I’m sorry it’s been so many years since I’ve been able to visit you. I just graduated from college, Mimoyang! Soon I’ll be a doctor just like Mimoyang.”
“Look, your granddaughter is so talkative, Caine. I don’t know who she got it from,” Papoyang joked, making Noy frown.
“Ish, Papoyang!”
“Hahaha…”
Noy looked back at the grave of her grandfather, her mind racing through the memories of his grandfather during his lifetime.
Not many, because his grandfather died when Noy was 7 years old. She barely had a moment with him, but she always remembered that figure, always smiling and pampering her. The image of her grandfather in his EMS uniform, healing patients, telling stories, and playing with her, with his smile and soft, soothing voice. Noy remembered him in his EMS uniform, running to save patients even when he was playing with her at the carnaval, with his red hair gleaming in the sunset, looking so admirable that Noy finally resolved to follow in her grandfather’s footsteps and become a doctor.
Even though her grandfather eventually succumbed to his illness and died, his image remained within Noy.
Noy sat next to her grandfather, listening to him share news with her Mimoyang. Something Papoyang had always done for a long time. Whenever, wherever, and however he met Mimoyang, he would tell him about his day. And this continued even though it had long since Mimoyang passed away. Smile never left Noy’s lips. She always amazed because her grandfather was consistent. He wasn’t shy about showing his feelings to his loved ones.
So, when people ask where Noy learned to love, aside from her mamoy and papoy, she learns it from her Papoyang.
She knows best how Papoyang never forgets Mimoyang. He may be gone, but his memory remains. Every birthday, every anniversary, every family celebration, the family would visit his grave as a mandatory part of their daily routine. Bringing him everywhere, even if only in the form of a photo, as if he wants him to know that even though they’re separated by the world, this family still exists thanks to him and loved him dearly.
“Caine, you know, taking care of this family, plus the Continental, is sometimes hard. But I always remember that if it were you, you would never shirk your responsibilities, not even a little bit,” said Papoyang. “Now, I feel like it’s time to let go of that responsibility. Since the children are all grown up, they understand what to do now and how to replace us both… so I can rest easy.” A soft smile graced his lips.
“I can focus on my life, while I wait for the time I can see you again…”
Noy looked at her Papoyang sadly. “Papoyang, don’t say that…”
His warm, gentle hand stroked his granddaughter’s head. “You’re all grown up now. Papoyang is also old, and sooner or later I’ll die.”
“But I hope Papoyang can stay with me… until I get married, until I have children.”
He laughed. “Please pray for Papoyang.”
Noy always looked up to her grandfather, learning everything from him. She knew her grandfather, and yes, Papoyang still living just fine until now. But Noy knew that since Mimoyang’s passing, her Papoyang had been the one most eagerly awaiting the day he could see him again. He had only living so far because he had a responsibility to care for this family. To manage the family and the business he and Mimoyang had built together, ensuring its continuity. Back when Mimoyang was still around, Papoyang could fight anything. After Mimoyang gone, Papoyang sometimes seemed like someone simply going through the motions of life.
That longing, the love she always saw in Papoyang’s eyes whenever he talked about Mimoyang, made Noy understand that his grandfather loved him deeply.
But Noy didn’t want to let go of Papoyang so soon.
So, in her heart, Noy always prayed, telling Mimoyang to wait a little bit longer.
