September Sun

'Why do the sun go on shining' came the melancholic voice of Skeeter Davis from Eva's phone as they were watching the sun slowing descending beneath the horizon like a tiny tennis ball. The lake sparkled like a thousand glittering golden chains and the sky painted with strokes of orange and red, smudged with light pink that contrasted with the purple-blue sky. Nature is, indeed, a very talented artist.

Nate glanced at Eva and suddenly realized, for the thousandth time, how immensely beautiful she was it suddenly made him blush like a little boy in love. She was deeply immersed in the song and taking a mental picture of that very moment, memorizing the scenery for she had begun losing her eyesight and the doctors have warned them of a slow but inevitable change in her iris.

Under that cool September weather, his memory flashed back to the first time he fell in love with her. The lake with its ever brimming water, the song birds hovering above it and the warm glowing setting sun were his witnesses. He fell in love over and over again like the tiny waves that keep coming and going back. If only time could stand still, and for once, not change with the ticking of the clock. If only the sun would stay there, right above the giant mountain forever. But, he is only a human and all his wishes and hopes will sink along with the sun.

Eva's accident six months ago affected her eyes, apart from minor injuries around her arms and legs. The brakes on her bike had malfunctioned and she was thrown over a rock that hit her inner cornea and iris. Her doctors advised her to undergo sugery as that seems to be her best option. But, the success rate happens to be just 30% and the rest 70% reminds her that she could end up blind for a lifetime. Her mother could not stop crying and cursed the bike company for the defect, her father had to go between calming his wife and being there for his only daughter. They were going to respect on whatever decision she had come to, and vowed to be there for her as much as needed and beyond. It was the most dilemmic moment of Eva's 23 years. After much contemplation and consideration, she agreed to the surgery to be scheduled after a month, with her Doctor's hesitating approval because she is at a greater risk with the passing of a each day. However, she wanted to remember the world and capture everything she loves and do all the things she could while she was still able. Who knows, the surgery might be a success or she could end up blind at such an early age, when she still desires to see and devour the beauty around her.

It was two years ago when Nate fell for the brown-eyed girl who used to sit next to him in Creative Writing class. Her eyes of a light golden brown were the first thing he noticed because it reminded him of a the sky right after the sun sets late in the evening. He loved Ishiguro and she loved Murakami. They both loved Jazz and Classic songs. But, most of all, what conviced fate to pull them closer is their undeniable love for sunsets. It became their moment, every sunset on the lake a few walks from the city. Their love story escalated from being classmates to friends and finally to being inseparable.

Eva always marvelled at the beauty of nature and often felt blessed to have been so priviledged to be in its presence. The tragic accident that followed instilled in her an unknown fear, the kind that leaves one stay awake till dawn. She'd put on her best mask of optimism for everyone around her, while silently painting their picture in her memory for when she would have to live without seeing their faces. The thought of never beholding Nate smiling while rephrasing a silly pun by a certain comedian, with his dimples and his ocean-blue eyes terrifies her. She had her hopes too, but she is just another human and is it wrong to imagine the worst no matter how utterly optimistic one claims to be?

That day on the 25th of September, with only five days remaining for her major eye operation, they had gone to their usual evening spot to watch the autumn sun passing by. Eva could no longer make out the tiny bird flying in the vast sky, nor could she see the edge of the mountain that divides the land and the sky.And her heart raced a thousand beats. She closed her eyes and tried to memorize the whole scene, as Nate watched her while grasping her fidgeting hands. He always has a way of calming her. How she wished she never forgets his face.

It's Decemeber 25th, three months after Eva's surgery. It was a success, at least for the first two months that followed. But an unseen complication following a cataract extraction appears on the third month, and by this time she has completely gone blind . She no longer wants to go out, or even step out of her room. She has sunk into a pit of desperation that shuts her out from all the poeple she loved, including Nate, or especially Nate. She knew this was bound to happen, but preparing gives her no assistance in coping with what life had thrown at her. She feels like a burden and eventually succumb to a life of seclusion. Only Time will heal what she cannot change. She needs time on her side.

Nate goes to the lake, this time alone. He no longer make it to sunset, for how could he ever enjoy the warm glow alone and with a shivering heart. Sunsets will alwsys remind him of her and their tiny moments together. The cold December wind beats against his face as he watches the reflection of the moon on the lake like a thousand silver floating towards the shore, as he listens to Skeeter Davis singing,

'why does the sea rush to shore?'

Carolyn Malsawmtluangi