Jaydee John Villegas Capuras

THE MAN OF GREAT MISFORTUNE

Day and night, all that he had been thinking was how to get out of the mine. He had been there for ten days , with no food, no water, only thin air that had even been too difficult to breathe. His cold, fragile body had started to desiccate. He had been on severe dehydration and starvation. How to get out of the mine had been the conundrum that he had been trying to solve. His name was Dirk, a man of great misfortune.

"Lord God. Please show me the way." the man pleaded for clemency from God.

Dirk, was a miner. He's 27 years old, 5 feet 10 inches tall, with a brown skin, and a nice physique. He's married to Angela, and they had a son named Paul.

"What have I got to do? I just can't think hard." he talked to himself, trying to think deeply of ways on how to get himself out of the dark mine.

10 days earlier, before he got stuck down the mine, he was just working normally with his colleagues. Everything was just doing fine. The weather outside was even perfect, clueless of how much havoc it could have wrecked later that day. And so, everyone were unprepared, of an onslaught that enveloped the unfortunate place.

"Man, you know what, my wife is pregnant." Dirk said, to his co-miner named John.

"Oh really? You are such a hardworking husband. Congratulations my friend!" John said to Dirk.

They chattered during their break time, at exactly 3 in the afternoon. They again worked after taking a breather. At about 5:45 in the afternoon, the moon started to reign, and the darkness started the devour the earth.

"Boys, it's time to go. We got to continue tomorrow. Let's call it a day." their boss commanded.

"All right, Sir. We'll pack our things at once." one of the miners responded.

There were at least sixteen assiduous miners working down the mine. The boys climbed up to the exit .  But one of the boys left something down the place, and it was Dirk. Although he was almost near the exit, he still went down to get the thing that he left.

"Sir, I need to go down. I left something really important." he asked permission from his boss.

"Are you sure? It's too dark down there. It's night time, Dirk. We can just get it tomorrow morning." the boss replied.

"Trust me, Sir. I'll be careful. I just need to get it tonight." he said.

"All right. Just be quick. We'll wait for you up here." his boss said.

Dirk went down the 30-foot excavation of the deep mine to get the thing that he said was very crucial. That was actually a deleterious task to go back. While he still was on his way down, he suddenly felt some bizarre movements. Small rocks and dusts started to fall down on his face as he looked back to the exit. The strange fine movements suddenly shifted into powerful shakes. Yes, a pernicious earthquake struck the area.

"Damn, there's an earthquake!" Dirk's boss screamed.

"Let's get to safety, at once!" one of the miners said.

"No, we have to save Dirk! He is down there!" Dirk's friend, John, said as he tried to go down the mine.

"Are you crazy? You could die down there!" his co-miner told John and he moved him towards a safer area.

6:30 PM, Sunday, December 13, was the exact period, when Dirk got stuck down the mine. Everyone was sad for they knew that Dirk could have died down there after the powerful earthquake. But they were helpless. They called for help for the situation was surely an exigent one. The rescuers responded at once.

"Uhm, good evening. May I speak with Miss Angela Fitzgerald?" Dirk's boss talked to his wife over the phone.

"Oh hi! This is Angela. May I know who's on the line please?" she replied.

"This is Mr. Roosevelt. Your husband's boss. I just want to tell you something important."  the boss said.

"Oh, I am not really sure with what that word important meant to you. Is this about Dirk's employment? Did he do something stupid?" she asked with alacrity, clueless of what could have happened to her husband.

"Angela, you're husband.. Uhm... got stuck under the mine. He could be dead." he sadly said.

"What?! I never heard the news! When did this happen?! And please, don't assume that he's dead for crying out loud!" the devastated wife yelled after she heard the egregious news. She still was vacillating whether to believe it or not. 

Dirk was working in Middle East, Asia. His family was in Milwaukee, Florida. So, his family was still uncertain of the catastrophic calamity that unfortunately got him involved. His pregnant wife Angela got enervated. Their son, Paul, who was still a toddler, was too young to understand what happened to his father.  Angela was in shock.  Angela cried all of the time, from the day she heard the bad news.

"I just don't know what to do Paul. You're father is still missing. All that we can do is to pray to God. I don't want to think that he's gone, forever." Angela talked to Paul in a very weak tone.

10 days had passed, and Dirk was still stuck down the mine. Rain or shine, the poor man had no choice, but to stay down there because he couldn't find his way out of the seemingly hell-esque place. A plethora of sadness, pain, and despair had been his company down the mine.

"Lord God. Please show me the way." those were the words that  the hapless man uttered from day 1, to day 10, of his hostile  detention.

He still was not losing hope, although he already had second thoughts of not surviving. But what surmounted over all of the things that played on his mind, was what he promised to his pregnant wife Angela, and to his son Paul, that he will be with them, during the Christmas eve. And so, he didn't quit. He opened his mind and tried to find for ways on how to exit the place.

"Think, think, and think, Dirk. You're a smart guy." he said it in a courageous manner.

But he failed again, he didn't find a way. Every corner of the place were filled with huge rocks. It was a dead end for him. He felt like he was still alive, but was already placed inside his own casket and got buried six feet under. He was in despair.

"Lord God, just take me. But please, take good care of Angela, Paul, and to my young angel." he said, but no more tears came out from his eyes because of too much dehydration.
He sat down the corner, he lay down on the rough ground, placed his arms under his head, and closed his eyes. He cried himself to sleep. When he woke up, he saw something glittering. A thing sparkled at one corner. He went there at once and tried to find out what it was. And there, he found a diamond ring. It was the ring that he promised he would give to his wife, after his wife lost her wedding ring.  And it was the thing, he said, he would get down prior to his misfortune down the mine.

"At last! There you are. But what could you do to me, if I can't even give you to the woman that I love." the languid man said.

The moment he grabbed the ring, a ray of light shone.  He tried to get the small rocks out of the way. And luckily, he saw the way out.

"Lord, thank you so much! This is more than a perfect day for me. Thank you for giving me another chance to live." the emotional man said when he finally was outside the mine. The zephyrs hit his face painted with a big smile; a smile of hope, and a smile of a lifetime.

December 24, 10:30 PM, Angela was just inside the living room, crying, while looking at their photos- their first date, the moment Paul was born, and their most recent photo, taken 6 months before Dirk left for his job in the Middle East, Asia.

"Dirk, oh Dirk. How could you even leave us?" she cried.

The table was ready. All of Dirk's favorite foods were still cooked by Angela. Although she was hopeless, she still prepared what Dirk said he'd love to eat for the Christmas eve. Paul was in his room, sleeping. Angela would wake him up at about 11:45 PM. 

Angela took a nap on their couch, and when she woke up, it was already 11:47 PM, so she went upstairs, at Paul's room, to wake him up.

"Paul? Baby? It's almost Christmas time." she sweetly said.

"Daddy... Daddy..." the toddler said.

"Paul, baby, I know you missed him. But he is still not here." her mom replied
.
"Daddy! Daddy!" Paul yelled and cried.

Angela hugged her son. She kissed him as she always does.

"I just wish that we're all together for Christmas." she said with full of emotions. 

A few seconds later, someone in a familiar tone spoke up and said,

"We're all together, Angela. I'm back." Dirk said, as he watched his wife, Angela, and his son, Paul, hugging inside Paul's small room.

Angela was shocked to see Dirk standing behind them. They passionately kissed as if there was no tomorrow. Paul, hugged his dad so tightly. The boy missed him so badly. The three celebrated the Christmas Eve merrily. It was a merry Christmas indeed for the jubilant Fitzgerald family. They considered Dirk's second chance of living as a boon. They now had a better relationship and a stronger bond as a family.

"Angela, I promised to give you another ring, right? Well, here it is." he talked to Angela as he held her soft hand and placed the ring on her finger.

"Thank you, Dirk. I love you so much. Merry Christmas. " she said.

"I love you more, Angela. And I always will. Merry Christmas." he replied.


* END*

Todos los derechos pertenecen a su autor. Ha sido publicado en e-Stories.org a solicitud de Jaydee John Villegas Capuras.
Publicado en e-Stories.org el 19.10.2011.

 
 

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