LOVE ALWAYS WINS

CHAPTER 2: Start of Better Things

That evening when Tyron’s roommates arrived at their dormitory room at around 10 PM, they just saw him lying on his stomach unconscious on the floor with the breakup letter near his left hand and a cutter near his right hand. They all panicked. They did not know what to do at first and so they immediately notified the houseparent. The male houseparent, upon arriving at the dormitory room, checked possible blood dripping. There was none. Afterwards, Tyron’s pulse was checked. He got pulse but it was irregular. The house parent turned Tyron’s body and checked for his breathing. He had shallow breathing.

The houseparent immediately barked orders to Tyron’s roommates, “Call the UPVHS hotline right away. Call his guardian as well.”

The ambulance of UPVHS immediately arrived at the dormitory and so Tyron was immediately attended by the responders while being transported to the UPVHS. His blood pressure was also slightly lower than the normal. His lips were dry. His skin was pale. His hands and feet were cold.

As Tyron arrived at the UPVHS, Dr. Kristof Murillo, who was immediately called in, ordered blood testing and did all the standard physical examination. He was immediately hooked in IV fluid.

In more or less an hour, Tyron’s worried foster parents arrived at UPVHS. Dr. Kristof Murillo talked to the parents.

Tatay Edwin asked, “What happened to ur son, Doc? Did he attempted suicide?”

The doctor answered, “Contrary to his roommates’ speculations, your son did not commit suicide. We did not find any sign of sl*sh wounds or possible poisoning. His blood test results already came out and the diagnosis revealed that he is suffering from iron-deficiency anemia. His roommates also told us that he seemed to have no appetite in eating and seemed anxious lately. Can you tell me the family medical history?”

Nanay Kara answered, “He is not our biological son, Doc. He was almost seven years old when he was taken in by the social welfare services in Piasco. He was the only living survivor of the Leshba M*ssacre fifteen years ago. He sustained a grazed gunshot wound on his forehead and two not so deep gunshot wounds on each side of his upper abdominal area. He had all the vaccinations as a child based on the health records that had been collected. I was his social worker back then and my husband here was the one who found him at the crime scene. During his stay at the group home and with us as his legal guardians, we had seen to it that he was healthy. But as he started college, he insisted to be a working student. He usually works on night shift as a bellboy in Palais Isabelle.”

The doctor responded, “Well, his regular physical and dental examinations here with us were all normal. But our psychiatrist will also have to do a psych evaluation. A cutter was found near his hand when his roommates found him unconscious by the floor.”

When Tyron gained consciousness after sometime, the doctor checked on him again and asked few questions at the presence of his foster parents.

The doctor asked, “Have you had any proper meal this day? Please tell us the truth so we can fully help you out.”

Tyron said, “I just had some water and soda crackers in the morning. I don’t have the appetite and so I did not bother to eat.”

The doctor then inquired, “Why is there a cutter by your hand when your roommates found you? Did you attempt on ending your life?”

Tyron admitted it, “Yes, I was thinking of ending my life. But I guess the dizziness I felt had prevented me from doing so.”

Nanay Kara immediately hid her face on her husband’s chest and quietly cried.

Tyron also saw the agony in his foster father’s face. He immediately apologized to his guardians, with tears about to fall from his eyes, “I’m very sorry, ‘Tay, ‘Nay. For a while, I forget my promise to both of you.”

Tatay Edwin diplomatically stated, “You should be more apologetic to your parents in heaven, Ty. Have you already forgotten that they tried to cover up for you during that unfortunate incident? Yes, it was exactly fifteen years ago when I found you covered by both of the bloody dead bodies of your parents. They tried very hard to protect you and keep you alive. You even forgot that today is their death anniversary because of that girlfriend of yours. Your Nanay Kara and I tried very hard to give you a normal childhood after that. We thought you are doing well but now you are even diagnosed of iron-deficiency anemia. You seemed to be not eating properly. Have you even been sleeping regularly? You have to clean your act well and stay healthy or else I would not allow you to stay here in Vienburg anymore.”

The doctor seconded, “Your father is right, Tyron. Life is precious. You should be grateful that you have loving second parents as well as concerned friends around you. My wife left me for another man, but have I thought of ending my life. No, because in life, we might face several blows. It is not always a bed of roses. Things we like just don’t fall into place all the time. Besides, you are still very young. You will still meet other ladies more worthy of your affection.”

Tyron then questioned the doctor, “Have you found another love, Doc?”

The doctor answered, “I never attempted to find another love because I have a very lovely and smart daughter to raise. She and my career are more than enough to keep me going in life. She actually came here with me tonight as I was called in to attend to you because she does like the idea of being left alone in our house at night time. Life might be harsh at times but life is also full of beauty. Every situation in our lives are just temporary. It might be happy or sad. It might also be good or bad. So just remember that sad and bad times do not last forever. So learn how to cherish your life, your health, your family and your friends. Money cannot buy them and they are the true definition of your life’s wealth.”

When Dr. Kristof Murillo was already able to finish his on-call tasks at the clinic, he and his fifteen-year old daughter had already went back home.

His daughter asked him, “What happened to that patient of yours, Paps?”

He answered his daughter, “He passed out due to iron-deficiency anemia, sunshine.”

His daughter asked another question, “Will he just be fine?”

He responded, “With medication and healthy living then he will just be fine, sunshine.”

His daughter then said, “Yes, healthy living is a must. But you might not have patients anymore if people all live healthy.”

Kristof Murillo could not help but laugh, and then he told her daughter, “Well, I can still treat those patients who are hurt in some calamities and accidents. There are also some diseases that are in born so I can help diagnosing them so that other specialist doctors can treat them.”

Meanwhile, back at the clinic, Tyron’s foster parents had talked to them seriously. He would be discharged from the clinic once he passed the psych evaluation in the morning.

Nanay Kara said, “You should already resigned from your job at Palais Isabelle and just come home with us. You are making me so worried.”

Tyron assured his foster mother, “I will live by my promise to keep on living, ‘Nay. I had just momentarily lost my focus. Dr. Murillo is right. I have a lot of things to be grateful in life,” and then changed the topic, “Anyway, I also received a modelling offer from a modeling agent uncle of one of the sculpture students I knew who also graduated this year. Whichever comes first between the modeling jobs or the publishing of my novels, then I will resign from my job at Palais Isabelle. I already paid the apartment unit for three months from my savings, so I cannot stay at Lano City. Don’t worry anymore. I already had my wake up call. I would never ever think of ending my life ever again no matter how hard life might be. I would also visit home more and you can also visit me anytime at my new residence.”

Tatay Edwin spoke, “Yes, I will definitely check on you regularly so expect daily phone calls from us.”

Nanay Kara told him, “So go back to sleep now. Rest more. We will send you off to your apartment unit tomorrow.”

Tatay Edwin then recalled, “Anyway, have you already informed the hotel that you won’t be coming for work tonight?”

Tyron told his foster father, “It is my night off from work.”

The following morning after Tyron passed his psych evaluation, his guardians had already send him off to his new residence in Vienburg. It was just two train stops away from the location of Palais Isabelle. It was just a studio unit but it was clean. The neighborhood was definitely far from the elite life of his ex-girlfriend but it was clean and safe. It was also a few blocks away from the city public market, city public library, and some not so big department stores, supermarkets, convenience stores and other business establishments. The apartment unit was not furnished, but it has a functional kitchen with upper and lower cabinetry. It also has a separate shower room and toilet room. It even has a small balcony with concrete parapet at the back.

After putting his luggage at the unit, the three of them went to the nearest supermarket aboard his foster parents’ 7-seater multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) which they got from a vehicle loan when Tyron was in junior high school. His parents purchased for him a butane stove, a foldable table with four foldable chairs, a foam sofa bed, linens, a small rice cooker, a 1.8 cu. ft. personal refrigerator, a 5-piece cookware set (a frying pan, big pot with lid, and small pot with lid), a 3-piece cooking tool set (flat turner, ladle, tongs), a kitchen knife with chopping board, a dining ware set (four plates, four cups and saucer, four bowls), four spoons, four forks, and four drinking glass. Tyron insisted to pay but his foster parents told him to just consider them as his graduation presents. They also shopped for food supplies and other grocery items, which Tyron paid for. Included were 5 kg rice, 10-liter purified drinking water, 2 kg chicken cuts, 1 kg chicken liver, 1 kg ground pork, 1 kg pork liver, 12-piece free range egg pack, 5-piece probiotic drink pack, carrots, potatoes, cabbage, chayote, tomatoes, onions, garlic, salt, black pepper, soy sauce, vinegar, cooking oil, instant coffee packs, hygiene products, dishwashing products, and cleaning products & materials. He did not purchase any laundry appliance and other laundry products because he just intend to have his clothes and other linens (except for his socks and underwear) washed in a laundry shop near his residence.

Then they had lunch by the food court. After sending Tyron back to his apartment unit, his parents already returned to Lano City. He arranged all the stuffs that they purchased. He even put the curtains, that Nanay Kara purchase, on the available curtain rods by all the windows. He also assembled the metal garment rack that he used to use in the dormitory and unpack his luggage with his clothes, laptop handbag and lace up black leather shoes, sneakers,

Afterwards, he phoned Cenon Lim, who was actually an owner of a modeling agency. He agreed to participate on the modelling training along with the other model trainees that were scouted starting the following Monday. It would be a five-day 1 AM to 9 PM training for four consecutive weeks, so he did not file for resignation at Palais Isabelle yet. He also phoned Abner Ramos and expressed his interest to be represented by his agency in pitching his unpublished work to editors, negotiating book deals, and liaising between him and the publisher. He just agreed on the standard 15 percent commission contract for his trilogy novels.

Just two weeks into Tyron’s modelling training, he was immediately booked for a fashion editorial modelling gig for a fashion magazine. The agency then immediately offered him a 15 percent commission contract for his every modelling gig. He then decided to file for resignation at Palais Isabelle.

His thinking was – If I did not make it big in the modelling world, I still have a fall back in substitute driving just so I can pay for my house rent, bills, and living expenses. Modelling gigs are not regular anyway, so I will still have time to write during my vacant time.

And as his modelling training came to an end, more modelling gigs came including runway shows, catalogues and advertising campaigns, undergarment and swimwear print ads, glamor photo shoots. Tyron agreed on all of them provided that his work schedule would just be at most 8 hours a day and he would have the weekends for rest day. He told his agent that he just recently recovered from iron-deficiency anemia and that his parents would not allow him to stay in Vienburg City anymore if he neglected his health again. The agent naturally agreed on the conditions he set forth because he also wanted a healthy model. He was also advised to do gym training but he felt that his routine morning workout (20 push-ups, 20 sit-ups, 20 squats, 20 lunges, 40 punches, 60-s elbow plank, and 1-km run/walk) was enough

As the month of July 2012 came to an end, Tyron was already able to buy a brand new laptop, external hard drive, and a printer from all the income he got from his numerous modeling gigs for the past month. He also subscribed for an internet service. He got three bonus smartphones from a smartphone company who hired him for an active lifestyle theme smartphone commercial ad and so he did not have to buy a smartphone anymore. He gave the two other smartphones to his foster parents.

There had been also been a good news about the publication of his trilogy dystopian fiction novels. A new publishing company felt very positive about the success of his trilogy dystopian fiction novels and so they agreed on the publication of all the three novels. His literary agent had made a very lucrative deal for him considering that he was already gaining popularity as a model

Tyron would maintain the copyright of his trilogy novels, receive 60 percent (including 15 percent commission of his literary agent) on the retail price of a single book for the first two years of the book printing, and have 12 percent royalties on the succeeding printings. The publishing company would just be given at most 10 years of sole printing rights and distribution for every book. Further printing and distribution would be negotiated. His literary agent also advised him to enroll at UF – Vienburg’s Master of Arts in Creative Writing degree program.

He informed both his modeling agent and his literary agent about his desire to pursue a master’s degree and so they had coordinated for his modeling schedule and book promotion schedule not to overlap with his classes. His weekends would still be for rest and graduate studies and his weekdays are for at most 16 hours of daily work.

September 1, 2012. Saturday. Fé[A1] nix: A Rising New World, the first installment of his trilogy dystopian fiction novels was released in all the bookstores nationwide. An outstanding sales of five thousand books was initially recorded at the end of the day.

September 2, 2012. Sunday. Tyron had his first book signing event at the UF Theatre with a capacity of two thousand. The event also had a Q & A portion, where he had allowed his fans to ask him questions before the book signing proper. The book signing proper commenced as he handpicked a fan from the audience who would receive the limited edition on all of the trilogy books.

Prior to the Q & A portion, Tyron had already seen Dr. Kristof Murillo among the crowd so he told his literary agent during the short break his chosen fan. His doctor received the spotlight as the chosen lucky fan was about to announced.

As the doctor went up the stage, Tyron announced to his fans – Three months ago, I thought of ending my life after a breakup with my girlfriend. But before I could do it, I already passed out due to iron-deficiency anemia. Dr. Murillo was the doctor who attended to me that night. Aside from my parents, his words to me that night made me realize that I should value my own life no matter what punches in life are thrown at me. His words, along with my parents unending love and support have kept me going. His exact words were – ‘Life is precious. You should be grateful that you have loving second parents as well as concerned friends around you. My wife left me for another man, but have I thought of ending my life? No, because in life, we might face several blows. It is not always a bed of roses. Things we like just don’t fall into place all the time. Besides, you are still very young. You will still meet other ladies more worthy of your affection.’ And so I promise to all of you right here right now that I will continue to live and write more novels for as long as God allows me.

He received a sounding round of applause from the audience. Almost all of his fans had teary eyes upon such revelation. Tyron’s foster parents had even joined the center stage to welcome, thank and congratulate Dr. Kristof Murillo.

As the ceremonial first book signing was done, Dr. Murillo requested, “Please have the dedications for my daughter, Tyron. Her name is Kleio as in K L E I O. She was supposed to be the one here right now but today was the scheduled visitation day of her mother.”

Tyron agreed, “Sure, Dr. Murillo.”

After the ceremonial first book signing, photos had also been taken with Dr. Murillo and his foster parents, and then the book signing proper started. Tyron felt so elated by the affection and admiration he had received from all of his followers and fans.