Hi Ed! What's up with you?

Two or three months ago,
I went to do a time visit to my familiar Mall:
Waltermart in Munoz.
Familiar
               because I used to live in the community where the Mall is.
               I stayed around the place for ten years or more,
               since the 90s;
               not as a Bonafide Citizen but as an Adopted Resident.
Adopted:   Daughter to a mother and father
                  sister to a sister and a brother,
                  friend to a friend
                  Enemy to a rival
                  a lover
                 a neighbor
                 a veteran
Time visit because I go there from time to time
since I left the place for many others;
Because My heart is still there,
like pieces of me to be found anywhere around.
So many people, so many memories: Love, hate, friendship.

Twenty years ago;
There is this one local group
that HE introduced me to
that I half-belonged to...
There were many of them;
Each one, I occasionally see on circumstances,
like every year or three or two each,
others five years, ten years
 in and out of the city.

My stairs are running up.
Halfway, I saw a familiar...very familiar face
going down;
smiling a full, pure smile, pointing at me
like so happy and surprised
to see me at a Mall younger than us and our story.
He was saying my name on his lips
and his body is expressing "Long time, No see."

I was so happy:
to see him
He was the kindest, not only to me
but really one of the nicest of the group;
happy:
to see a part of my history:
realizing that the memories are real,
that it really happened, with real characters
happy:
the smile on his face is contagious
happy;
because He looked so happy to see me.

I hesitated to keep the meeting up, for some reason.
I shrugged the notion of taking one step
to the very adjacent Running down Escalator
Didn't Meet him down to say "Hi;"
nor an inviting wave at him to "Come up here."

He was landing down;  I was stepping up
but  Our eyes are still running after the shadow of each other,
tho there are not much people on the way.
He stayed for a moment down the end of the Escalator
like he wanted to chat a little
We took a last glance
I waved goodbye, that he went off
Still smiling- like the real him.

When I got home, I added him as FaceBook Friend excitedly.
like I should see, peek or check out on him;
Didn't even notice it was immediately accepted
For some reason,
I hesitated to grab a Second chance,
this time, on a Mail
to say "Whats up with you?"

We have been friends-on-line for three months now,
So much time there is, specially now we are FB friends,
we can check-out anytime.
 
Very luckily, very Ironically
our connection mattered
a Tag to him would appear on my wall.
and here is the Tag:
Three days...The Doctor said three days...Expiring...Cancer.
!!!
and Today is the second day.

Rushed to check his wall-
surprisingly it took just a minute
On his wall:  First Chemo-Therapy, posted 11months ago.

I called a friend about it,
not wanting to sound unfamiliar;
like I have known all along.
FEU Manila, stable, OK, false alarm.
I can not grasp all the information
but I heard - False Alarm

Last chance to ask personally "How are you doing?"
but I'm so numb this time, for some reason.
Maybe...maybe... and I'm out of answer.

Last night, I went to see him.
A personal meet up, At last
Face to face with him;
I was finally able to find the words
From my lips, I mumbled "Hi Ed..."
Like  there were so much things to say
but nothing more is worth saying
through a glass window
but
"Goodbye Ed."

Tomorrow, I will again time visit my familiar mall
....