It's cancer. C-A-N-C-E-R. The most frightening six-letters-word that i've ever found in the dictionary. If you ask me what do i know about it, i'll say it's a disease that kills the girl in a romantic Korean movies, disease that ever been my fantasy when i was in the beginning of my teen ages, disease that scared me a lot, and now i have reason why it's a horror for me.
Now I know another thing about cancer. The disease that took my bestfriend from this world...
Cornelia Viorensa. Such a beautiful name, as beautiful as the person. I met her when i was at 4th grade and she was at 2nd grade of primary school in Dance CCA. I saw her and i was interested to see her cheerful personality and her laughing face. Then it happened that we danced together in an event, and we became very close like sisters.
Everytime her friends asked her, "Vio, who is she? Why is she coming to our class everyday?", she always said, "She's my jie (elder sister) you know!". And everytime my friends asked me the same question I said, "She's my cutest little sister!"
One time she wrote to me in my "Book of Me and My Friends" about herself and at the bottom of the page she wrote, "Jie, later if you go to Secondary School don't forget me OK?" I promised her that i'll still come to school to visit her and all that, but what happened next was different.
She was busy with her life as 5th grader, preparing for her PSLE at the next year. I was busy with my new life as a secondary student as well. But I never forget her, how busy I am. It's true that I couldn't find her in school anymore, but I still remember her until the past few days
I don't know why suddenly I remembered about her. I was thinking about her, and realising how we've lost contact for about four years. But I didn't bother to find her friendster or her contact number, because I thought I'll still be able to meet her later when I go back to Indonesia. But just yesterday afternoon, my mom texted me. A message that will be a horror for the rest of my life.
"Hey, sweetie, do you know which girl named Vio? Is she the one that was very close to you when you were at primary? I heard she had passed away because of cancer..."
My palms turned sweaty. I replied my mom with my shaking hand, "Which Vio? What's her full name?" I didn't even dare to ask whether her full name is Cornelia Viorensa or not, but when the reply came, I opened it and I felt my body numbed.
"Cornelia Viorensa. Is she?"
I don't remember how I was able to type my "yes" and reply her. I don't remember how i picked my phone and called Novia. I've just said, "Nov..." and I was bursting into tears. I regretted how I lost contact with her. She's ill! And I NEVER know!!!
"Jie, later if you go to Secondary don't forget me, OK?"
That night I found her friendster. And I found all her friends give her bye - bye comments. I gave her one, the main point was I asked her to forgive me for not keeping in touch with her, and I saw that her friendster didn't have photos. I searched on her friend's profile, and when i found it, I was crying harder.
She's still as pretty as she used to be. Nothing change from her. Even her smile, it's the smile that makes me interested in her six years ago when I met her at the dancing room.
But there's a happiness in my heart as well. She's now free. She's no longer ill. She's no longer suffering. Now she could be anywhere, like what Novia said. Even she could be here, just next to me...
