“I’m great.”, answered Carlo.
“You’ve gone a long way.”, said Marco, “We can’t wait to see what you’re going to do next.”
“Thank you all for making this possible.”, replied Carlo.
Then, Marco gave a box to Carlo. As Carlo opened the box, he saw it filled with handwritten messages made for him.
These were the messages he read:
"We miss your jokes and funny acts. Come back soon."
"You made us happy with your friendliness and concern. Come back soon."
"We can't wait to see your artistry again."
"We can't wait to welcome our friend back again."
"You're a great team player. We can't wait to welcome you back."
"The kids are waiting for you, and so am I."
"Daddy, you're still our superhero. I miss you so much."
Carlo cried as he was reading them. He remembered the moments he spent with the people who mattered him the most. He felt more than excited to see his loved ones again.
“You inspire me a lot.”, said Marco, “The moment I'll be leaving here, and I'll be fulfilling my dreams as an engineer again.”
“I'm glad of where you are right now.”, said Carlo, “Just remember not to give up in life when we're back in the outside world. We keep on fighting for the people we care for so much. We'll see each other soon.”
"We've gone a long way.", said Marco.
Carlo recalled the moment when his addiction overwhelmed him and made his relationships fall apart. He recalled his moment of hopelessness until he was invited to enroll in a recovery program. And ever since he took it seriously, he received overwhelming love and support in his journey to full recovery.
It was also there that he met Marco. He was his program partner and close friend. They encouraged and supported one another in pursuing a new lifestyle.
"I remember the last session we had.", said Carlo, "And I'm glad we've come way better now."
"And I still remember our long talk after that. It was memorable for me.", said Marco.
During their last session of the program, the pastor talked about inner peace.
"To move forward, you should find peace, and it includes settling with your past.", the pastor said.
Carlo remembered his longing for his family's love and acceptance that lead him to his addiction. For Marco, it was peer pressure that got him to it.
So after the session, Carlo and Marco got to talk with one another. It wasn't only a time of sharing their past with one another, but also a time of healing.
So after the session, Carlo and Marco got to talk with one another. It wasn't only a time of sharing their past with one another, but also a time of healing.
"I admire you for being strong-willed.", said Carlo, "You know, you're meant to be remarkable. You can rise up from any situation. Just believe that you can, and your mind will propel you to do things that you can. You can still make things right."
Marco felt encouraged, and he patted Carlo's shoulder as a way of thanking him.
"You know, you have such a kind heart.", said Marco, "I want to help you back. And knowing you for these months, I can see that you also have such potential to make it big. You need to know where you can be. Be who you really are. Don't mind what other people say."
Returning the favor, Carlo patted on Marco's shoulder.
"That was the best conversation we had.", said Carlo.
"It really is the day. It's where the battle begins.", said Marco, "That's why we have to guard, strengthen, and renew ourselves each day. We have to destroy every roadblock to our new start."
"It's tough out there.", remarked Carlo, "But we shouldn't give up. In the end, it'll be worth fighting." "I'm thinking of what story we want to tell others in the future.", said Marco.
"We should start thinking of what story we want to tell ourselves first.", answered Carlo.
"We better fight like we're aiming to win.", said Marco.
"We'll constantly struggle. But we can make it.", said Carlo.
They continued talking until Marco needed to go to work on a few matters.
As Carlo prepared himself to sleep, he had a few thoughts.
"How foolish I was then. When I reached the top of my mountain, I felt I can get what everyone in this world wants. But I get the despair, emptiness, remorse, and sadness."
"It felt like I made a mistake. My heart couldn't find any rest. It was only in those times when I looked back when I saw the state of my soul. I went wayward. My own success became my faith, and I asked for more and more. My self-contact slowly faded, and it grew worse than before. It took away what has then made me whole."
“Now that I've bounced back, I can't let anything hold me back. This is a second chance now. I’ve gone through so much for me to get here. Now, I have a fight waiting for me outside. I want to give hope one day to those who are going through what I went through.”
He then said a prayer before he placed himself to sleep.
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