A Moment With You

Prologue

Every story begins with a moment, whether unexpected or planned. A moment when decisions are made, actions are taken, or an event takes us by surprise. It's all part of a bigger story with all its climax and plot twists to unfold later on...and this goes truer for Eddie as he drives for home with the woman he has loved for a long time...Irene.

Eddie enjoyed this moment with Irene quietly, smiling from ear to ear like a fool, glancing at her from time to time as she gleefully admired the view of the countryside they passed by. Years ago, he too glanced at her quietly like how he did now from where he sat in the classroom – next to her.

Eddie first met Irene when she was first introduced to their class. He was bent on his desk as if falling asleep when the teacher went in with a quiet and shy girl with long straight hair, a petite body frame and a small face framed by her bangs. She was wearing her school uniform paired with black knee-high socks which were a thing with teen girls during those times, and her backpack carried in one hand, while a cello case hangs on her shoulder making her look even more delicate like a china doll. The boys sighed and smiled at each other while some of the girls started scolding them for being nosy with excitement. Eddie had then only peeked when the teacher entered but was seemingly jolted up when she was introduced. Later on, he even found himself sitting next to her as she picked the empty desk beside his. What luck was that? But what made him even more surprised was when he went home later that afternoon as he found her walking in the same direction as he was. Irene turned out to be their neighbor's niece.

The brown leaves on the trees welcomed Eddie and Irene as their car drove past. They were two towns away from their destination – home. Finally, after two years of going back and forth in the city, both for work and to visit Irene – and after waiting for winter before she comes home to their town – they were finally ready to settle down for good. What luck indeed for him. Who would have thought the most tongue-tied and awkward guy in class would one day be getting married to the most talented and straightforward girl in class? Thinking back on those days, Eddie found it surprising as well.

Back in the day, many admired Irene. Despite being quiet and reserved, her beauty and talent was hard to ignore. Unfortunately, these qualities also attracted envious eyes. Her silent and withdrawn nature made her seem weak that she would be bullied by other girls. Eddie however thinks otherwise. There would be moments he would surprisingly find her to be straightforward and brave. While she ignored the nasty comments about her, and even tried to stay away, there would be moments she would fight back. Unfortunately, whenever she did, she would be sent to the principal office where both teachers and parents of those whom she fought with would find her rather rebellious. She was, after all, left to her aunt's care while her mother was away.

Perhaps, Irene's life was what drew him to her. She was both popular and different that many tried to outcast her while he, on the other hand, had always felt different and had tried to outcast himself from the rest of the class. Unfortunately, distancing himself from the rest never seems to work. Surprisingly it made him even more popular. While he remained quiet, still, and succumbed to his books at the corner of the classroom, never caring about the rest except for the girl sitting beside him, this seemed to attract not only the class' attention but their parents as well. He once thought perhaps parents found him to be a helpful and studious student. Till now, he found those moments to be ironic even now as an adult. But if there's one thing many found surprising, it was how he and Irene became a couple.

If there was one thing he was very sure of, he had admired her for a long time. He had silently fallen in love with her from afar, followed her and kept an eye on her whenever she went out by herself and even walked a few steps back behind her to make sure she's safe. Eddie reminisced about the moments he would even sleep over at his grandmother's house to view Irene's bedroom window from afar. He would wait for the lights to turn on as if she was the light herself, until it would finally turn off. He would then pray for her and wish her a "sweet night"—a silent prayer he would whisper to himself before he would resign to his journal, writing down how his day was as if writing a love letter to her – his unsent love letter.