Fairy Tale Fail (TAGLISH, translated by you!)

Chapter 1 - Translated by ruinime

That point in a relationship when you realize that instead of "happily ever after," e mukhang ilang paragraph palang pala after "once upon a time"? It sucks.

Sorry 'di ko na kayang maging mas eloquent pa dyan, but the big reveal came to me on a rainy Saturday morning. I woke up excited for my planned food trip to Tagaytay with my boyfriend Don, pero medyo kabado rin kasi malakas ang buhos ng ulan. Then I got the text, becoming all too familiar already.

Ellie, lakas ng ulan. Next time nalang Tagaytay?

I held my breath and counted up to five. Una: Umuulan. Pangalawa: Anong silbi ng outdoor restaurant with a view of Taal Lake kung umuulan naman 'di ba? Pangatlo: Tagaytay palang malamig na noh. Why bother with cold and wet? Pang-apat: Kailangan ko naman talagang matulog e. Panglima: I have so many DVDs to catch up on.

Then I texted my boyfriend: Sure, no problem. See you on Monday. Love you.

So far, my six-month-old relationship with tall, handsome, and all-around good guy Don Padilla was not what the fairy tales led me to believe. Hindi naman ako all-around good girl, pero I thought siya na yung perfect stabilizing force para sa isang katulad ko. I was always restless - mahilig sa biyahe, gusto exciting lagi, papalit-palit ng hairstyle.

Free Ellie was what my college friends jokingly called me. Ang reason lang kung bakit nakayanan kong magtagal sa isang course noon was because Communication Arts allowed me to try so many things. Pero hanggang ngayon, five years mang nagta-trabaho, 'di pa rin ako sigurado kung ano ba ang gusto ko sa buhay. Haba na ng hair kong medyo wavy, and I worked in Marketing - but all of this could change. Hindi ko pa rin feel na nasa tamang lugar ang lahat, at hinihintay ko lang na mag-recover ang savings ko so that I could go on a trip again. Last biyahe ko was Hong Kong pa with my sister. Siguro Bangkok naman? Naghihintay na lang ako ng next airline ticket sale.

Pero si Don, siya ang very definition of "steady." He was a slave to his routine, first day palang on the job, na-plano nya na ang magiging takbo ng karir nya sa office.

Akala ko we would be perfect together: I'd inspire him to loosen up a bit, and he'd tell me how exactly to be an adult.

Bakit hindi pa perfect ang lahat? Naiinip na ko.

Of course, never kong sinabi kahit kanino yan. Akala ng common friends namin, wala kaming problema at hindi kami pwedeng magkaroon ng problema. One of them went as far as to say na inggit siya kung paano naging kami, and she only wished the same for herself.

I sighed before retreating under my blanket. Be careful what you wish for.

***

Contrary to what some people thought, I wasn't obsessed with being a fairy tale princess. Unang-una, ang hilig ko talaga ay movies, and I had a minor in Film back in college. Pero for one class, nag-research ako on how fairy tale motifs influenced modern movies, and na-affected talaga nun. Nasa Winona Ryder phase pa ako ng buhay ko nun, as in yung short, almost spiky hair ala Reality Bites, but even as my hair changed, hindi na naalis yung fascination ko for fairy tales.

Every story has some sort of fairy tale template. Even mine.

Magkasama kami sa trabaho ni Don, in a large financial services firm in Makati, Metro Manila's biggest business district. I started in their Marketing department two years ago, at naging chummy with a teammate named Charisse.

Taon na siya sa company at napabarkada na, about a dozen guys and girls, all from the eighteenth floor too. I was with them when I learned too much vodka gave me a rash, na nakakatulog ako sa Bailey's, and that after five drinks, bumabalik lahat ng alam kong Bisayang mula pagkabata gid.