Sincerely Yours, Marileigh

Epilogue

It's the 1st of December. My mom went to Sacred de Salaia de San Pablo earlier than the usual. I heard darating daw ngayong araw ang panghuling batch ng mga interns from Garcia Memorial National High School. The school used to send their undergraduate senior high school students since 2012 at the institution founded by my grandfather. I have also been working there as a nurse for 3 years now.

I just woke up when the head of our housemaids informed me that the breakfast for my mother's all packed. Nautusan kasi akong ihatid ito sa institution. Naghilamos lang ako at kumuha ng upper clothes. Isinuot ko naman ang aking black shades para iwas alikabok sa daan. When I arrived there, napagalitan pa ako ni mommy dahil sa suot ko. Napakamot nalang ako sa ulo.

“I'll get going, ma. Gutom na din ako,” tinanguhan lang ako nito sabay balik sa ginawa sa kaniyang laptop. On my way back, I saw a young woman in uniform. Probably, one of the newest interns. When she turned her gaze at me, my heart throbs. She's tall, has wavy hair, fair white skin, and most of all, the thing that attracts me most is her size. She's not skinny nor looking obese, but she's chubby with a curvy body.

I am not supposedly reporting the next day, but I did in hopes of getting to know her. The moment I laid my eyes on her, she never left my mind. My mom was even shocked because my training with the Cui Corporation is not yet done. We never saw daddy's death coming. Hence, my sudden training to replace his position in the business world comes unexpectedly. I still got a week to complete it though after a 6-month-period of training. To make her believe that I'm genuine, I tried to sound hopeless that I dearly missed the place, most especially the elders. Although, a lot of times since my temporary leave, I visit there to bring foods for my mom or personally delivered the foods for the beneficiaries that we got from various donations.

When she opened that cubicle door as I'm peeing inside, it truly startled me. Not by what she did, but how come that she's sent there from above early in the morning. At that moment, I even became more determined to pull the golden thread to make her get close to me. Days passed, our burning love affair overflowed. And the rest is history.

“And there you have it, Dear Listeners. That's the story of Marileigh. But before I read some of your comments, shoutouts, and greetings, let's play first a song request from our dear letter sender. Here's Dear John (Taylor's Version) by Taylor Swift. Stay tuned!”

Dry throat and my heart beats like a clock ticking. I stood up not knowing what to do. Did I just listen to our then love affair?

Nanginginig ang mga kamay kong tinawagan ang taong alam ko na makakatulong sa akin. I would not let this chance slip by.

“Hello? I have an urgent work for you. I want the information within today or maybe hours from now.”

Napainom ako ng wine at tinignan mula sa transparent glass wall ang view sa labas. The scorching heat of the sun is making the greeny mountains more vibrant.

Napapikit ako at naikuyom ang kamao. Hindi dahil sa galit kundi dahil sa pagsibol muli ng bagong pag-asa sa aking puso.

4 years have been torturing, but God knows how I'm patiently waiting for this moment. That finally, she'll appear somewhere. I swear to God, I'll make her come back straight to me.

“I've always been yours, Marileigh,” I whispered to the wind before I finish even a drop of wine I'm drinking.