Serie 5- Frail Hearts and Dead Roses

CHAPTER 2

Alessandro Joaquin

'She loves chocolate.'

I stared on the piece of brownie na galing sa padala ni Mommy. She said I'm still his baby-boy daw despite me being thirty-one.

Dear Lord, everything reminds me of her...

We all have something that we regret, right?

Para saan ba ngata-trabaho ang mga tao? Para sa sarili o para sa benepisyo ng iba?

My parents always reminded me of one thing when I was young. 'Study hard and Dream big' was their favorite phrase. They said that the best thing anyone can possess of is by being successful.

Pero... May silbi ba ang layo ng narating mo kapag miserable ka? For me, being successful isn't the answer to a happy life.

I'm the one and only Alessandro Joaquin Montecillo, a licensed Medical Doctor specializing on Pediatric Neurology. I finished my studies in the United States with flying colors. I'm pretty successful on my field of work. I'm an affiliate doctor to the most known hospitals on Asia and is also running my family's private hospital.

Everything I own screams wealth. The people respects me dahil mataas ang pinag-aralan ko at may kapagyarihan ang pamilya ko.

We're a family of Doctors and Lawyers so its already guaranteed that we have connections. My brother is Attorney Alejandro Joaquin Montecillo, one of the hottest bachelor Attorneys here in the Philippines—well, according to magazines pero para sa akin ako talaga ang better looking sibling.

I'm more elusive than my brother, in fact I don't really engage on interviews even if companies and networks try bribing me with money... I already have that.

I want to live a private life with my field of work. Ayaw ko na nadadawit ang pangalan ko sa sinuman at maibabalita ito. Kung attensiyon ang palaging asam ng kapatid ko ay ibahin niyo ako.

Study hard they said? I did... Dream big? I also did.

I didn't give unto temptations. I left all things that could potentially ruin my success—the success that was rooted in my head since I was a young child. Sabi ng kapatid ko ay sunudsunuran at aso ako ng mga magulang ko—hindi ba pwede na mabait lang ay may respeto? But I have to admit, I was scared to disappointing my parents. I remember almost everyday, my father has something to say with how my brother behaved, and I never want to experience that.

My parents were always in favor of me growing up, maybe that's why there's a gap between Alejandro and my parents, especially my Dad. As the older brother, I always try to keep my family together, as much as possible I'm the one hosting a simple dinner or a golf schedule with Dad and Alejandro despite our busy schedules.

Makulit daw ako ayon kay Alejandro Javier, pero wala naman masama na punuin ko ang desk table niya ng larawan namin bilang pamilya, hindi ba? Hindi pa kami kasal at wala pang kanya-kanyang pamilya kaya sa ayaw niya man o sa hindi, kami pa din ang pamilya niya.

I have always looked forward on building my own family. Some says that it's time for me to settle down as I'm not getting any younger. If given the chance to have children, I wish to not be like my Father, though he is an excellent husband, he was never the best at parenting. He was always strict and quite very hard to please. I never wanted to overshadow my brother in the eyes of my Dad, but I was just a child too that's afraid of harsh words. So I let my brother do his own thing, be the top of the headlines as the lawyer who has never been defeated. He's making his own name and letting the public know about him. I can see how the public are also going crazy towards him, and I know it pleases him because he never got that validation from Dad.