PAGES OF MY LIFE

Part 22: My Mom Introduces Me to Someone

It had been two weeks—14 days of keeping himself busy, trying to convince himself that this was the era where he would officially sign off as Thandar's lover boy. As Evan sat on his porch, watching the breeze rustle the leaves, he spoke softly to himself, "Maybe it's time to let go... for real."

"Evan, son, I've arranged a blind date for you. Can you go?" His mother, Elisa, asked as she stepped onto the porch.

Evan sighed, a hint of frustration in his voice. "Why are you doing this, Mom? There's no need. I'm fine. I'll find someone when the time is right, just... not now. Don't worry."

Elisa's concern deepened. "How can I not worry, Evan? You said the same thing five years ago—that you'd find someone new. But here we are, and you're still stuck on Thandar, a girl who only ever looked out for herself. A red flag if I ever saw one."

"Yeobo," Evan's father, Dinoy, interjected gently, "let Evan live his own life. He's a grown man, and he can figure this out on his own."

Elisa's voice wavered with frustration and sadness. "I just want him to find a girl and get married. He's in his 30s now, still clinging to a past love that never loved him back."

Dinoy, seeing his wife's distress, offered a compromise. "Let's go on a date—just you and me—for a month. Let Evan be on his own during that time, and if he hasn't found someone by then, we'll talk about it again. Okay?"

Reluctantly, Elisa agreed. The next day, Evan's parents, Elisa and Dinoy, left for a month-long trip to Bangkok, Thailand. As they departed, Elisa made one final wish—hoping that when they returned, Evan would have found someone to introduce to the family.

With his parents gone, Evan felt a sense of relief. He spent his days at home, writing lyrics in the peaceful quiet. Determined to move on, he bought a new phone, deleting every trace of Thandar from his life—pictures, messages, even her number. This time, he was serious about moving forward.

Just as he was settling into his newfound peace, his phone rang. It was Lee.

"Dude... What's going on? Why is Tita Elisa's girl coming to me? She said your mom told her to contact me so I could get in touch with you. Am I your new love life's middleman now?" Lee teased over the phone.

"What nonsense are you talking about? Who's this girl?" Evan asked, thoroughly confused.

"Her name's Karen. Can you come to my office? Use the back door to avoid the paparazzi," Lee suggested, still teasing.

"Karen... that name sounds familiar," Evan mused, trying to place her.

"Wow, you've already met her before? Should I send you a picture?" Lee laughed.

"No, I'll come now. Tell her to wait for me," Evan said, determined to get to the bottom of this.

When Evan arrived, he was surprised to find that Karen was the girl from his first music video, the one he had debuted with.

"It's really you... I didn't think you'd ever come back to the Philippines," Evan smiled, a mix of surprise and nostalgia in his eyes.

Karen returned his smile, offering her hand. "Hi, it's been a long time."

"A very long time indeed. I thought you'd never visit here again. My manager told me you were focusing on modeling," Evan said, excitement bubbling up.

"Yeah, I thought so too, but there's someone who excites me about being here," Karen replied, the excitement in her eyes unmistakable.

Lee, feeling like a third wheel as Evan and Karen chatted away, quietly excused himself, leaving them alone to catch up.

As they talked, Karen confessed, "I never thought you'd become this successful. I'm really proud of all you've achieved."

Evan smiled, humbled. "I never imagined I'd come this far, but here I am, still working hard to make my fans proud."

The next day, Karen expressed a desire to explore the Philippines more. She asked Evan if he could be her tour guide, and Evan, unable to say no to the woman who had been such a big part of his early career, agreed. They spent every moment of Evan's free time together, exploring the country and creating new memories.

As the days passed, Evan found himself enjoying Karen's company more and more. There was something comforting about her presence—something that made the weight of his past with Thandar a little easier to bear. And for the first time in a long while, Evan felt like he was truly moving forward, not just away from Thandar, but toward something new, something hopeful.