On The Other Side

Nonay's truth

I had never known an easy day in my life. From the moment I was born, it felt like the universe had decided to throw one challenge after another my way. Even my name, Nonay, was a legacy passed down through generations, meaning "one who bears burdens." And burdens, I certainly bore. If something could go wrong for me, it usually did.

At a young age, I lost my father to a sudden illness. From then on, it was just my mother and me. She was a woman of few words, but her love ran deep. We lived in a small village nestled at the foot of towering mountains, a place both beautiful and unforgiving. My mother worked tirelessly to provide for us, yet no matter how hard we tried, something always seemed to conspire against us; a bad harvest, a sudden storm, or just plain bad luck. Despite all of this, I grew up to be resilient, always holding onto hope even in the darkest situations. It was a gift, this ability to find a silver lining amidst the chaos. But there was one challenge I hadn’t yet faced, something far more personal: love.

As I grew older, my thoughts shifted from survival to something deeper, something terrifying and exciting at the same time. Love. I had heard my mother speak of it, of the joy and the heartbreak it could bring, but I wasn’t sure if I was ready to face such a powerful force in my already turbulent life. But, as fate would have it, I didn’t have much of a choice.

One day, while I was out gathering firewood, I saw her. She was sitting by the river that ran through the forest, her short dark hair blowing in the wind as her eyes remained fixed on the water, lost in thought. My breath caught in my throat. I had never seen anyone so beautiful.

Her name was Dream.

Dream was new to the village, having moved from a distant town not too long ago. She was unlike any of the girls I had known before. There was something mysterious about her, something that made her seem untouchable. It wasn’t just her beauty, it was her aura of strength and independence that drew me in. I had faced countless challenges in my life, but something told me that winning Dream’s heart might be the most difficult one yet.

Every time I saw her, I wanted to talk to her, but whenever I tried to muster the courage, it failed me. Days turned into weeks, and each time I saw her by the river, the words I had rehearsed in my head disappeared into thin air. Yet, fate seemed to keep throwing us together, as if the universe was giving me chance after chance to overcome my fear.

Finally, after weeks of hesitation, I found myself approaching her one evening by the river. My heart was pounding, and my nerves were on full display, but I forced myself to speak.

“Hello,” I said, trying to sound confident, though I knew my nerves were showing.

She looked up at me, her piercing brown eyes locking onto mine for the first time. She gave me a small smile, more curious than welcoming, but it was enough.

“Hey,” she replied, her voice calm and smooth.

“I’m Nonay,” I stammered. “I see you here a lot. I thought maybe we could talk?”

She studied me for a moment before nodding. “Alright, Nonay. What would you like to talk about?”

That question sent my mind spiraling. What could I possibly say to someone like her? But I wasn’t one to give up easily. Taking a deep breath, I started talking about my life, about the struggles I’d faced, and the way my village sometimes seemed to conspire against me and my mother. To my surprise, Dream listened. As the days passed, we continued meeting by the river, and I found myself opening up to her more and more.

Dream began to share parts of her life with me as well. She came from a family of travelers, people who never stayed in one place for too long. This was the first time she had settled in a village, and she found it both fascinating and suffocating. She was used to the freedom of the road, and the idea of being tied down was foreign to her. I quickly realized that winning her heart wouldn’t be easy. She wasn’t like the other girls in the village who dreamed of marriage and family. Dream valued her independence more than anything. If I wanted her heart, I would have to accept her on her own terms.