A Love's Promise

Four

Angelo's

You decided this has to stop.

Eduardo could just nod when you started telling him your plans. It includes cutting your daily subscription to alcohol. The edible kind of alcohol. The one that makes you dizzy to the core.

The others were minimal. But Eduardo looked up when you said you wanted to study culinary. He smiled and hugged you. You did not reciprocate.

The air in your prospective culinary school was different. It was not like the culinary schools you've seen. This is much more sophisticated than you ever expected a culinary school to be.

You guess the owner is a woman.

You remember her again.

You always remember her, by the way.

"Miss, can I know where should I enrol?" The lady on the reception smiled at you. She's behind a black marble desk and you can see the reflection of chandelier lights from it. You were mesmerized with the place.

"Can I know your name, sir?"

"Angelo. Angelo..." You hesitated. You are not a Buenavista anymore, but you are no one if you're not a Buenavista. You sulked for a second then told her you're a Buenavista.

At the end of the day you chose to walk yourself around the place.

Then you see her again after five long years.

You proved the nostalgia is for something. You remember her here because this is hers and you wanted to smile and be happy for her until you remember the day she left you. Alone. Almost dying.

You felt your broken heart pouncing with her sight, and proved it's much harder to love with a broken heart. The broken pieces wounds you even more with every beat.

She was smiling gracefully and oblivious of your existence. Until David started following her back.

You turn around then decided you'd carry on with this. Even if it hurts, it gets better eventually, you say.

The hurting has to stop.

It doesn't.