Meraki* (MaiChard Fanfic)

Preface

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction.

It has almost been a year since Richard Faulkerson Jr. and Nicomaine Dei Capili Mendoza graced our screens. Almost a year after setting new ratings records in television broadcast. Almost a year after pushing the longest running noon-time variety show in the Philippines to another level.

The AlDub phenomenon, as we used to call it, was a tremendous success. Their stellar on-the-spot performance during Eat Bulaga's Kalyesere, without fixed scripts or rehearsals, made them a household name all over the world. Even after the curtains have closed, the two of them drew enthusiastic applause, attention, endorsements, and various accolades. Like a slow burning fire that consumes, they soon dominated the lives of ordinary Filipinos.

Some said that their story would never end; while others believed that it would soon lose its luster. Fortunately, they remained resilient. They get to know each other better; learning their respective strengths and flaws as the time passes by. Their relationship, though quite unconventional in the beginning, flourished despite the odds.

Perhaps, what really mattered the most, when the lines between real and reel were finally blurred, is the fact that they both experienced something different. They both found someone who can go through up and downs of life with them. I believe (naks, parang beauty contest!) that it's a different kind of love. It is the kind of love that transcended boundaries and broke the walls they have built in the past several years.

Try as we might, we can only know fragments of their memories and experiences. We can only fill in the blanks and connect the dots to figure out what happened behind scenes. Sometimes the puzzle pieces fit together; sometimes it doesn't. Oftentimes, we have no idea what they are talking about. I guess, it would have been more apt to accept the fact that we will never know them as much as they know each other. We can only stand in the sidelines and watch their story unfold.

Thus, as a gift to all the fans who choose to hold on, come back, and even those who decided to leave, I wrote sixteen letters that Richard Faulkerson Jr. and Nicomaine Dei Capili Mendoza will never send to one another. These fictional letters will attempt to give you a glimpse on the words that they never had the courage to tell one another; what they felt as they experienced the changes in their lives; and how they finally accepted that they deserve the love they chose to give each other.

I hope you also learn about many things as you read this work of fiction which contains letters with snippets of conversations starting from 01 July 2015 until 16 July 2016.

Brie

P.S. I'm doing this on top of my other writing projects because I love putting unnecessary pressure on myself.