Do it from the heart or not all
Three months later.
Sunday. It was the wee hours of the morning, five o'clock to be precise and RJ notified Mr.Mendoza to come out from the house in order to have a heavy conversation with him.
RJ waited on the front stairs, eying the cracks of paint the front porch was embellished on. It was a mild summer day and the leaves had begun to dry themselves, typical of the season.
A leaf fluttered by his vision as it elegantly cascaded down on his lap, it was an instant reminder of the times he had with Louise. Too bad his best friend couldn't stay here any longer as RJ needed the strength and support she constantly gave.
The door clicked open as RJ instinctively turned his head back. Mr.Mendoza gave a light smile before sitting down beside him.
"So, what's up bud?" he started
"I need to ask you for a really big favor" RJ responded with a big grin "Anything".
Maine's father shot back as he looked at him curiously "I want to ask you for something" he voiced with a determinant and heavy tone. "Alright, what is it?"
*********************************
"Come on Meng, hurry up!" RJ teased as he watched the slim girl from his side view mirror. It was 4 o'clock in the afternoon and he didn't want to be late.
"I'm trying" she retorted as she zipped up her jacket before getting into the vehicle. Maine shut the door beside her before turning to the driver questioningly "So, saan ba tayo pupunta?" she asked with a smile that ran from ear to ear.
RJ habitually leaned over to give her a light kiss before winking "You'll see" Maine pouted after hearing the answer as she crossed her arms "Can I get a hint then?"
"Uhhh" RJ thought about it for a moment before responding "The place is pretty far" "Really?" Maine asked inquisitively "How long to get there?
"Two and a half hours" he casually cooed
"Excited na ko" Maine voiced eagerly as she put on her seat belt.
RJ chuckled "You should be"
Hands firmly planted on the steering wheel, he gently pressed on the gas pedal. If only Maine knew how more excited he was.
*********************************
RJ turned off the car engine as he stared at the place with amazement, wonder and awe. This was it, the place that changed everything.
Maine stared off into the view, a permanent smile on her lips.
They were both thinking the same thing; that day.
RJ shifted his gaze to the smiling girl "We're here" he softly spoke before nudging the girl back to reality.
The two propped themselves out of the vehicle as they breathed in the salt-water air. It smelled just like that day, it looked just like that day, it felt just like that day.
The rhythmic beat of the waters sloshing around the shoreline brought back a sense of euphoria as the resplendent stars hung above, paving a way to their most cherished memories.
The rock was still there, unaging and stained by the remembered moments. The wind picked up the sand, swirling it blissfully around the shore as if painting a picture with its intricate display.
The future is foreshadowed from the past and the future is only attainable because of the past. Without past and future, the present is partial. There's no sense in forgetting and every sense in dreaming.
"Naalala mo ba itong lugar nato?" RJ asked with a smile as he held the girl's hand.
"I can't forget it" Maine responded with a sense of stupor.
Soundtrack: Lifehouse – You and Me [Play for a better reading experience]
RJ guided her to the vast boulder that touched the waters. They stared at each other for a while, holding hands as the only sound the place gave was the washing of the sands down to the gray-green waters and the soothing pound of the waves crashing onto the rock.
No one dared utter a word as they stood there, mesmerized by each other's presence and the atmosphere the shore gave.
In the heat of RJ hands he thought 'This is the warmth that mocks the sun' I will hold on to this pulse against all other rhythms.
The world will come and go in the tide of a day but here his hand with future in its palm
"I remember this place like it was just yesterday" Maine quietly voiced with a twinkle in her eyes "Truthfully, I want you to know that you saved me that day"
Although wherever you are going is always in front of you, there's no such thing as straight ahead.
"I could say the same thing" RJ voiced before picking the girl up and gently propping him on the rock "You know, I've always wondered why you were alone here crying" RJ started as he made his way up to sit beside the girl.
Maine shrugged as she looked to the horizon where there was only the line that separated water from sky "That was the day I found out about my inescapable fate" She was talking about two things in one, the disease, and the person fate brought her to.
Planting a soft kiss on her forehead, RJ whispered "I'm sorry"
"No, don't be. Everything in this world has its reasons" Maine responded with a smile
"You're right, and that's why there's a reason for me to bring you here" RJ nervously started as he brought his eyes down to his lap.
Maine looked at him with a curious cast, an angelic smile on her features "Ano yun?"
Filling his lungs in with air, he slowly grabbed a box inside his coat pocket. It was a small black chest with golden hinges.
RJ looked at it before shifting his gaze back to Maine. With a sincere and heartfelt smile, he showed the closed box to Maine for a second before opening it.
There, fitted snuggly inside a cushioned holder was a ring. But not just any ring, it was the wedding ring of Maine's mother. He wanted this moment to be significant, memorable and evoking.
This place; the place where they first met, was the perfect spot to ask.
"I promise, I'll be true to you" When RJ said it, he was drawing a quiet space beyond the reach of other desires. No one can legislate love; it cannot be given orders or flattered into service. Love belongs to itself, deaf to pleading and unmoved by adversity. Love is not something you can barter. Love is the one thing stronger than desire and the only proper reason to keep on going. Love is as strong as death, if not, stronger.
Maine was speechless, eyes brimming with tears.
"Nicomaine Dei Mendoza, will you marry me? I promise I'll always be with you..." The ring gleamed brightly, reflecting the evening stars that were silently watching. Recording everything into account, into the farthest breaches of endlessness.
"Promise?"
RJ solemnly nodded "Even after your heart stops beating... Forever and a day"
If the walls should fall, it is the consequence of two hearts colliding
"I-I don't..." Maine stuttered as the evening breeze embraced her in a tight hug. "Just say yes" RJ spoke earnestly and with much love. This place was their first moment together and it soon will be their most precious one.
...I never knew you could see the stars at this time...
...Who said I wasn't happy?...
...It looks like God was playing jacks when creating the stars...
...I'm good at walking away...
...I don't know you, but I get the feeling that I should...
Maine breathed in deeply, her hesitancy ensconced by something stronger;
Love, something beautiful, pure, immense and uncontainable. But what am I saying? Love can't be explained but experienced
"Yes" she answered with a nod and a luminous smile that the stars above them would be jealous of.
YOU ARE READING
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