Dream Project

Chapter Three

CHAPTER THREE

Prime Builders

The March issue of the school paper had already come out. Students had really found the feature story about the campus heartthrob, Richmond Villanueva, delightful to read.

The feature story that Toni had written went like this:                                  

What really is the man behind the name Richmond Villanueva?

We all have come to know him as one of the basketball superstars who has brought us five consecutive championship cups in his five years in the university.

Surely, we would want to know more about this guy. Let’s start of by getting to know about his family.

Richmond is the only child of two prominent personalities in the country. His father is Missi’s very own Senator Ricardo Villanueva and his mother is MGA Channel 8’s ace broadcast journalist, Amanda Garchitorena-Villanueva.

Richmond was 9.1 pounds heavy and 1’7” long when he was born…a very healthy bouncing baby boy indeed! He’ll be turning twenty-two this coming May 8.

Just recently he had been drafted by Missi Towers for FBA’s Annual Drafting. He really did well during his first game in the most elite basketball league in our country. They had won and he emerged at the Best Player of the Game.

But just like any young man, our basketball super idol is also a lover boy. To tell you frankly, he had admitted to me that he had seven ex-girlfriends. But at the moment, he is still very much unattached. Well, he has just been courting one girl for almost two years now. He must really be a very patient man to endure such a long time of expressing his affection towards this girl! What is this girl really waiting for?

Let’s now get to know more of his preferences in life.

Richmond’s favorite color is blue green. He does have a pet, a golden retriever he named Tyler. He named his pet after the main character of his favorite science fiction book ‘Battlefield Earth’ written by L. Ron Hubbard, his favorite author. Other than playing basketball, his hobbies are reading books and watching movies. A girl who is smart attracts him the most. It turns him off when a girl is rude.

There are two persons whom he looks up to the most – his Dad and his Mom, who have always been supportive of him in everything he does.

The feature story also included some pictures of Richmond – him as a young kid with his parents, him playing basketball and him playing around with his pet, Tyler. She entitled her story – The Man Behind The Name Richmond Villanueva.

Richmond went to see Toni late afternoon that same day the paper came out. She was in the main library of the university, reading a book, when he sat down beside her and gave her a bouquet of red roses.

She asked, “Are these flowers really for me?”

“Who else?” He held her right hand with his right hand. He bestowed a kiss at the back of her palm and said, “Thanks for a nice feature story. Dad and Mom were also happy about it. They wanted to meet you personally.”

She complained, “But –”

He had put his left index on her lips. “I know you’re not yet my girlfriend. Well, I told them that I would just introduce you to them on the graduation day.”

She withdrew her hand from his hold. “Well, thanks for the roses.”

He invited her, “Let’s go to the canteen and eat snack. Don’t say no, please.”