Epilogue
It's a Friday night and Julie and I decided to have dinner at a café in Roxas Boulevard. It's actually an old café. Sabi niya, it's been there since we were in college and Kenth and Maqui would always hangout there. They went there as a group once but she never returned after what she experienced during their visit. Sabi niya kasi, the café hosts a spoken word event every weekends. At dun sa unang beses na pagpunta niya dito ay iba ang naramdaman niya tungkol sa narinig na tula.
"So reporter ang may-ari nito?" I asked.
"Yeah. Sikat na reporter. Ang cool nga eh. Naisip niya tong concept na ganito." she replied with a smile. Ngumiti rin ako sa kanya and I let her drag me to one of the tables near the stage.
"Oo nga pala. Are you sure, Maggie will spend the night at Maq's? Nakakahiya." sabi ko.
"Yes, love. Okay lang yun. I'm sure Seb will be happy that his Ate Maggie is spending the night at their place." sagot niya. "Tsaka, it's our anniversary. Ngayon na lang uli tayo nakapagdate na tayo lang."
Natawa ako sa sinabi niya at agad na hinawakan ang kamay niya at hinalikan.
"Alright. Namiss ko rin na kadate ka eh." sabi ko.
We ordered our food afterwards and while we waited for our orders, ay pinakinggan namin lahat ng mga kasama sa open mic event nila.
The open mic event is an event wherein young and old have the freedom to express their feelings through a song, a story or the most popular, a poem. The café became popular because of this kind of event. Dito madalas magtanghal ang ilan sa mga sikat na makata. Isa nga sa kanila si Juan Miguel Severo. Nakilala ko lang siya when Julie told me that he was the guy who performed in Bataan nung panahong di pa kami okay a few years ago. And ngayon, sa Sev's Cafe naman kami manonood ng ganung performance.
Dumating na ang orders namin just after the 3rd performance. Halos lahat ng tulang sinasabi nila ay puro tungkol sa pag-ibig. Mga nasaktan at umasa. Mga iniwan sa ere. Mga nagmahal na hindi minahal.
"You should perform next time." I told Julie as we watch the 4th performer. Ngumiti lang naman siya saka nagkibit-balikat. Maya-maya ay nagpaalam siyang magccr lang kaya hinayaan ko muna siya at nagtuon na lang ng pansin sa kasalukuyang tumutula tungkol sa unrequited love.
It's been 20 minutes pero di pa rin siya bumabalik. Luminga ako but the restroom was nowhere in sight. Inisip ko na lang na baka maraming tao sa cr kaya natagalan siya. Jampacked kasi ang café ngayon.
"Our next performer is a newbie. She's been writing poems since she was in college but this would be her first time to share one of her works. Let us all welcome, Julie Anne!" napalingon agad ako sa stage and was surprised to see her standing there. Her eyes instantly locked gaze with me. She smiled and I just froze in my place.
"This is actually not a poem but more of an open letter. I hope you will like it." she said. Humugot siya ng malalim na hininga and finally, started speaking from her heart.
"I've always thought that love was black and white, that if you love someone, that was it. All the obstacles would be overcome and that it would end in happily ever after because wasn't it already a miracle to find someone who loved you back in the first place? Can't that miracle take flight and rise above everything?
However, it seems that as we grow up, the simplicity of life and the simplicity of feelings begins to be entangled in a thread of extraneous variables. What once was our straight vision of happily-ever-after will become nothing but a fairytale — an optimistic and naïve view of how life was supposed to be played out, shown to us by controllable media. It's not to say that happily-ever-after doesn't exist, but it may not be that "true love's kiss will break all negativity and evil parents" we've all been dreaming of.
One thing in the media's portrayal remains true — there will always be obstacles in love. Whether it may be to overcome our own scars and fears, overcoming temptations, assumptions, misunderstandings, maybe even irrational people, financial disparities, maturity levels, disapproving parents, or even evil stepmothers, it comes down to having similar outlooks and open-mindedness. No couple is going to truly be a perfect fit for each other, but with compromise and the desire to truly understand what each other values, you will become that compatible pair. It doesn't just happen, though. You learn to love the person that you're with. That's why it's falling in love — it's not "thunderstruck in love" or instantaneous love. There is a certain time period where you're just falling because you're learning the best and worst about the other person.
However, love isn't a one-time deal — for some it may be, but for most people, it takes a couple of tries to find someone who will meld together with them into each other's perfect puzzle piece. And don't get me wrong, it's not because you didn't love all of the previous people you fell in love with, but it's because you didn't exactly fit together. Think of them as that puzzle piece we tried to pair up together because it looked like they would fit, and maybe one part of the piece clicked, but no matter how hard we tried, not its entirety.
Love isn't just a matter of feeling. It's a matter of circumstance. Many people have stated that timing is everything, but I believe circumstance is that umbrella which encompasses timing, personal development, and personal stability.
No matter how much you love someone, if their career takes them away, if they're struggling personally and financially, or if you're both simply adjusting into two different phases of life, it will most likely not work out or it will be extremely difficult to see eye-to-eye or even spend time with each other. To put it simply, if you can't keep yourself afloat, stable, or happy just yet, you won't really have the time to fully cherish someone else in your life.
There are times in life where regardless of how in love you are, the circumstances don't add up to keep each other in your lives. The circumstances have to be right: when you're mature enough to handle the commitment, the conflicts and the differences in a relationship, and also when you're stable enough to have the freedom to dedicate your time, money, and efforts to making another person happy. You have to love yourself first, love your life second, and only then can you fully love and commit to another person and maintain a healthy, long-lasting relationship."
The crowd cheered as she takes a bow. And I couldn't be any happier of my wife. She will always surprise me with her sneaky moves. When she finally reached me and sat next to me, I opened my arms for her and she gladly went in for me. I kissed her hair and she just smiled at me.
"Nagustuhan mo ba?" she asked. "I couldn't think of a gift for our anniversary kaya ito na lang." aniya.
"This is the best gift ever, love. Thank you." sabi ko naman and hugged her again. "I love you."
"I love you too. Happy anniversary!" she said as she gives me a photo. I looked at her curiously and she just smiled. "Alam ko, forte mo ang pagbibigay ng pictures with notes but I want you to have this as my other present." sabi niya. "You've given the world to me and this is nothing compared to everything you've done for me."
"Alam mo, ikaw at si Maggie? You are the greatest gift I've had in my entire existence." ngumuso siya at natawa lang ako.
"Basahin mo na yung nasa likod. Dali!" aniya sabay turo sa picture. The picture was actually a shot she took while we're on our way to Bataan. Hindi ko alam na magagamit niya pala yun para isurprise ako. I flipped the photo over and read the note she wrote.
Day 1,825:
It's been 5 years since we got married and I couldn't thank God enough for having you in my life. You've been the love of my life since we were students and now you're the love of my life until the world ends. I love you, my forever driver, my favorite photographer, my Maggie's daddy and my love. No one can ever replace you in my heart because there can never be someone like you. Happy 5th anniversary, my love! To more years and to more happiness!
Julie
