Eternal Memories

Chapter 1

Dianna was riding a ferry bound for Puerto Galera, an island in the Philippines. She was going to her friend's wedding which would be held in a beach resort there. She was smiling because she was glad that her high school friend Martin was finally getting married. Martin is no longer a bachelor, she thought. Good for him. He finally gets the woman of his dreams.

Dianna was standing in a simple but elegant dining hall. The walls were painted in beige and the floor had a maroon carpet. On the ceiling were golden lamps that emitted warm light. The tables and chairs were white. The ambience was warm and cozy and the aroma of delectable foods lingered in the air.

She gazed outside the window. The sun shone gleefully in the blue sky. Gulls flew away. She went outside the dining hall and came towards the front of the ferry so she could have a clear view of the sky. The air was crisp and salty. Below the ferry she could see the deep blue sea. The sight and sound of the waves crashing calmed her as the breeze caressed her skin.

She sniffed the air. Everything around her made her feel calm. It was such a peaceful day. She walked and observed the people in the ferry. There were about hundreds of them milling around. They were from all walks of life. It was summer so everyone wore beach clothes.

She was wearing a short white dress and a white straw hat, which contrasted with her beautiful brown skin. She has an angelic face, long dark hair, a statuesque figure and ethereal grace. She walked with immense confidence as if the floor worshipped her feet and the wind was happy to touch her gloriously alluring skin.

The people in the ferry have been staring at her, awed at her beauty. She didn't mind their stares; she was in fact used by them. She is beautiful and she knows it. Beauty was the only gift God gave her and it was her only true asset. At the age of thirty, she still got catcalls and wolf-whistles from sexually frustrated and deprived men. While other women her age looked like aging whales because they did not have the time and luxury to take good care of their bodies. Dianna aged gracefully without exerting even a little effort. She is a single mother with a handsome 16-year- old son.

Dianna returned to the dining hall. She was craving for sea food. She was about to fall in line in the buffet, when she suddenly spotted a familiar face. The woman she saw was sitting alone at one of the tables. She was eating a small slice of Sans Rival cake. The woman was petite, with wavy hair and fair skin. She was in a green dress that hugged her tiny body. When Dianna saw one side of her face, she instantly recognized her.

"Kristine!" Dianna exclaimed.

Kristine recognized that voice. She stopped eating, and then she turned around and said, "Hey, Dianna!"

They smiled and kissed each other on the cheeks.

"Hi, how are you? I haven't seen you since high school!"

"Yes, I know. It's been a very long time since we saw each other. I'm fine."

"You never attended any of our reunions."

"Yeah, I've been super busy. You know."

"So, what have you been doing now, Kris?"

"I'm now the editor-in-chief of a fashion magazine called Glitz and Glamour. I also write a lifestyle column in Good Morning Philippines."

"Wow, that's fascinating! I always knew you'd be a writer about fashion. I remember when we were kids you'd always play with your mom's makeup and wear her dresses! You said you wanted to be the editor-in-chief in a fashion magazine and now you're one! You got your dream job! You're doing well!"

Kristine laughed embarrassedly. "Aww, thanks." She assumed that Dianna had never read the news in years. What a ditz!

"I remember you dated Andrew Castillo. Your only dream was to get married to him." Kristine had almost finished her Sans Rival. She sipped from a goblet of lychee juice. A lychee fruit was on top of her goblet.

"Yes, it was one of my dreams and sad to say it did not happen. He mysteriously disappeared when he found out I was pregnant." She frowned. She still had not forgiven Andrew after all these years. Why would she? Andrew caused her so much pain ever since he left her with a baby in her tummy.

"Yes, I remember. How is your son Andrei?" Kristine said. She remembered the curly-haired toddler that used to run around Dianna's house. He was so cute.

"He's all grown up now. He's sixteen and now an actor in a soap opera."

"Yeah, I know. Your kid is pretty popular these days. I even saw you and Andrei do an interview with Boy Abunda." Of course, Kristine knows about Andrei. She always sees him on TV. But what she really wanted to know was Dianna's relationship with Andrei. Are they close? Or does Andrei keep his secrets like a normal teenage boy? What does he think about his father? Kristine did not ask these questions to Dianna. It's best if she just let Dianna talk about her son without her asking about him.

"Gosh, this is really embarrassing!" Dianna laughed. "I had no idea what you've been up to and you have been inadvertently following my life. My life as a mother of a celebrity, to be exact!"

Kristine laughed. She's never changed. She's still the same conceited person I've known."

"I'm sorry if I sounded conceited," Dianna said, as if she read her friend's mind. "It's just that I'm so proud of my son and I'm glad he had the chance to follow his dream. I had that chance, but I didn't grab it. Life... just happened." Dianna looked down with sad and wistful eyes.

"I know and I understand you." Kristine said sympathetically.

Dianna was one of the most popular girls in high school. She was beautiful and confident. Boys admired her; girls envied her. Dianna was supposed to be a commercial model but some circumstance stopped her from fulfilling one of her dreams.

If only we could turn back time and correct our mistakes from the past, Dianna thought. I wonder what would have happened?