Our What if's

Chapter 1

"Congratulations to our New Civil Engineers! Welcome to the professional world."

Wearing my Vivant lacy dress in peach, paired with a Parisian shoes and a Jovanni sling bag, I still clearly remember how I strut the PICC halls with my mother and my friends and their families.

Ang sarap sa pakiramdam, at least, all my sacrifices have paid off, and that includes losing my man, the one who I fell in love with the same time I fell in love with my profession.

LDR didn't do me good, I lost him to a girl na mas malapit sa kanya, physically. It's been five years at hindi ko akalain na natapos yun dahil lang nagkalayo kami. I hated him pero hindi ko rin naman sya masisisi.

Hindi lahat ng tao, malakas, para kayanin ang LDR, at lalong hindi lahat ng tao, kayang labanan ang tukso sa paligid. I fuckin' sound like a martyr. It's just that, it was such a waste, we had to throw what we have planned for the future, sa kadahilanang tao lang ako na may hangganan din ang pagtitiis.

Well, that was five months ago. Right now, okay na ako. Medyo bitter pa rin, affected pa rin, pero medyo okay na.

Healing.

After attending the mass in Manila Cathedral, I decided to stroll around Luneta since maaga pa naman at ayoko pa rin umuwi kasi gusto ko muna maglakad-lakad at maarawan. During weekdays kasi kapag nasa office ako, babad lagi sa aircon at feeling ko wala na akong vitamin D sa katawan.

I was enjoying the beauty of this place, looking at the scenic view of the museums, the clean park, the families having their little picnic on the green grass, the kids running around, couples spending the day together, the balloon vendors, and the ice cream vendor who sells my favorite avocado ice cream, when I heard a music from somewhere (which sounds strangely familiar).

I can hear someone singing "No One Else Comes Close", so being the musician I am, I searched for the sound and it led me to a bench under a huge tree not so far from where I was earlier, and there sat a guy na kilalang kilala ko kahit pa nakatalikod.

Kaya naman pala pamilyar yung kanta at yung boses, it was a song that I requested him to sing for me, na ni-vm nya naman na sa akin.

I silently admired him from where I stand. Nag-iisip pa ako kung lalapitan ko sya pero bigla syang lumingon at nagtama ang mga paningin namin. Wala na akong nagawa kung hindi ang ngumiti at tipid na kumaway.

"Marie!" Tumigil muna sya sa paggigitara at bahagyang tumayo para batiin ako.

"Vin. Hi!" Nakalapit na ako sa kanya ngayon at pareho na kaming naupo sa bench.

"Anong ginagawa mo dito? Ang layo na nito sa Taguig ah?"

Yung mga mata na yun, menacing, akala mo laging gagawa ng di maganda, parang laging may balak na kalokohan, parang laging may nakakatawa kung makatingin, pero matino namang tao itong si Vin at matalino. Kaya nga crush ko yan.

Medyo natawa pa ako bago ko sya sinagot.

"Bawal na ba ako dito? I just attended the mass sa Manila Cathedral at naisipan ko na maglakad-lakad muna dito bago umuwi."

I smiled at him to prove a point, at para na rin gumaan yung atmosphere.

"May kasama ka?" - Vin

"Wala. Ikaw? May kasama kang tropa?"

"Wala rin. Sina Gab at MJ, busy sa mga girlfriend nila."

I just nodded in response. He started strumming in his guitar again the "Hey there Delilah" song. Hindi ko tuloy maiwasang isipin na para sa ex nya yung kanta na yun.