Every Love story is the same...
Every love story is the same. Boy meets girl, they fall in love, something happens to test that love and they argue, momentarily breaking each other’s hearts and then find out the hard way that their love was true to begin with.
They now have the choice of either living happily ever after or leave each other forever. Our love story is quite different as they take the path to love in a very different pattern altogether.
Act One
They met at a bookstore, when they both reached for the same book. She looked at him as if to challenge him and he didn’t back down.
“I need this book for my thesis.” She said, firmly.
“I need this book to pass my history class” He replied
“Haven’t you heard the phrase ‘Ladies first’?”
“Isn’t this the 21st Century?”
“Look up the definition of chivalry in the dictionary, you need it.”
“Look up the definition of desperate in the dictionary, I need this book.”
She straightened her back and stared at him. She thought it was no use to argue, they both weren’t backing down. This was the last book in this store. Desperate people do desperate things.
“Ok, how about we do this…” She proposed “I’ll pay for half the price of the book, take it home, get the info I need and then give it to you when I’m done. This way, we can share the book without looking and acting like buffoons.”
He let out a snort “Buffoon… who uses that word nowadays?”
She raised an eyebrow “Do you want that deal or not? Because I can be a real pain and make a scene in here.”
“Fine. Gimme your number and your address. I don’t want you running off with my book.”
“My book, he says…” And then she rolled her eyes.
Act Two
She was late. He hates tardiness, thinks it’s a waste of time and money. He was thinking that she’d never show. Silently, he was berating himself for letting a pretty girl dupe him. He’s going to fail history now and will never graduate. Worse, he lost money in the process.
She finally arrived, 15 minutes after the agreed time. He was about to give her a piece of his mind when a beautiful woman in white came through the door. It was her and she never looked more beautiful.
“Sorry I’m late. I lost track of time.”
“Nah, it’s alright. I just got here.” Liar.
“So, here’s your book. Thanks for letting me use it.”
“It’s technically our book…” Wow… suddenly, the entire situation felt awkward.
“…ummm… ok….” She started to take her leave when he stopped her.
“Hey, since we’re here in this coffee shop…want to have coffee? It’s on me” Smooth.
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah! It’s the least I can do. After all, you took care of my book.”
“Technically…it’s OUR book.”
So they sat down and had coffee. The air was soon filled with conversation, laughter and a promise of love.
Act Three
Years pass by and we find our couple in the throes of their adult life. She’s a big shot lawyer and he’s a successful artist. Four years into the relationship and they still have not said “I love you” to each other. Initially, they wanted to be one of those “cool” couples – the ones that let each other feel their love without having to resort to something totally mushy and gag inducing.
Although that was agreed upon, it wasn’t what was wanted. She was starting to think it was more of a relationship for convenience rather than anything else. One night during dinner, she thought that the relationship should meet its demise.
“I think we should end this.”
“What? What did I do this time?”
“It’s not what you did…”
“Spare me the lines. I know you. You don’t decide on something unless you know it’s not worth it. Is that what this is? Is that it?”
“No! This relationship is worth everything…it’s just that…”
“What?! I’m not a mind reader! Tell me! That’s the problem, you never tell me anything!”
“Funny you should say that, I never TELL you anything? How about you not telling me things?”
“What things?! I never keep secrets from you! I tell you everything!”
“NO YOU DON’T! You’ve never told me, not once, have you told me you love me!”
“Is that all? Do you want me to tell you I love you? I LOVE YOU! There! Is that enough?”
“I don’t want you to say it out of anger or spite! I just want you to say it!
“Am I not enough? Shouldn’t the everyday of being together and feeling love be enough? If words were so important to you, I would’ve given it. You only had to ask.”
He stood up, held her cheek and turned around to walk away. She sat there, in perfect heartbreaking epiphany. She finally heard the words she wanted to hear, but lost the love she held so dear.
So she hung her head and silently cried.
Act Four
Everything started looking and feeling mundane. Important things were really not that important once you lose love.
She tried to put on a brave face and went on with her work. She argued, debated, pleaded and won cases. Victory was so bland without him to celebrate with.
He had a few days of drunken misery, making sure that his liver got just punishment while his heart lay broken in the hollow of his chest.
A few months roll by and the sync of their lives was slowly coming back. Or at least, so they think.
She had an important client, one of those big businessmen that give to charities. He wanted her to be his lawyer since he fired the last one for being too cold hearted. Mr. Big Shot invited her for lunch in his palatial abode.
Upon entrance, she was greeted with a butler and was asked to wait in the sitting room. It was then that she saw her own face, in a painting she has never seen before. Just when she was about to touch the painting to check who made it, Mr. Big Shot came in with his booming voice.
“Hija! I like that you’re early, shows that you are a professional! Can I offer you anything to drink? Tea, coffee, wine?” He clapped his pudgy hands.
“Oh… coffee will be nice. Two sugars and one cream. Thank you.” She still couldn’t take her eyes off the painting.
The businessman noticed it and stood right beside her. “She’s beautiful no? Every time I see this painting, I fall so much in love with it. The artist must have been madly in love with this woman. Look at the strokes and the colors. Each stroke was done lovingly; every color is bright and warm. If that isn’t love, I don’t know what is.”
She said nothing but continued to stare at the painting.
“Have you ever been in love, Ms. Agrazada?”
She felt the tears coming. It took every ounce of her strength to control them. “Yes sir, I have been. I think I still am.”
“Good! Keep that! Only a few people are privileged enough to witness and be in love. You share something with the artist already. This Michael Niti is one talented fellow.”
“Niti, sir? This is a Niti?”
“Yes, it is. I’ve been enamored of his paintings. Each painting he has of this woman, I purchase for my house. I’ve been in love once Ms. Agrazada and I made the biggest mistake of trying to test that love instead of letting it grow. Now, I try to surround myself with paintings that evoke that feeling in me. It’s the only thing I could do now.”
“Mr. Mariveles…” She said, her voice quivering. “Would you terribly mind if we reschedule our meeting? I just remembered I had something very important to do.”
He had a smile that felt so genuine and warm. He pulled her into a hug and whispered “Go find him.”
Act Five
She drove as fast (and as safe) as she could to get to his door. She stood there for a full minute, trying to compose herself and trying to figure out what to say.
When she finally had the courage to knock on the door, it suddenly opened – she was greeted by a woman in a skimpy outfit.
“Oh… hi… I’m looking for Mike… Did he move?” She felt crestfallen.
“Oh no! He’s here, wait… MIKE! YOU GOT SOMEONE HERE FOR YOU!” She made a mental note that this girl is not a preferred guest to formal parties.
Mike came out from the shower with just a towel around his waist. “Who is it, Baby?”
Her heart fell when she heard him call the girl “baby”
“I dunno… some chick…” Baby replied.
She got her senses back and started walking away. Apparently, she waited too long. He went on with his life and she was a fool to believe that he’d actually wait for her. Her walk became a jog until it broke into a full run.
“Erika! ERIKA!” Mike was now running after her.
She ran, faster and faster, hoping the winds would pick her up and take her away from him and his “baby”.
“Erika! For the love of god! Stop and let me explain!”
“There’s nothing to explain! I understand!”
“No, you don’t! You have absolutely no idea!”
She suddenly stopped and turned around to run into him. When they met, she took a fist into his chest.
“You bloody asshole! I come here, hoping to find you miserable and wanting me but instead I get a greeting from a bimbo.”
“Hey! Baby is not a bimbo!’
“Oh, so you’re defending her now?!”
“Why did you come here? What did you want?”
“I wanted you! I wanted us back. I was an idiot and I was the one who never told you how much I love you! However, I’m inclined not to say these things because you, you… YOU! Are procreating with that girl, young enough to be your cousin or your daughter!”
He started laughing and he pulled her close to him. “Erika… I can’t procreate with her. Baby is my cousin. She’s not a bimbo, just a girl who is a little unsure of what she wants in life. You’ve never met her before because she lives in
She stilled. It was at this very point that she wanted to die. She muttered a silent prayer of thanks and requested the earth swallow her whole.
“Let’s go back to what you said a while ago… Do you still love me, Erika?”
She nodded, allowing herself to be caught in the arms of the man she loves. “I’ve never stopped loving you.”
Act Six
The TV is showing this actor professing his love for the movie’s heroine. Mike is curled up on the sofa, with a beautiful pregnant Erika by his side.
“That is so cheesy.” Erika wrinkles her nose in mock disgust.
“You want to know what cheesy is?” He smirked.
“You’re not going to let me forget that, aren’t you?”
“Why not?! We shouldn’t forget it! It was a very touching moment. You told me you love me, I told you I love you, you thought I was sleeping with Baby…”
“Alright! Did you know you’re not supposed to upset the pregnant woman?!”
He laughed and hugged her close. “Did you know that I fell in love with you because you got my book?”
She kissed him softly on the lips “Technically, it’s our book.”
-Fin-
