this was my gift for him last month. I was so hyped about his coming over to Manila to celebrate with me that I totally forgot about that day being our monthsary. lawl. With adrenalin flooding my veins, I texted everyone to rescue me from utter idiocy. I asked them for ideas on what to give him for our monthsary to make up for the fortune that he shelled out for the plane tix. Jenelle suggested that I cook his favorite dish(right, like I have all the time in the world). Others said that I buy him this and that so i went like "wahh..it's raining buckets outside and all i have are five hours or so. how in hell would i be able to buy somethin without going to work afterwards drippin wet?!". Pressured by the ticking of the clock and the downpour of seemingly impossible suggestions, I ended up with an idea of making another letter. unfortunately it had to be a whole lot simpler than the previous ones because I didn't have the luxury of time. so out of that idea came this one.. 
Love indeed knows no distance. Adrian Manila, a 25 year old radiologic technologist, flew all his way to celebrate 16 months of love and friendship with his long distance girlfriend Thea Angelie Braga. At around 1am , Philippine time, the guy finally set foot on Metro Manila grounds with treats in hand and went straight to his girl’s workplace, St. Luke’s Medical Center – Pediatric Intensive Care Unit to meet the nurse who he least thought would capture his very hard-to-please heart.
The two have been walking or better yet “phonecalling” their way through the lovers’ lane since last year and like any other couple, they also had their share of humps and hollows. Unlike others however, they managed to overcome these difficulties even though they’re technically islands, seas and skyways apart.
Adrian aka Pakdong has been Geli’s classmate in High School but even though they literally sat under one roof in four academic years, the two couldn’t remember being close to each other. In short and simple language, they led very different lives. They were never friends. They were only classmates-which is what we call people who sit next to us to talk only about group projects or how short the skirt of the teacher was and never about that cute guy who texted or that biotch who stole somebody’s boyfriend. But of course they knew that the other existed like the way GMA knew that Bill Clinton was in the same class with hers in Harfreakinvard Law School. Yes, of course.
They both existed. Fact. Geli was even totally aware that Pakdong was one of the greatest football players in school; that a lot of girls go gaga over him; that he was silent as a lamb; that he was one of the few guys that her goon-filled barkada so hated in Senior year and that he was their eXO in CAT. They had very few encounters that she could basically count them with one hand and a few more fingers. So few that if he weren’t seated behind her in Junior Year, she wouldn’t know that he knew how to laugh. But you can’t blame them, they both had their own set of pawns and queens and kings to maneuver. While he was very busy honing his kicking and headbatting skills, she was on the other hand busy watching her crushes in his team and that tall, dark and VERY handsome guy from another school. Lawl.
His world revolved around soccer and jerseys and knee high socks and shin guards and strikers and goals and premier leagues and world cup. And hers? World was all about looking for her lost thing; who’s leading the flag ceremony (which included but was not limited to rosary,novena,morning prayer, bible reading and pete knows what else could help us save our souls,), angelus, 3o'clock prayer, flag retreat; answering homeworks in school because she had no time for them at home; takraw, takyan, Chinese garter, soccer, luksong tinik, tigso; bullying CAT applicants and following CAT officers; talking about their teachers’ not-so-nice habits and not-so-fragrant armpit scents; collecting amorsiko and talisay leaves; cleaning garden boxes; and again, watching that guy from other school beat her classmates’ asses in the soccer field.What about their love lives?! Well, she, together with a bunch of girlfriends kind of like matchmade him with a few girls in class but he was..uhm..apathetic. SIMPLY BECAUSE HE LOVED SOCCER SO MUCH and his ultimate crush was pretty and was her friend and not to mention was taken (I’d rather not name drop unless I want my neck wrung like a wet towel) and her crush?! There’s a lot so I’d rather not start.
Basically that was high school. For him, she was a nobody and for her, he was a soccer player. And after 5 normal years, 2 leap years and sudden twist of fate, they became good friends. So good that she always reminded him to lower his pride and do something about his problem with his ex because she really wanted them to get back together. So good that she technically gave his number to a number of friends so he could find himself a decent girlfriend. So good that she wanted him to be the boyfriend of one of her closest and kindest friends. And so good that she actually listened to him when he told her that the best way to move on from a failed relationship is to drink. And then she became his mocking subject. Whatever she did, whatever came out of her mouth, he always had a say, uhm no. Make that a nasty say. She felt like she hadn’t done anything correct anymore. He would always reprimand her even when a mob of onlookers were around. He even said, straightfowradly at that, that he could always find a girlfriend easily but he would never court a girl with a band aid on her face and yeah, that was (guess who?) GELI. His guts!ugh!.And because of that, she dreaded his presence, she dreaded the entire existence of Adrian Manila. They both hated each other but for some unknown reason, they always show up in a group together And the very common “first impressions last?”-IT”S BOLLOCKS. Coz in the end, they turned out to be having that romantic eyes on each other. JEEZ (cheesy). And they both did a pretty good job on hiding that psychosocial strength Erik Erikson calls el-ow-vee-eee. And I can’t believe I’m saying this. Lawl.
Anyhow, 16 months ago, after a casual confession, a ragged rejection, a birthday celebration and a deep realization, they finally tied the shoelace. It was very queer at first from a nemesis-turned-lover’s standpoint. What can we expect? From classmates, to beermates, to mockingmates, to friends to lovers? Odd. But whatever they shared, no matter how awkward it was for them, was special. And they managed to maintain that special bond for 16 wonderful months amidst jealousy, misunderstanding, pride, differences, distance, rejection, break up attempts and rumors. And now, even after a night of miscommunication, they’re still together. And to that, the girl wants a toast and she wants to say that no matter what, they’re gonna end up together. She wants the guy to know that she loves him so much and nothing’s gonna stop her from doing so, not differences and certainly not distance.=)
-The BandAid Girl
