Love starts with a milktea

By Johanne R. Macob

 

WE’VE already been exchanging chitchats through SMS, Facebook PMs, and mobile calls for months so I thought nothing wrong about meeting him up close. Yes, like in a date.

We decided to meet in a coffee/millktea shop in my town for my convenience, of course. I thought making him travel the distance will indicate his level of interest in me. I am the very traditional Filipino woman who likes to be pursued at home but at that time, after several disappointments, I realized it was best to know more about him first before my family learns about him and meets him to avoid any misunderstanding or unfounded expectations.

He arrived first at our designated meeting place before I did. He was neat, smelled good and his nails were clean, too. Good. He asked me what I liked to have. “Any of the iced coffee and a blueberry cheesecake,” I said. I thought he understood and stood up to place the order. A few minutes later, he came back – no cheesecake and no coffee either. I asked him what he ordered for me. “Blueberry milk tea.” Gosh, loser. Nonetheless, I didn’t have the heart to tell him he got it all wrong.

Despite my initial disappointment, I allowed the date to proceed without any hint of it. He asked me more than the usual “first date” questions. He told me more than the usual ‘pa-cute’ lines and cracked more than corny jokes. He was unexpectedly interesting. I often saw him in many news coverage since we were in the same line of work then but seeing him up-close that time was really different. So as we were down to our last few sips of our blueberry milk tea, something in me hoped that he’d ask for another round to extend our “first date.” He read my mind. The afternoon date went on till dinner. That was actually my longest “first date” ever.

Thereafter, we’d meet to go somewhere and do whatever- milktea date, movie date, jogging date, videoke date, whatever- after our coverage. This worked well for us till he had to make some decisions about his life, particularly his career and his faith. He left his job, the one that led him to me, and me to him and became ‘us.’ Happily ever after? Not yet actually, since life always, has a way of testing people, including relationships.

Fast forward- he’s a thousand miles away from me today. And we’re close to celebrating our second year of togetherness.

While we no longer see each other at work, no longer share milktea together, we now “meet up” on Skype and Facebook and via all the other available apps. We continue to share dreams for the future and enjoy our own version of ‘dates’ and surprises and romances without need to physically sneak out from anything or anyone. We’re more honest about our feelings, unafraid to tell each other when one disagrees with a thought, no more reservations. We still argue and fight but mostly for each other and not with each other. We disagree and even get pissed off at times but we always find our way to forgive and forget. We get so crazy at times over the distance and the longing, but we always end up realizing we’re just crazy for each other. And, we love each other’s families. Still, we can never know where this will lead us.

To sum it up, we are individually better persons now, way better than when we were first introduced to each other. I never knew I could be this giving, and loving, and understanding. On the other hand, he kept on telling me he was never the mushy kind until I came into his life. And together, we’re on the path of being the best versions we could ever hope to become-in all aspects that matter. This is the very reason why I believe God, indeed, has blessed this relationship.

This may not be the sweetest love story there is, but I share it here in the hope of inspiring people to find or wait for the right person, the one who will motivate, support, and challenge you to do better and more and to become the best person you could be while he or she is doing the same thing for himself or herself.

So however our story ends, I am already happy with the thought that he and I have both become better persons since we’ve known each other. Happy love month, everyone! Keep the love alive!

(For your comments and reactions, please email to: punch.sunday@gmail.com)

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