Our Love Story: Part 2

The vacation before college, mega-telebabad kami ni tabs. He tells me things I know he would not tell anyone else. And I am grateful for that. Sobrang open nya sa kin. Nag-aaway lang kame pag minsan kasi mahina pandinig nya at mahina ako magsalita!

Then we started college. Sa College of Engineering kame pareho sa UP. He was taking up Computer Eng’g, me naman Chemical Engineering. We had no classes together, pero we met lunchtimes. And that time, he would fetch me sa Math Building to take me to Philcoa. Nag-Boarding House kasi sya, di naman ako nagpapahatid bahay, so he would just take me to philcoa tapos mag-jeep na ko from there.

The first few years were really a mix of fun and inis times. Madalas kami mag-away, about the most trivial of things. May mga away that would lead to one of us walking out on the other. But its back to normal the next day. Over time, we learned to let go of the pain and move on, as if di kame magkaaway. I guess the best thing I learned from tabs is how to forgive and forget. Kasi kahit sya, ganun naman e, di sya nagtatanim nga galit.

When we were on our third year, we experienced rough times already. Tempers rose very high too easily. And we were becoming too violent na (di naman bugbugan ha, medyo minsan lang di na naitatago sa public away namin, minsan nagtataasan ng boses, etc.) It was the first time in more than 2 years that I questioned where the relationship was going. After a few months, fortunately, things got better, we were back to normal (cat-and-mouse-without-the-violence-normal) I remember one day, magkaaway kame and sa inis ko I went inside the UP Chapel to pray. Si tabs followed me and sat beside me, then he asked me to marry him. Syempre I said yes, pero syempre at that time it was just a question, not really a plan. But my friends told me, big thing na daw yun coming from a guy, di sya magbibiro ng ganun if he didn't mean it.

But take note, till we graduated, away bati pa rin kame, though this time mejo days na ang bibilangin kada away.

I graduated earlier than tabs did, because naiwan sya sa thesis for some sad reason na di naman nya kasalanan. So it took him another year pa. Me naman, after I graduated, I got work, reviewed for the board exams in November. Tabs and I would meet na lang after work. Weekends. It was slowly becoming a peaceful relationship, this time, weeks na and interval ng mga away namin!

On our 6th year anniversary we decided to go to Baguio. Supposedly with friends pero walang sumama sa min, so 2 lang kame with and my best friend from Baguio was the one who went with us to go around. That was the longest and the best 4 days of our relationship kasi we spent it together. Super enjoy kami. The following year it was to Subic, enjoy din kahit 2 lang kame, then Tagaytay the following year. We made it a point to go out pag anniversary naming, primarily because it was really the only time we could spend much with each other. Away from it all.

It was in 2004 when we initially decided to plan the wedding. I remember mga February yun and tabs and I agreed to start canvassing. Pero a few weeks lang, sumakit ang ulo ko kasi ang mahal pala ng lahat! Hahaha…. And then I saw this ad in the newspaper, about exams in Ateneo for the MBA. And I asked him kung yun na lang kaya unahin naming, because I’ve always wanted a post grad degree. Parang kasama talaga yun sa long term goals ko. Luckily I also passed the exams in UP and I decided to go there na lang, nearer to my house and sure na ko sa environment. So May pa lang I started with workshops. And it affected our relationship too, kasi ngayon super busy na rin ako. I only had one daw a workweek to spend with tabs, since 4x a week and class ko. I also met new friends, so adjustment again. And at some point, akala ko it was time to move on. But I guess God has his way of telling us na we were meant to be together.

One night lang biniro ko si tabs na bigyan nya ko ng engagement ring. And he agreed, pili daw ako ng design, papagawa kami sa classmate ko sa MBA. So we did. Di sya mahilig sa surprises e, and I didn’t mind, sanay na ko. When we got the ring I gave it to him, sabi ko bigay na lang nya ulit. That was after I wore it the night before para mafeel ko! Hahaha…. Pinakita na pala nya sa family nya. We went out to dinner a few days after, October 5 yun, I remember. We ate pa sa isang resto sa Greenbelt, pero Tabs, for all the time we’ve been together, di pa kinaya ng powers nya ibigay sa kin! Siguro dahil he didn’t know what to say. Sa taxi pa nya binigay, sinuot lang sa ring finger ko. Sabi ko pa “di mo ba ko tatanungin?” and he did. Ang saya.

And here we are now…. Three months till our wedding. A lot has happened too since that day he asked for my hand. Madami pa rin naging conflicts, madaming away at samaan ng loob. But with each day that passes more and more nafi-feel namin ang excitement. 