On being in-love

I had a nice and long chat early morning of Tuesday with a friend who I wasn’t able to see for months. She dropped-by the office to pick-up her last check reimbursement and as always, she treated me out to a big burger and large sized fries in a burger house near the office. It was a perfect opportunity for us to catch up, since she’s off to go abroad by January - new environment and yes, new beginnings. I actually knew of this plan, as I am always updated on the status of her immigrant application to Canada. I know this has been a dream come true for her – living a life away from her usual busy world, a world where she’s to start anew with her Mom, Dad and elder sister. Indeed, even if its miles away, Canada is still a home.

So we shared our usual guffaws in the burger house which only had us and two Americans as customers. I am still the very attentive listener, and she still had lots of stories (and secrets!) to tell. The headline and to my delight, she’s in-love again. And her ‘rosy state’ has been going on for five months already. At last, after years of waiting (and wanting!), my friend can finally declare, “Hindi ako makakaong”. I haven’t met the guy personally but basing on her story, he’s quite a good catch – they were family friends, he’s a Mechanical Engineer cum manager of his family’s accounting firm – and I knew from my friend’s eyes, she’s head over heels on him.

She gave me an idea of how sweet and thoughtful her guy is. She shared to me the story of their first meeting, how she has been awful initially of his get-up (knowing how engineers sometimes dress-up). She told me how ‘kilig’ she was when he fetched her up from her place in Parañaque, all the way from Bulacan to drop her off to Makati as she’s to attend a Manager’s conference in Clark Pampanga. And of course, to make this all complete, he fetched her from the conference three days after and brought her home. Whew! Indeed an A++ for his effort!

Honestly, I am so happy for my friend. I’ve known her heartaches; I’ve heard her story of a love that was separated by her boyfriend’s untimely death and also have seen her cries from a recent love which was not reciprocated (or probably not even appreciated). I will always remember the night when she called me crying, simply because she learned this guy was out dating someone. I can always vividly recall how unwillingly I’ve been a love guru – even if I myself had love struggles to deal with during that time. I felt her pain… but a caring friend like me should, more than anything else, be a sturdy shoulder and an accommodating ear. Now as I look back, I see no trace of a hurting woman. Now, here’s a girl who have re-discovered the magic of love and the exciting feeling it would have to offer.

Quoting her, “It is really surprising to know that the love you deserve will come at a time when you least expect it”. Imagine, who would have thought that a very career-oriented woman ~ who sees her workstation as her home and her house as her bed, who can easily lead client meetings and withstand more than ten hours of boardroom presentation explaining the company’s SLAs, who can easily shy away credible managers with her witticisms (and sometimes, sarcasms!) ~ fall in-love with a simple Mechanical Engineer who’ll knock her out of her feet. And it happened when she’s off to go miles away. That simply is magic!

To my friend, here’s to a happy relationship with your man. I know you two would be challenged by the distance that there will be, but as long as you know where to put your hearts into, you guys should not be shaken. Be not afraid of the bumps, they’ll be fuels to keep you on the journey. Be not afraid of your differences, they’re icings on the cake. Be not afraid to love, just continue doing so.

To my friend’s Manu, thanks for painting a wide smile to her weary face. I’m sure you’ll treasure her the same way she has been special to me and to the rest of her family and friends. Typically, she’s not liked, she’s not admired and she’s not emulated. But she’s simply our bitch ~ the dear who made us laugh, made us cry and the girl who made us appreciate the beauty of her bitchy soulJ. Promise us, you’ll love her… and be the source of her strength.

To me, here’s to more patience in waiting. Again, “It is really surprising to know that the love you deserve will come at a time when you least expect it”. And when that time comes, I’m sure to be ready and accepting – the who and the what do not matter anymore, the person would simply be God’s gift to me. In His Time… in His Glorious Time!