He was staring blankly at the sea. He felt downcast. He seemed oblivious to the sound of nature - the rushing of the waters, the blowing of the wind and the chirping of the birds. His mind was glued to the memory of the girl he has loved for almost fifteen years now... Mary Rose Pabroquez.
"Oh Mary, if you only knew..." he whispered to himself.
The two little birds on the twig of the talisay tree caught his attention. He felt envious because the birds looked so love struck, cheerfully chirping while weaving their nest.
Mary was his high school classmate. He remembered that they were always teased especially by their English Teacher.
"Class, there was once a bee who was always observed to be eyeing a beautiful flower... anyway, a bee can be used to stand for a boy like Christian and the flower can represent a young girl like Mary," he remembered Mr. Perez saying.
A smile was painted on his face while recalling the memory.
"See, you two are a perfect combination. You both were even the first placers of the CSAT Examination," their guidance counselor added.
"Those were the days," he uttered to himself. He was always hesitant then of going near her. He was always intimidated. Mary is a daughter of both teachers while he was a son of a housekeeper.
His best friend, Alex would always badger him, asking, "Are you not going to court her? You know, you can never find a girl like her. She is intelligent, kind and lovable..."
His answer will only be a private smile. Deep inside his heart, a promise is made. "Someday, I'm going to unfold the feelings I have for you Mary. Someday...somehow!"
The time has come for them to part ways. He was miles away from her. There was no communication between them. He learned that Mary studied at LNU and took up BEED, finishing her course with honors.
During Mary's graduation, a close friend greeted her and said, "Congratulations! You're such an achiever but... you have no one special to share your achievements with. That's too bad!"
"It doesn't bother me so much. You know the kind of vocation that I would like to embrace. I have also been waiting for Christian but he's too far," she answered while looking at nowhere.
"You are indeed intelligent but you are poor when it comes to love life!" Leah added. "Why waste your time for that guy? Why not choose among your many suitors?"
"I am still thankful to him. He taught me a lot. I loved him although I've come to realize that he will never be the first love of my life..." She pointed to the skies. "My first love is there."
Christian knew all these and Mary's whereabouts through his best friend Alex who was also studying at LNU.
Three years after Mary's graduation, he lost track of her. This time, he was already a full pledged chemical engineer. He has a high-paying job. With these, he built his dream house.
"This house will be our home Mary. This will be my wedding gift for you," he whispered to himself in soliloquy.
Now, he has finally made up his mind. The time for him to open up the contents of his heart had come. He will visit Mary in their house. He dressed up and stare at the mirror a million times before going.
His heart was beating so fast, For fifteen years, he had kept this love to himself. Now, he made a decision. He was so tensed, he barely noticed that he already arrived at the Pabroquez residence. He parked his car near the gate. He walked slowly and excitedly pressed the doorbell.
The main door opened. He felt a sudden relief when he saw that it was not Mary. It was her sister - Kristine.
"Hi kuya, get inside. What can I do for you?"
"Thank you. Is your ate around?"
Kristine just gazed at him.
"Ahm, is she in Tacloban or what? When is she coming back?" he nervously inquired.
Kristine was about to answer when the door of their living room opened. Clarianne was smiling while carrying a tray with slice of cake and a glass of juice. Clarianne is Mary's look alike.
"Kuya, take your snack first. Just feel at home, anyway my parents are not here. They went with Ate Mary," narrated Clarianne.
"Clarianne..." Her ate Kristine attempted to interrupt but it was too late.
"Didn't you know Kuya that Ate Mary finally decided to enter the convent? Just this morning, there were two nuns from DSP who came here. Papa and Mama accompanied her to San Jose Airport. By this time, maybe she is already in Pasay. That's where you can find the DSP's formation center," Clarianne went on.
He felt like his eardrum had exploded. He tried to stop himself from bursting into tears. He was unaware that he was finally able to say something to Mary's sisters.
"I will not be staying for long girls. I was too late... I have to say goodbye. By the way, here is a chocolate for you and kindly place these roses in your grotto."
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