THE DREAM OF ROMANCE
"Always there will be a woman in a man’s life
The one that got away
The true love
The perfect girl
The player
The one that never even knew him
Always there is one that fits that mold
Some look back with relief
Some look back and wish or even dream
Some never look back
Just that they are a memory
Lost forever in the sands of time"
-MV 2013
Every man has a love story. Cheesy. I mean cheesy as something out of the most pathetic romance novel you can buy at a five and dime or like on TV, like those K pop mini series that make me puke. I have my own. Some known, some buried, lost in oblivion, forever.
No matter how cheesy, complicated it is, every man still his own love story of a girl that that has no happy ending. That story belongs to that man and that man alone.
The one that got away, the one that never loved him back, the one that never knew he cared for her. Each man has this rite of passage. Painful. But rites of passage are usually no sleigh rides. Just like circumsicion, that was no sleigh ride for me. (That's on an upcoming blog btw.). I have couple of experiences with this but that chapter was closed long, long ago. I sometimes reminisce about those days but that is just it, plain reminiscing.
The one that got away, the one that never loved him back, the one that never knew he cared for her. Each man has this rite of passage. Painful. But rites of passage are usually no sleigh rides. Just like circumsicion, that was no sleigh ride for me. (That's on an upcoming blog btw.). I have couple of experiences with this but that chapter was closed long, long ago. I sometimes reminisce about those days but that is just it, plain reminiscing.
There is a poem that goes “Just because you love someone, that does not mean that that person will love you back. You can just try to be lovable, the rest is up to them”. The hard awful truth and it happens to the best of people. Actually, it happens to all guys. All men were rejected at one point in their lives. Brad Pitt, Rudolf Valentino, Richard Gomez, Martin Velasco even Aga Muhlach, they all have a story to tell about a girl with a "not so happily ever after" ending.
Raoul had a thing for Ina, a campus heartthrob that earned a moniker of being “The Heartbreaker”. Ina was smart, sexy and absolutely to die for. Raoul being young, shy and innocent never made a move. Raoul was also linguistically challenged. Let's just say he has a different kind of English. Raoul was so afraid of failing that he never tried. Adriana Lima, the supermodel believes that "one should never be afraid of failing but actually never trying". Nice point. Raoul never even tried until this time.
With Ina many tried, most failed. Indeed she is beautiful. Timeless. She is the kind of beauty that makes you wanna wake up to see beside you, each day until senility.
Sadly, Ina is engaged.
Yesterday a friend of mine and I hatched a grand plan for Raoul. Ina was in town and there was a dinner in her honor. What started out as a joke became an ornate, well executed plan that made someone dear to us so happy.
In 24 hours we were able to:
1. Fabricate engagement rings;
2. Get a bouquet of the finest long stemmed pink roses;
3. Compile music memorable to this girl that she will forever cherish;
4. Write down what this guy wanted to say to this girl for 26 years in a light, humorous, concise and sincere manner and
5. Round up a group of guys from our crew to act as his “cheering squad”.
Raoul, despite his fear took after this poet Rudyard Kipling. Raoul “filled his 60 seconds worth of distance and ran” he ran and "risked it in one pitch and toss”. In a public place, a restaurant in a mall teeming with people, he went in there, after drinking half a bottle of Scotch, flowers in tow, rings in his pocket, he knelt and read the letter that contained a message that he should have conveyed 26 years past. This kinda courage is not easy, even for a man never married and in his 40’s.
She was the one he loved.
She was the one he loved.
Ina was flabbergasted. In her face, she did not know of this was a joke. I guess when the guy knelt and professed his love, punch drunk with emotion and Scotch, negated by adrenaline, she got the message. She is engaged but this guy just had to try. It was his last ticket, a “Last of the Mohicans” kinda thing and like like Bon Jovi sang in the '90's he was "shot down a blaze of glory". The letter Raoul read to Ina was heartfelt and truly stunning. It was worth the chance
Today was the happiest day of his life for Raoul, I felt his joy. Actually, the word more apt would be OVERJOYED. Raoul was able to profess his love for someone that he cared for.....since 1987. The cavalry was with him. He thanked us but he really did not have to do that. It was a gift. We love him to death.
After the drama, we had dessert, cocktails, took pictures, laughed, reminisced, took more pictures. Music videos depicted here sum up the mood except for the one by Bon Jovi. For a while there, it looked like Raoul and Ina were actually were going to be engaged. Jokes flew, the music played. An air of light fun was abound. We all said goodbye. Ina and Raoul had a minute or two together. Raoul looked so happy. Ina was still in disbelief.
There is no happy ending to this story. Ina will go home abroad and marry her guy. Our bud went home, drunk, happy yet sad but more importantly, relieved. The dam has burst. He has said his piece. The pressure has been released, for good and for a couple of hours Raoul was with his Cleopatra and he was her Mark Anthony.
Raoul has finally freed himself of the shackles that bound him. Shackles of regret, chains that made his heart ponder and maybe even bleed through the years.
Raoul has finally freed himself of the shackles that bound him. Shackles of regret, chains that made his heart ponder and maybe even bleed through the years.
I am happy for Raoul. It took guts to do that, a lot of guts. I am grateful to Ina. She was such a good sport, gracious and accommodating. I also think she was floored with all that happened. Indeed, she was worth it. A girl like is one in a billion.
Every man has a love story. To the men that read this and have similar situations, my advice to you is that you make like Shalamar and "make that move", dare to fail. You can win, You can lose but you will live and learn with no regrets. To those that love someone but are too afraid, GO FOR IT. Life is short. You gotta try. I did. I have no regrets.
Closure. That is what happened. For Raoul and Ina the story continues with a better upright self respecting man continuing his journey of life. Ina, his Queen will forever be etched in his heart, never fading, such a pleasant memory it has become. Ina will never forget Raoul for sure. That is enough.
Perhaps in another life, in the next world, the Queen will be his....
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