My first love. I'm supposed to get fluttering butterflies in my stomach by mere mention of the words but that doesn't happen anymore. I remember him so well, but I could not relate to what I felt for him, so I'll just tell a story.
We met at a freshman dorm at UPD. We come from the same region in the Philippines, we both play the piano, we both speak the same language... these were enough to start the spark. What started as a casual exchange of piano pieces turned into an exchange of Valentines' gifts. We started to look forward to days when we'd see each other, had dinner together, and went to church together.
He became my boyfriend on August 18 and, until now, he'd still send me a message on Yahoo Messenger every time that day comes. He'd say, "Happy X Anniversary.... kidding" with a row of smileys. I think the gesture is cute but, sometimes, I wish he'll quit doing that and start to see August 18 as just another day.
We was an achiever, tall (at 6') and an ROTC officer. On top of that, he was brilliant and handsome. In fact, when I see Chris Harrison on TV, I remember my first love because he just looks like him. Not to boast but in terms of looks and brilliance, for me, he was incomparable. People always thought we were a good match. I believed them; however, I was in a hurry about our relationship -- I must've scared the hell out of the student in him. One day, I asked him about his plans after college. He said, he wanted to work for a Japanese company that he had been eyeing all these years and help his parents send his sister to school. I expected him to include me in his "future" plans. Fast forward, five years later, I realized I shouldn't have asked him that question. I wouldn't have felt the hurt.
We were so immature and lived in the present. We didn't think on a grander scheme of things. In short, we misallocated our time and ended up with mis-prioritized things. I wanted to make sure he had plans for us after graduation because I included him in my plans. I didn't understand the uncertainty of the future and didn't like his "come what may" remark. He needed to commit that we'd still be together after I leave the university. He didn't. I left him after college.
We didn't see each other for years, until I found out one day that he was my next door neighbor in Makati. I was in law school then, he worked for a Japanese company, the company he's been eyeing for years. We spent days together and he introduced me to Korean movies -- I found them hilarious and I ended up hoarding a lot of DVDs I couldn't understand one bit if it weren't for the subtitles. I wanted for the emotions to come back but I couldn't even fake it. I could tell, even without words, that he wanted me back. I feel bad that I couldn't even bring myself to even hold him tight.
That's when I realized that he's the past and, at that time, I lived in the present.
I didn't feel anything, not even hurt. I silently wished the feelings would come back but it never did. I've outgrown him in terms of how I see things and my view on life. He wasn't my ideal guy anymore. He is my age by he simply was too young for me. His thoughts will never suffice my mental needs, and he still liked Warcraft -- one thing I could not stand for a minute.
The last time I met him was in 2005. He treated me to a nice dinner at Greenbelt. He just returned from Tokyo. (We both speak Japanese, by the way, but we never conversed using it. We always talk to each other in our native tongue (Ilonggo). )
We would have celebrated our 13th year anniversary on August 18, 2010 but that will never happen. I'm sure, though, that he'll send me a "Happy 13th Anniversary" joke on Yahoo Messenger since he never skipped a year. I hope, this year, he'd skip it.
I now live in San Francisco with my husband and son. He lives in Tokyo all by himself. I am happy that he's living his dream and I hope he has found love. He never did, after we broke up. I'm not sure what his reasons are but he said he's not in a hurry. One thing he told me though, he still looks forward to greet me when August 18 comes.