I am currently working on a new book, titled The One who Got Away – an anthology of short stories whose theme is unpursued young loves that could have ended in happy endings…or also in not-so-happy conclusions; either way, these are love stories that leave the readers wondering with only questions of what-ifs and could-have-beens in their minds and hearts, for the past could no longer be changed; it could only be remembered as it was.
This idea was inspired by my having reconnected again with many of my College classmates and friends whom I haven’t seen nor communicated with for more than two decades, until recently when our class president took the task of finding many of us one by one on social media—for the purpose of organizing a sort of a class reunion in the foreseeable future.
While chatting with one another, one topic that most have decided to gamely talk about was our respective crushes back in College; and thus born the idea of my writing a compilation of stories that will tell of unrequited or unpursued loves—reminiscing about “the ones who got away.”
Here’s the first story that I have started for that collection, titled “Our Future Together Was Not So Bright After All.” This is only Chapter One. And this is a work in progress. I hope to be able to finish this in a few weeks’ time.
“Our Future Together Was Not So Bright After All”
(to J.M.)
Chapter One
That one summer day in March 2001 was hot and humid, the reason I was feeling lazy to go out of the house. I looked up at the clock on the wall: It said 7:30 a.m. I should be really up and out of bed already and eating my breakfast. It would be a long day. I was going to my former school, the College where I finished my Bachelor’s degree in Nursing, to obtain a copy of my transcript of records; and then I would be proceeding to the nearby Professional Regulation Commission to renew my Nursing license.
Finally, I decided that life abroad was the one for me—in Canada, to be exact, where I had relatives who had been prodding me to immigrate there once and for all; and the possibility of working there as a nurse or anything closely related was what I would be needing copies of those documents for.
Every time I thought of Canada, it gave me mixed feelings. Excited yet apprehensive. Happy but sad. For eventually, I could start my life all over again in a country where great opportunities abound. I could meet new friends, not only fellow Filipinos but surely also people from other cultures. Maybe I could go back to school and study a new course or even finish another degree, or perhaps pursue my dream of becoming a published author. Would I find my future belovéd there? Maybe yes, maybe not. On the other hand, the thought of living in another country also seemed tough and scary, for this entailed leaving my life in my homeland behind…all my friends, my family, my band, my books, my records…only to start again as a nobody, in a strange land far away from home—with nothing in my pocket but a glimmer of hope and new dreams for old and keys to my still uncertain future!a
“aLfie!” My mom suddenly appeared from the kitchen. “You will be late. You don’t want to be caught in the traffic and also to find yourself standing at the end of a long line. You know how long it takes getting documents from schools and government offices. Hurry up, go!”
“Okay, Mom. I’m going. See you later,” said I, as I rushed towards the front door of our house without even finishing the scrambled-egg sandwich and cup of hot chocolate that she prepared for me.
(to be continued…)
