Dearest

First of all, I’d like to express my gratitude to the two people whose privacy I am about to invade. The girl, just before we would graduate in college, entrusted me with a bunch of letters and dried roses and a pair of earrings, a ring and a rusty necklace and all the love and sincerity that went along with it. She told me that she found it necessary to dispose all the evidence of the past and start another love story with her current boyfriend. However, since I served as an ever loyal bridge in her past love story, she opted to entrust to me the decision of either throwing it all away or keeping it as long as I want. For years, I didn’t have the heart to throw them all away. My heart sank as my friend handed them all to me, all I knew was that if there would be one person who would be willing to do her best to keep this couple together, that person would be me. Sad to say, it takes two to tango, not three HAHAHAHA and believe me when I tell you that up to now, I am still hoping they’ll end up together. Inasmuch as I would want to rewrite their destiny and make their paths cross once more, there is nothing left to go back to, only the road ahead..only the “moving forward” route.

I've no idea how old this is >.< ikaw na girl!!!!

Three things na binigay ni boy; earrings, ring and necklace--- three means I LOVE YOU raw <3

However, the time has come for me to let go of her safely-kept package. I am about to leave my hometown for some bigger dreams of mine and that would mean I’d be leaving all the privacy I have kept inside my room for more than two decades now. And so before I throw away all the pain and glory of the past, I’d like to keep a snapshot of it and share it to you, whoever you are.

This ex-couple reminded me of the Kristine Hermosa-Jericho Rosales love-team. So let’s make use of that for the sake of naming names. ;)

Be reminded that most of the letters I have were from Jericho (as kept by Kristine). Also, I’d like to share them according to date so that you’d be able to fully see how their love progressed from an innocent puppy love to a complicated teen-age affair. There were so many letters my friends, that’s why I had to scout for only a few, just so you can grasp the comical yet heart-warming chapter these two individuals shared, once upon a time.

Let’s begin.

This poem was the very first poem ever written by Jericho for a girl, and this too, was the first poem received by Kristine, coming from a guy.

Pangako mo sa aki’y di magbabago

Ngunit bakit nagkaganito

Ako’y iyong nilisan

Wala man lang paalam

Ano ba ang nagging dahilan

Kumaba sa puso ko

Nais kong malaman mo

Pagmamahal ko ay di magbabago

Maghihintay na lamang ba

Ang puso kong nangangamba?

Sa iyong mga pangako,

Ano ang gagawin

Ako ba’y maghihintay pa

Ngunit bakit lumisan ka

Magbabalik ka pa ba

Dito sa piling ko

Pangako mo sa aki’y

Aasahan ko…….

All of the following are excerpts of short and lengthy letters written by the boy. (aside from the fake names) COPIED AS IS.

Ano raaaawww?! "You're so cute like me?" Waaaaw. Nakakahiya naman sa'yo Jericho! HAHA

January 11, 2004

….Alam mo ba kung gaano kasakit ang sinulat mo sa akin (last Friday). Nabigla ako noong nabasa ko yun tapos sinali mo pa si (insert some male name here)? Bakit? Nagkita ba kayo? Nagkausap ba kayo? Ano papalitan mo ba ako sa kanya?....kung hindi mo na ako gustong maging kaibigan sabihin mo lang ako na mismo ang lalayo sa’yo at maghahanap ako ng ibang kaibigan dahil maraming sakit na aking nadarama sa’yo…..

Jericho

October 7, 2004

Kristine, sabihin mo ang totoo may gusto ka ba sa akin dahil si (insert male name here) ang palagi mong pinapansin eh, tika-tika wag’ ka sanang magagalit, nagseselos kasi ako eh kapag kinakausap mo si ****….Tin, kung si **** ang mahalin mo “magpapakaMATAY” talaga ako Tin umiiyak ako! …..hindi kita pakakawalan kahit saang lupain ka magpunta. Susundan kita OK!

Jericho

December 4, 2004

….Kristine, ito ba ang E-mail address mo KristineHermosa@yahoo.com sa akin ay Scoobie_doo@yahoo.com binago ko! Mayroon kang Friendster? Para friends na din tayo sa COMPUTER

Jericho

2005-2007

Undated. The letters in between.

>Kristine the box that you gave me this morning why is it that it doesn’t have any letter and the letter that you wrote to me is in the box. Tin, I hope, you will understand my letter. GOOD BYE!

Jericho

******I do hope Kristine understood that one yo!******

>Kristine, sino ba ang sumanib sayo na kaluluwa noong Friday? Para kasing nagbago ka eh! Hindi mo ako pinansin, ang bata ang pinapansin mo. Hindi naman talaga “tagalog” yun, Visayan yun at nagpa-uto ka sa kanya, huwag kang magalit sabi ni (insert female name here) nagseselos ka daw pag nagkita kami ni (insert another female name here) PLEASE huwag ka sanang magalit.

 ----DON’T BE ANGRY BE HAPPY----

Jericho

******

>Hi.

I-Want to know you Kristine

L- abis kitang mahal.

O-key lang ba sa iyo.

V-ery cute mo kasi.

E-very night kitang iniisip.

Y-our so beautiful!

O-ras na mamahalin mo ako.

U-ubusin ko talaga ang oras ko para lang sa’yo!

Kung may panganib, tawagin mo lang ako dahil handa akong protektahan ka ano man ang mangyari.

Jericho

******

>Kristine, bakit inilipat ka na naman ng upuan at katabi mo ang batang si (insert some male name here) Tin, kapag binastos ka ng katabi mo, sabihin mo lang sa akin, babatokan ko yan! Ay! Sorry, sinabi mo pala sa akin na hindi ako maghahanap ng away k!

Jericho

******

(around March 2005)

"….Tin, tama ka hindi mo na nakikita ang ngiti ko, expressions, at hindi mo na naririnig ang boses ko, ako din! Katulad tayo ng nadarama sa isa’t isa...."

Jericho

******

(around 2006)

Jericho, please don’t hurt me, don’t make me cry, don’t fool me but instead love me, make me smile and be true to me. If ever makipag-break ka, ok ra, basta I know the reason and dili because you found someone new…..maybe gigayuma ko nimo hehehe. Pro if ever gigayuma ko nimo, dili na unta xa mawala because I always want to be with you, by your side. Ayaw baya ko pahilaka ha! Suwayi gali kay gera ta! (Joke ra!) Don’t ever change because I love you just the way you are.

Kristine

March 28, 2007

Just tell me kung expired na ko sa imong heart kay walay expiration date akong love sa imo as of now…………..WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOU?! Ad2ng dili pa kita, grabe kaayo ka kapasensyoso, you’d even wait for me if ever daghan ko ginabuhat just to talk to me. Ad2ng dili pa kita, you always have time for me. You always comfort me, you always make me smile, you always make me calm. KARON NA KITA NA bali na hinuon. Kulang na imong time para sa ako because of your COMPUTER GAMES. Kulang na imong time sa ako because of your FRIENDS. Kung tutuusin, your always with your friends. 8 hours a day 7 days a week pajud nimo sila kauban while ako 3 days a week 2 hours a day ra nimo kauban….YOU KNOW WHAT? I WANT TO BREAK UP WITH YOU…I’m tired of crying everyday. (karon ra sad na week) If you want to talk to me, just approach me anytime of the day basta dili ko busy.

Kristine

Jericho’s reply:

TIN SORRY HA NOWADAYS NAPAG-ISIPAN KO NA HINDI TALAGA TAYO BAGAY SA ISA’T-ISA…PERO DAGHAN KAAYO GA HADLANG SA ATONG DALAWA.. SORRY HA THANK YOU FOR THE LOVE THAT YOU GAVE TO ME THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING…KRISTINE…I LOVE YOU VERY MUCH YOU KNOW THAT!!! BUT THERE IS SO MANY HUMAHADLANG…… THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING……GOOD BYE TO YOU GOOD BYE TO EVERYTHING…PAALAM NA, PAALAM NA PAALAM NA MANA….I LOVE YOU LIKE CRAZY……BYE BYE

ITO ANG PINAKAMALUPIT NA LETTER SA LAHAT DAHIL SA PITONG PATAY NA LAMOK! Waaaw,  hindi masyadong halata ang pagiging sadista ni Jericho! HAHA

September 6, 2007

(as quoted by Kristine from her teacher) "Hurting is a part of love. Why do we cry a lot if we don’t love? When we travel in life, let us not be afraid." 

It’s good that we know reality…I have to go on.

Kristine

September 18, 2007

….”sayang” ang word of the day kay you know na, HAPPY MONTHSARY unta! Kung wala lang ko nag patigbulag…pero unsaon ta man…you know what gisilutan sguro ko ni God kay nagbulag ta…sala man gyud nako……pero kung kabalo lang ka…LOVE gyapun taka

Jericho


November 14, 2007

Hi Jhala!

[insert super lengthy chika here]

"...but dili nako bawi-on akoang promise, mag-wait jud ko sa iya, bawasan lang nako, instead of 26 yrs old, until 22 yrs old na lang kay basin mahimo kog matandang dalaga. All I can do is hope, pray, wait and stand strong. Nag-fight ko para sa iya, mo-fight gihapon ko for him but silently na lang tingali

Kristine

**********END OF SHARING************

These excerpts poorly depict the real reason of their break-up. You know what I mean. Break-ups are complicated. Break-ups are sad. Like, generally AND seriously, there is nothing to celebrate about two people breaking up >.<

I hope you guys understand why I am posting a story with such a sad ending on Valentine's day. I'm also sorry that I omitted so many other letters because including them will compromise the identity of these two people. I am doing this primarily because I believe in love, the act of loving and of hoping. I know, things will never be the same again, but if we could at least see and take a peek of what happened in between, we will finally understand that it is not the “happily-ever-after” that counts the most, it’s the courage that these two people had in order to begin that “once upon a time” and cherish everything that happened in between.

I am not doing this for them to get back together, because I am honestly happy seeing them happy as well, together with their respective other half. I am doing this for you, for you my dear reader, so that you don’t end up holding on to some false hope and for that kind of idealism the world has set as a standard when it comes to love. I want you to face love as is, feel it, embrace it, enjoy every minute of it and finally be able to look back without regrets. I’m not saying all love stories end up sadly. The truth is, it ends up just as how it should. And that’s another thing we should gladly look forward to. :’)

Believe me, I do not intend to make you cynical, to make you worry, to make feel doubtful and make you feel scared. My dearest reader, I want you to laugh, I want you to cry, to never be afraid of loving the wrong person, and finally, it all sums up to this one thing we can always do and have freely; I want you to love.

I admire how Jericho and Kristine faced this epic chapter of their lives; the tendency of an eleven-year old to get super jealous, the thing about girls when they like being chased, the expiry of boys' patience that unfortunately happen when you need them the most and the tragic ending of moving on and letting go. And I admire those people who went through this process just the same. May you continue to love faithfully and forgive endlessly.

Currently, Jericho and Kristine are still friends. What’s even better is that they’re still my friends (THEY LOVE ME SO MUCH THAT THEY ALLOWED ME TO PUBLICLY SHARE WHAT THEY HAVE KEPT PRIVATE FOR YEARS HAHAHAHA)! And most importantly, these two people dared to love, give freely, dream big, fail, and suddenly woke up from their dreams, saw what lies ahead and bravely moved on.


♫ ♫ I hope he buys you flowers,

I hope he holds your hands.

Give you all his hours,

When he has the chance

Take you to every party,

Cause I remember how much

You loved to dance

Do all the things I should have done,

When I was your man ♫ ♫

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! ;)