The New Mr & Mrs

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Happy newlyweds, treading the marriage road and discovering new things about each other each day. We feel overjoyed, blessed and excited.

Below is a post I've written months ago before the Big Day. Looking back, I would go through the roller coaster ride of planning a wedding again.

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So where do I start? We've known each other for more than two decades now. We were classmates for three years in primary school but never really liked each other. But no, we were not reconnected because of Facebook or any other social networking media. We just met. Again. And that's where it all started.

A friend and I organised this reunion almost a decade ago for our batch in primary school. We wanted to re-connect with old friends so we thought we'd throw a casual party for everyone to catch up. He came with a friend and I, well, with my ex. 

Obviously, we didn't hit it off. That night at the party, it was just a simple "hi" and "hello" and nothing serious. He was awfully quiet. That reunion was in 2001.

Weeks passed and a few night-outs with friends, we became friends. We would text or talk on the phone. We would have lunch or enjoy a round of drinks on Friday nights but that was it. The relationship didn't advance to the next level simply because I was in a relationship then.

I knew he was falling for me. He was vocal about it. I couldn't reciprocate his feelings and the only thing I can offer was friendship.

It went on for a few more years. We would go out, have lunch and spend some time together. We couldn't really define what we had back then. We would not see each other for weeks or months but would still find a way to catch up and see each other again.

Until I moved to Singapore in 2005 for work. He didn't know that I left the country. I called him up one time to ask him how he was and so we got re-connected.

In 2006, I spent Christmas back home. We went out a few times and almost became a couple. Almost. A day after "that" decision, I decided that it was a bad idea. Long-distance relationships rarely work. And I felt that I was jumping into something half-heartedly.

So, I left Manila and disappeared from "his radar" for months. However, whenever I'd go home each year, I'd let him know I was in town and he'd drop by to give me flowers or to say "hi". It's been, sort of, an unspoken tradition. Call it crazy or nonsense, but it's true.

In 2009, a couple of months before I was scheduled to fly back home to spend my birthday, I suddenly missed him. I called him to tell him that. I wanna see you, I said.

So we met on my birthday in Manila, after a fun day with close friends. He introduced me to flavoured beer as we enjoyed a live band performance until past midnight. That time, I realised I missed him so but I still wasn't sure if being a couple would make things better for us.

The day I was flying back to Singapore, I told him I love him. In short, we became a couple. He flew to Singapore and we spent an amazing 10 days together. We were like honeymooners that didn't care about the world.

Chinese Garden, Singapore (January 2010)

The hardest part was his return to Manila. Waking up without him beside me was torture. And hearing his voice on the other line was heartbreaking. A long-distance relationship sucks.

We had a few more bumps and a massive storm along the way. The planned wedding in October, 2011 didn't happen obviously. We barely survived the storm and he was crushed.

But destiny has worked its magic and we found ourselves in love once again. This time, I'm not letting you go, he said. It's us. 

At the Merlion Park in Singapore (January 2010)

Who would've thought that after all those bumps and bruises and failed relationships, it's going to be us? And all those years, he never left me. He was always there, loving me in silence, even if I wasn't paying attention to him. He has always been there. He's the only constant in my life. 

In less than five months, I am going to marry this man. And from now on, it's my turn to be the "constant" in his life.

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