YOU’RE STILL THE ONE”
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“Love, kailan nanaman ba balik mo?” tanong ko sa nobyo kong si Kevin habang mahigpit ang pagkakayakap ko sa kanya.
“Hindi ako sigurado love eh. Siguro after three weeks? Pero don’t worry, sigurado namang makakabalik ako at saka pagbalik ko diretso na tayo agad sa simbahan kasi magpapakasal na tayo. Hindi ba?” He affirmed and caressed my face by his soft hands.
I reward him a kiss as I gave him my warm hug as if it the last time. I wave my goodbye for him as he drove the car away.
My boyfriend is an army and he was always deployed miles far away from me. Sometimes he can only come home once or twice a month. It’s hard to have a boyfriend who has a big duty to country, but what I can do? I love him. I really do.
We barely spend alone time with each other. Still, we never forget to keep a good communication. We do chat and we always check each other every period of time.
Seconds, Minutes, Hours, Days and Weeks had past.
I’m here sitting next to the window as my eyes travelled out of nowhere while waiting for my man to comeback home.
It’s already third week of the month, yet he’s still not here. I stood up as I was about to go to my room when my phone suddenly rang. I roamed my eyes searching for my phone. I hurriedly grabbed it on the couch as I excitedly answer the call.
It’s Kevin!
“Hi Love?! Kailan ka ba uuwi?” I excitedly asked him as a smile formed on my face.
“Next year love… Kidding. I’ll be coming home right away after our commander allow us to do so.. Basta hintayin mo ako ha? Magpapakasal pa tayo hindi b—” Pabirong saad niya nang bigla nalang may sumabog na kung ano dahilan upang maputol siya sa pagsasalita.
“Love? Is everything okay there? Love?! HELLO?! KEVIN!” I almost shouted into phone for I can’t help myself not to feel any pinch of nervous. I heaved a sigh when I found out that the line was dropped.
I think they were on a drill or what so the signal was interruped.
—
The light of the morning sun enters the window and hit my face that caused me to woke up. I get off my bed as I fixed my things and get out of my room. I went to the bathroom stretching out my both arms.
I’m almost inch far from our bathroom when someone knocks the door. A wide smile stuck on my face as I hurriedly ran into the door.
“Welcome back love! Akala ko matatagalan ka pa sa cam—” My words cut off when I found out that it’s not the person I’m expecting to knock the door.
“Hi Gretch?” Luther greeted me. Luther is my fiance’s besfriend and a friend really close to me. He is also an army.
“H-hello Luther. What happened to you? Bakit naka semento ‘yang kamay mo? Is Kevin with you?” I asked him without a pause but Luther suddenly bowed his head and began to cry.
“I’m s-sorry Gretch…” He sobs while his tears continuously streaming down his cheeks.
I’m getting...

nervous.
“Luther! Where is Kevin?! I knew it! Is this some kind of a prank? Please tell your friend that I’m not in the mood for this. Where’s the hidden cam—” I tend not to overthink and act like something crazy is going on, when Luther suddenly spoke that made me stop.
“Isa si Kevin na kasama sa mga nasawi sa pagsabog kagabi sa campo. I’m one of the five survivors out of 100 troops in the camp. Nasa St. Benidict Hospital Morgue na siya kasama ang iba pa sa mga nasawi sa pagsabog kahapon. Puwede na kitang samahan na dalawin siya doon. I’m sorry Gretch.” Luther directly said to me as he bid his condolences.
My lips quivered after hearing the bad news. The moment he told me the truth, my world suddenly stops and it feels a sudden lost of my strenght. My knees became weak making me fell on the ground after hearing the bad news from him.
My body starts to tremble because of what I found out, tanks of tears escaped my eyes together with tons of pain invading and continuously emaciating my whole system.
Seconds turned into hours. Hours turned into days. Days turned into weeks. And weeks turned into months. Now that I lost my man? I don’t know if I can still continue living life.
—
I faced the mirror as tears kept flowing from my eyes. A wide smile formed on my sanguine face as I stare myself on the mirror while wearing a white gown.
“Gretchen masisira ‘yang make-up mo!” saad ng make-up artist dahilan upang mabilis kong pahiran ang mga luha ko.
“I’m sorry, hindi lang talaga ako makapaniwala na mangyayari pa din ito.” I mumbled as I forced a smile.
“Gretch, ready na ‘yung car sa labas. Puwede na tayong umalis pagkatapos mo d’yan. Naghihintay na si Kevin sa simbahan. ” Luther mentioned as I respond him with a nod.
Makalipas ang ilang oras na biyahe ay nakarating na kami sa simbahan. Excitement rushed on my system together with a little bit of nervous.
I let a sigh lighten the weight on my chest. I get off the car as I put myself on the entrance of the church.
The both door opens as the musicians starts to play our wedding song which is ‘Thousand Years’ by Christina Perri. I started walking on the aisle as I stared at my man whose waiting on the end of it.
Finally, I reached the end of the aisle. I laid my both eyes to my man as I can’t help my tears not to burst out.
“Hi love. Finally we’re already getting married!” I said together with a smile on my face as I stared his picture on the frame.
Maybe my man is now gone but it doesn’t mean that our forever has already ended. Even if he’s not in my arms anymore, I’ll still be grateful for he came and brought joy into my life.
He is my man and he will always be. I’m not a puzzle with a missing piece, nor a book with lost pages, because I know that he will stay forever in my heart— and even death can’t stop the love story that we both started.
—Wolf Amadeo