Waiting For You (A Forbidden Love)

Chapter 3 Woman on the wall

The past

I see a picture of a woman hanging in our wall. I look at it closely; i can't take my eyes off to that picture. I find her so beautiful, her eyes are expressive it's like she's talking me, feels like her soul is connected to mine.

“Dad who is she?” I ask my dad coz he is the one who put the picture above. I am so intrigued about her.

“She is my love”; he said it softly like he’s in pain. “I have been looking for her for a long time now, but still i can’t find her”.

“You mean she is your girlfriend?” I am so curious to know about her, never heard anything about her in the past.

“Yeah, she was my girlfriend before i married your mom. We lost in contact and she was gone suddenly.”

“Did you truly love her?” I tried to know what’s really in his heart. I know about their story of mom and him. They were married just for business thing, a marriage out of convenience as what most people say but still i don’t have much idea on it. I am still a teenager that time.

“Yes, she is the only woman i ever loved and she would always be in my heart, that’s why i keep looking for her, for us to be together.” I hear the firmness in my dad’s voice and his look is so sure.

When i heard his statement i feel my heart ache a bit. I don’t know why but it pains me hearing dad saying that he still love her, do anything to find her and will end up together.

“What if, she has someone now, dad?” I give him logic para di na siya umasa masyado.

“I don’t know son, if she is, that would hurt me so much. She is the only woman in my mind to spend the rest of my life.” I see a reflection of pain in his eyes and regrets.

“Maybe you will find her soon dad”; ngumiti lang si dad sa akin. A small smile is hoping.

Every time i came home and go for school, it’s her picture that i always look at first. I was so drawn into her, my eyes are being magnet by her. I feel that she has a life every time i look her eyes, it’s like she is talking to me. It maybe weird, but it’s just how i feel. She makes me happy all day.

Boys in my age, has a lot of crushes at school, they flirt and hang around with girls. But not me, none of them attracted me or feel interest in talking to them, I was 15 years old that time.

Only one particular woman that caught my attention and find beautiful, it’s the woman in the picture that hangs in our wall at home.

My dad goes away again, looking for her and i even wish and excited that one day my dad may find her and bring her home. He is been doing it for few years now and still hopeful. I came to know that her name is Rochelle Almonte, what a beautiful name.

After few months my dad came home being frustrated coz still no news of Rochelle.

“Dad, tell me about her”; this past few days talking about her is our leisure. Dad is so animated talking all about her, he’s happy sharing their story and i am so engross hearing all about her coz i feel I know her more as well through my dad’s story.

“Oh she's the most beautiful woman i ever meet, so delicate, mahinhin, mabait, soft-spoken, di mapagtanim ng galit, very patient and always smiling, we never fight coz she always understand.”

"We grew up together, she is my best friend, and I fell in love at a young age, though i am older than her."

"But my parents doesn’t like her coz she came from a poor family. I cannot defy my parent’s wishes, coz i knew they will hurt Rochelle so i gave up, for her to be safe and be away from scandal. I know what my parents can do and i don’t have enough resources and courage to fight for her at that time."

I feel for my dad, she love her deeply but had to choose the hard way for her love. I just keep listening to him.

"Leaving her is my biggest heartbreak, when she begs for me to choose her, parang pinapatay ang puso ko sa sakit kasi she doesn’t need to beg for me, my heart would always choose her."

"After my wedding i came to see her kasi di ko kayang di siya makita but her neighbor said, wala na daw siya, umalis patungong syudad para kalimutan ako."

I wonder how she manage to handle the pain upon losing her man because of another woman, that must be painful. I admire her courage to go somewhere to heal but really don't know much of this stuff.

"Sobrang sakit ng puso ko noon but i understand kasi di na ako malaya. I just wish na someday magkikita kami."

"Your mom knew about her, she understands kasi we suffer same situation, she also loved somebody else but had to choose me coz of our parents. Marrying and choosing each other means keeping our loveones safe." Madamdaming sabi ni Dad. I understand their point.

That's heroic act i guess, so my parents have same story. Loving the person they can't have and sacrificing themselves for the one they love.

"Your mom is also a good woman kaya i treat her right and you came, you fill the emptiness of my heart. But then your mom died giving birth to you because of complication. Malayo kami sa city for a good hospital, di niya kinaya. She lost breath after giving birth."

I never have a memory of my mom coz never saw her in person, just all pictures and narration from yaya Delia, my mom's best-friend.

"I came to look for Rochelle after a year of mourning for your mom, but i can’t find her. But i never lose hope to find her again. I hired a private investigator to look for her, that's how I'm serious on finding her."

"You were 8 years old that time when my investigator finally found her location in one of the province in Northern part of Luzon. I can't explain my happiness that time, coz after a long years of waiting i would finally see her."

"But my happiness ended when i found that she is in relationship with someone. That time nasaktan ako, i feel i came late. But still i don't lose hope, as long as di pa siya kinasal may pag-asa pa ako. I would still pursue her coz i know we are meant to be."

"What happen after that dad? Are you together after that or you were rejected?" Di ko mapigilang itanong, i am excited to hear more of their story or her story to be exact.

"Ikaw talaga, bakit ba marami kang tanong about sa love-life, siguro may pinopormahan ka na noh?" Wika ni dad habang ginugulo ang buhok ko na mataas at curly. I like to have a long hair.

"Wala noh, curious lang ako bakit kayo nagkahiwalay kung mahal niyo ang isa't isa"; saad ko para di mahalata ang kagustuhan ko na marinig uli ang story nila.

"Next time nalang, may meeting pa ako na pupuntahan in one hour, sige na punta ka muna kay yaya"; ani pa niya at naiinis ako kasi di na naman natapos ang kwentuhan namin.

Soon mas marami pa akong malalaman tungkol sa kanya. I look at her picture again.

"Sana one day makita kita and i am excited when that day would come"; usal ko sa kanya habang tinitingnan ng maigi ang kanyang larawan sa wall

What a beautiful face, so enchanting, never had find someone as pretty as her.