TAGGED

I was tagged by Mio/Mitch. (In college, we called her Mio. =D) Apparently, she wants to know what I thought the first time I met Ruther. Hmmm... interesting... =D

Anyway, the tag is: "What was I thinking when I first met my current partner?"

And now my story:

I grew up in Zamboanga and Ruther in Manila. Ruther's family and my aunt are neighbors here in Manila. Their houses are next to each other and so both families became close. In 1985, my aunt invited Ruther's family to spend the summer in Zamboanga. That was the first time I met Ruther. But I did not remember him much because it was Russell, his younger brother, who made that summer really irksome for me. He would make petty comments and would be so irritating that being the sensitive me, I complained to my mom about this new boy who always said "bad" things and I wished he would go away. And that was it and summer was over. Some summers we would spend in Manila and I would see Ruther and his brothers there but we did not chat all the time. I think I was very much amazed at the metropolis especially since I hailed from a very laidback city.

Then, in 1992, Ruther went back to Zamboanga with his youngest brother Ron. I was not so shy anymore but friendly. Since I knew Ruther as an acquaintance, we started talking and would hang out with my cousins. I realized as the days went by, that Ruther was very different from the boys in Zamboanga. The boys I knew then talked about games and irrelevant things. When Ruther and I talked, we conversed. I loved that our conversations kept me thinking. It was a nice feeling to talk about books and movies and things beyond my four corners which I called Zamboanga. And so I had a crush on him. And one night, when my cousins, Ruther, and I played spin the bottle, the inevitable question came up: "Who is your crush?" Not wanting to look like a fool, I answered "Rodel" who was my dance partner at our Junior-Senior Prom. I thought I was in the clear. When Ruther said his crush was my sister, I thought nothing about it because really, I never thought that it would become anything more than a crush. But after long phone calls from him in the evenings and much persistence, I finally admitted that yes, I did have a crush on him (hahaha! how quickly I gave in!). And I found out that he liked me too. And so began our love story. That summer we would hang out together each aware that we liked the other. Secret smiles, cheesy notes, holding hands. Yup, reeeally mushy...

When Ruther went back to Manila, we exchanged love letters (no internet and cellphones then). My cousin would give me his letter in secret. And I would give my cousin my reply. After months of this type of exchange, eventually, he wanted to know if I could be his girlfriend. I said yes and I was 16 years old. He said I made him happy.

When I came to Manila to study at the University, I thought our love would progress. But it was not to happen. Relatives interfered and after much disappointment, misunderstandings and miscommunication, Ruther and I parted ways. But it was quite hard to totally sever ties with him because I lived with my aunt and his house is just right beside hers so I would see him often. Besides, I was still friends with his brothers, which somehow made the parting difficult. As the years went by, we started talking again and I thought he would finally accept me as a friend. I found out later on that he still loved me and I loved him too, so last June 11, 1998, after 5 years of being apart, we got back together. June 11 is also our wedding date which is why it's such a special date for us. August 9, 1998, he proposed to me and I of course said yes. We just felt it was so right.

So yes, Ruther is my one and only boyfriend, my one and only love. Cute, huh. =D And to answer the question: What was I thinking when I first met my current partner? I thought then that he was really smart, somewhat aloof but really sweet. =D

And now, you know! =D

I'm tagging YOU, Clea (hahaha! even if I know part of your story, I still want to read about it in your friendster blog), Fritzie and Jenny (please? I already know Jane's story)!!

This is our photo, a month after we got back together and became sweethearts. This photo was taken July 12, 1998 when my siblings and I celebrated our birthdays. =D