Engaged to the Heartless Heartbreaker ✔

Chapter 31 - Moving On

To @mygreatlovemarch20, for promoting this story to the nth level haha and, of course, for being a very good friend...
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~~~ CHAPTER 31 - MOVING ON ~~~

TWO YEARS LATER

"Here's his note for you, Miss Ruiz," Miss Dela Rosa handed me a white envelope.

My attention was called by the Scholarship Department of the University of the South. When I met the In-Charge there, that was when I learned about the note. It had just been the end of the semestral break and I could literally smell the fragrance of summertime.

"Oh, another note from him! Thank you, Miss Dela Rosa," I said, smiling at her while accepting the white envelope.

"Congratulations! You've finally made it to the Dean's List this semester," she said. "Your benefactor must be very happy about it."

"Thank you, Miss," I said. "Well, I don't know if he's informed already. Thank you again, Miss Dela Rosa. Bye."

I was just outside that office when I felt the urge to read the note. I opened the envelope and I saw his beautiful penmanship on the piece of paper.

Miss Ruiz,

What can I say? You made it. You finally made it! You don't know how happy I am discovering about it. I'm very, very proud of you. Keep it up!
 
And then, of course, how could I disregard the beautiful signature under it?

S. Eliakim

His signature always fascinated me --- the cursive penmanship with the beautiful curves of the capital S and E and the neat and legible small letters that followed it. Just seeing his signature, you would tell he was quite an interesting man.

So he learned already my being part of the Dean's List this semester. It was he who said, through a note, that I had the potential of being an excellent student as he had monitored my grades. I just didn't believe it at first. But today, it was really happening. He must have the ability to tell things about the future...

Since I started my Social Welfare study at the University of the South two years ago, this amazing philanthropist had been supporting me in all my university fees. It was just I was lucky to be part of the few students, identified through some strict criteria, who were picked by the University to be sponsored by philanthropic donors, who were private individuals or institutions. It was indeed an unexpected blessing and I was lucky to be given an amazing philanthropist who never failed to pay all my financial obligations in the university and who always sent me notes of encouragement on my studies.

On one of his notes, he actually promised to meet me during my graduation next year. The thought of my graduation produced a chill in my body. One more year to go and I'd finally graduate... and I'd finally meet my amazing father figure... or grandfather figure... my benefactor.

I actually didn't have an idea how my benefactor looked like physically, but I always imagined him as a senior citizen who had already accomplished many things in life that giving his excesses to the needy became now his mission in life.

I learned from the Scholarship Department that, apart from me, he had other scholars in other parts of the country. See how generous he was?

People like him were my inspiration in finishing my degree in Social Welfare. I wanted to be like him... and all the others who shared their blessings.

Still looking at the beautiful handwriting on the piece of paper, I was smiling broadly. Why do you inspire me so much, Mr. Eliakim? Nobody inspired me this much in my studies. I was never this academically inspired before.