Faith.Hope.Love

17. The Waiting Never Ends

How can you hold on to something that wasn't meant for you from the beginning? This was a story of a young man who fell in love with a young lady who lived in a faraway land.

A young lady named Rhine was on the seashore watching the sunset when she saw a frail body of a young man lying on the sand. She hurriedly came to the man to see his condition. The man seemed to be breathing still she thought. As she put her ear near the nostrils of the young man, she was taken aback when suddenly the man touched her arms. Good thing he was alive.

He slowly opened his eyes to see the young lady who was with her. He could see her eyes looking intently at him.

"Who are you?" The young man asked.

"I am Rhine. I saw you from afar. I thought that you were...Oh never mind, I'm glad you're alive," she explained.

"I am. At least for now..." The young man said.

"What do you mean?" Rhine wondered on what he said.

"If you will not lighten your grip on my chest, there's a big probability that I might have a shortage of breathing..." The man said almost laughing.

Rhine didn't realize that she was still feeling the chest of the young man.
"My apologies..." Rhine did remove her hands from the chest of the man and help him sit down.

"My deepest gratitude." John uttered when he was seated.

"My pleasure!" Rhine exclaimed.

"My name is John," said the young man.

They spent the whole time talking and laughing with each. John was captured by the simplicity and grace of Rhine. Rhine also felt the same. It was like love at first sight for both of them. Every afternoon, they would wait for each other on the sea shore to watch the sunset. At times they'd build castles and collect seashells. But most of the time, they would just talk to each other as if it would never end.

Then one afternoon, John was waiting for Rhine. While waiting he started to make sand castles and collected some seashells for Rhine. He also collected dried woods so they can make bonfire when Rhine comes.

"John..." Rhine called him.

"Rhine, finally you're here," John replied.

"I am here. I will always come to you." She said reassuringly.
They sat to watch the beauty of the sunset. Rhine closed her eyes.

"Rhine, wake up." John was holding her hand.

"I am awake..." Rhine softly answered.

Days passed, John waited for Rhine on the sea shore. He made a sand castle and collected some sea shells. He also gathered some dried woods for their bonfire. He waited patiently for Rhine.
But Rhine never came back. Days and nights still passed. John decided to come again in the seashore where he could remember Rhine. He started to build a sand castle and collected some sea shells. He was starting to light the bonfire when a man approached him. The man seemed to come from the king's palace.

"Are you John? " The man asked.

"I am Sir," he replied.

"Princess Rhine wanted you to have this." The man gave him a small bottle.

"Princess Rhine?" John was surprised.

"My daughter said she dreamed of you to walk on the shore," the King said. Tears were starting to fall from his eyes.

The King opened the bottle and pour out the crystal clear liquid on the right leg of John. John slowly tried to stand up without his crutches. He tried to walk on the seashore.

"You can walk now," the King said.

"Your Majesty, thank you. Where is your daughter?" John asked.

"She's in the palace," replied the King.

John went to the palace. He saw Princess Rhine in the garden. She was sitting on a wooden bench. John slowly came near her.
"Your Majesty, is that you?" Princess Rhine asked.

"It is I, John," John replied.

Princess Rhine didn't know what to say or do. She didn't want John to see her like that.

John sat beside Princess Rhine and embraced her.

"Why do you have to give up your eye sight for me?" John inquired.

"Because I love you. And I want to have my last dance with you." Princess Rhine said.

They spend the whole night dancing. It seemed unending for both of them. John could no longer hold back the tears from his eyes when Princess Rhine's body fell down. He thought that it would be the last time for them... their last chance...their last dance.

After some time, John went back to the seashore to watch the sunset. He lied down on the sand and closed his eyes. He was thinking of the good memories he had with Princess Rhine.

"I thought we would never have a happy ending..." John said to Princess Rhine.

"Well, they said that true love doesn't have a happy ending because true love never ends." What we have is true love, and it will never end John..." Princess Rhine gently whispered to him.

Princess Rhine's sight was restored through the true love's tears that came from John. Only true love's tears could redeem the sight of Princess Rhine when she exchanged it with the healing of John's legs.

They watched the sunset together, built sand castles, collected some seashells, and danced under the night sky and the stars.

Finally, they lived happily ever after...

Aimee had just read a story from the "More than Fairy Tales" book. It was the launching of "More Than Fairy Tales" book in Today's Hope. Gabriel was the one who wrote this story. He titled the story as "True Love's Tears."

I didn't have the courage to read it as planned. Rachel asked Aimee to read it instead. I was really glad she did that. Months had passed since I last saw Gabriel and I had no clue where he was and what really happened to him. Days after the retreat, Ma'am Shelly said that Gabriel resigned for an undisclosed reason. I tried to contact him but he never answered my calls.

I had to go to the restroom to hide the tears that were starting to fall from eyes after Aimee read the story. Does true love really never end? I was not that sure anymore. I still want to believe in it. I still want to hold on. I still want to hope... But how can I hold on? How can I still hope? I was not even sure if Gabriel also saw me the way I saw him. If he ever felt the same way, I did for him.

"Faith, aren't you done yet?" Rachel called on me as she knocked on the door of the rest room.

"Just a second..." I dried away my tears and washed my face.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Rachel asked me.

"I am. I have to..." I said.

"There you are. I've been looking for both of you." It was Justin.

"Hey guys, Ma'am Carmen said, the groundbreaking for the construction of the new building would start in a while," Aimee told us. She was just behind Justin.

We all went outside for the groundbreaking. Ms. Mitch and Sir Joseph of the AGM Publishing attended the event. DGN Construction Company representatives also came. DGN would be the one to construct the new building for the boys of Today's Hope. Ma'am Carmen, Teacher Angelo, all the staff and children looked so happy and excited. The children kept asking me if Gabriel would come and I just didn't know what to answer. Rachel was the one who explained patiently to the children.

The dreams of Today's Hope for their children would soon come to reality. As Ma'am Carmen thanked everyone, my heart seemed to break just by thinking that the dreams of the kids were at hand. It was all worth it. I couldn't hold back the tears from my eyes.

I remembered Gabriel when he was here to support the book proposal. I remembered seeing the excitement in his eyes as he helped us for this project.

I was hoping he'd remember this special day for the kids.

I still waited for him.

But he didn't come.