A Love For Keeps

A Story

"She was impatient and inexperienced." Qing nodded his understanding.

"She was eighteen. So she got drunk, she pulled the friend to get drunk with her and well..."

"Something happened between them," Qing winced. "Fuck they were stupid."

"The boy accused his friend of taking advantage of the drunk girl. The friend admitted to it and professed that he also loves the girl."

"Oh hell..." Qing grimaced this time. "That's rape..."

I paled at what he said. "Don't say that...please..."

"Why not? That's rape, Dayu. The girl was drunk, he took advantage. He raped her. If I am a douchebag like that friend, I could have done the same to you. Remember when we first met? You got pretty wasted that time. But did I take advantage even though you practically took off all your clothes? No! Why? Because I am not a rapist, like that friend of that boy..."

"Oh my...let's sleep." I don't think I should finish this story.

"No!" Qing shook his head. "Finish the story. Then what happened?"

I bit my lower lip. "Well, the boy didn't care. He loves the girl so even though his friend touched her first, he took her back and held her hand again. While the friend was ostracized and was ordered to keep his distance from them."

"Kudos to him," Qing sounded impressed about the boy. "And the friend deserve that, to be ostracized.

"But six weeks later after that fateful night of indiscriminate drinking, the girl found out she is pregnant. With the friend's baby..."

"Oh shit..." Qing winced again.

"Oh shit indeed. The boy suddenly have a dilemma in his hand. He can love the girl but can he raise another man's child? And the friend, when he learned that he will be a father, wants the child to be given to him or he will raise hell. What should the girl do?"

"Fuck...what did she do?" Qing asked.

"She married the friend. Even if she didn't love him. She cannot give away her child. She also doesn't want to take that chance that the boy will hate her child with the boy's friend. So she broke up with the boy and married the father of her child. But her heart, remained on the boy she loves."

Qing stared at me. In his eyes, I know he is already computing things on his head. Analyzing the components and coming up with conclusions.

"I see..." he said quietly.

"Do you want me to continue?" I asked him carefully.

I saw him swallow hard. "Sure," Qing said even though his tone said he is not sure anymore.

I nodded. He needs to hear the second part of the story. "The boy married the bride his family wants for him. The girl gave birth, to a baby boy while the friend continued to study and work at the same time to finish his degree and raise his little family. The bride of the boy also gave birth the second year of their marriage, also a boy. The girl and the friend has a son. The boy also has a son. Life commence for all of them..."

"The end?" Qing asked hopefully.

I shook my head. "Fast forward to eighteen more years, the boy and the girl who is a man and a woman now, met again. And they realize, they still love each other. The woman, who married the man she didn't love refused to open her heart to her husband. The man who married the bride picked for him lived out for his obligations. The bride is kind so he treats her right and kindly...but right and kind are not love. The man and woman only ever love each other. And if you are desperate like that...an affair is not out of the realm of their reality..."