Meant to be Yours

Chapter 37

𝙇𝙄𝙉𝘾𝙊𝙇𝙉 𝙆𝘼𝙄𝘿𝙀𝙉

"What did you say?" Napaigtad ako sa lakas ng boses ni Lolo.

"I'm sorry, Lo. Alam kong marami kayong plano sa akin. You're old, and you needed me to take over your business. I appreciate you so much, Lolo. You've made a lot of sacrifices for our family, and I understand if you're disappointed in me. But my girl needs me. And I miss her so much, Lolo." Napabuntong hininga si Lolo Dex sa mga sinabi ko. Alam kong magagalit siya dahil simula pa lang, ang dami na niyang plano para sa akin.

"Manang-mana ka sa daddy mo." Napailing si Lolo. "Sobrang tindi ninyong magmahal. Gagawin ang lahat para sa babae. Kailan mo ipakikilala sa akin si Miracle?" Napatingin ako kay Lolo. Nagulat ako sa sinabi niya. Hindi ba siya galit sa akin?

"You're going to like her, Lolo. She's beautiful, kind, smart. I can't wait for you to meet her."

"Mahal kita, apo. Nagalit ako sa daddy mo noon dahil mas pinili niya ang mommy mo kaysa sa akin. Pero ngayon, wala na akong hahanapin pa. Puwede na akong magpahinga dahil alam kong masaya na kayo. I'm glad he didn't choose me, dahil wala ka sana ngayon, apo. If you want to come home, you should do so. Hindi kita pipigilan. True love does not come around every day, so always listen to your heart, but don't forget to take your brain with you." Niyakap ko si Lolo at nagpasalamat sa kaniya. Hindi ko akalain na papayag kaagad siya na umuwi ako sa Pilipinas. Growing up, I thought of him as a strict grandfather, but as time went on, I have come to understand how much he loves and cares for me and my family. Even though he may not show it, we can feel it.

"Thank you, Lolo. I'll let you meet my girlfriend one day. I'll bring her here or you can come with me."

"I'm excited to meet her, Lincoln. Ano'ng plano mo pag-uwi mo?

"Propose to Miracle, build our own house, and I'll marry her."

"You're so sure of her, huh."

"Sobra, Lolo. After I talked to her over the phone earlier, parang nawala sa isip ko ang nangyari noong gabing naglasing siya. Lolo, she's always the one for me. I realized that we are just human. We all make mistakes. What important is when you screw up, learn from your mistake and avoid doing it again. Miracle already learned from her mistake. I love her and I'll keep coming back to her."

Pagkatapos naming mag-usap ni Lolo, inayos ko na kaagad ang flight ko pauwi ng Pilipinas. I wanted to see Miracle already. Sobrang miss na miss ko na siya.

I had called her earlier and we talked for 2 hours. She was crying so hard that it made me cry too. Maybe leaving her was a wrong decision, but there was no room for regret now. Miracle and I have no control over what life throws our way. All we need to do is learn from it, grow, and keep going forward.

I still had no idea what would happen after this. Hindi ko alam kung ipagpapatuloy ko pa ang MBA ko. I wanted to focus on Miracle first. Habang nag-uusap kami, ramdam na ramdam ko ang sakit sa mga boses niya. She shared about failing her exam and I wanted to beat the shit out of myself. She was really devastated.

She kept on saying sorry because she said she had disappointed me. My heart hurt knowing she was in pain. Gusto ko siyang puntahan kaagad, para sabihin sa kaniya na ni minsan ay hindi ako nagduda sa kakayahan niya. I know that she will be successful. She might have passed the exam if I hadn't left her side. She hurt me, yes, but she needed me. And I fucking left her.

I arrived in the Philippines after an almost 18-hour flight. I'm back home after 7 months. Miracle called me earlier, and told me that they had arrived at the airport. She sounded so ecstatic. I'm glad I can still make her happy. Excited na akong makita siya. I might kiss her right away.