If Cinderella has a magical shoe and in Asia there is the red string of fate, we have a magical shoelace.
It
all started in 2013 when I met a girl during one of my fieldwork trips
in Cagayan who caught my attention. Since I was too shy to talk to her
directly, I asked for a group picture instead.
When
I got back to Manila, I asked her supervisor about her, only to find
out she already had a boyfriend. So, although I didn’t pursue her, but
from time to time, I would purposely bring her up whenever talking to
her fellow supervisor in Cagayan.
I
never thought we would actually meet in person again five years later
when she came to Manila for our post-Christmas and Kickoff party. I took
them to a nearby fast food place for dinner, showed them to their
hotel, and left. But deep down, I couldn’t explain how I felt seeing her
again, even more beautiful than before.
A few days later, I presented our IT plans for the coming years while
wearing a pink polo shirt. I didn’t realize it left an impression on
her. After the event, they wanted to shop at Divisoria, so I guided
them. On the way back, we passed through Lucky Chinatown Mall, decorated
for Chinese New Year with lanterns. We stopped to take photos, and she
secretly took a candid shot of me.
At
the mall, I noticed she wasn’t used to walking long distances, so I
suggested we have dinner before heading back to their hotel to give her
feet a rest.
After dinner, I took them back to their hotel, stayed for a while, and then left.
And every morning, I secretly checked on her through her roommate.
That night, the party continued, and everyone had fun at the post-Christmas celebration.
After the party, everyone went home, and the next day was their
departure from Manila. I joined them for breakfast, managing to sit
besides her.
After eating, we went to their room so they could prepare their things.
Then, we went down to wait for their taxi. While waiting, I kept teasing
her and taking pictures of her, but she was shy and kept covering her
face.
When their taxi arrived, I said goodbye to them, but I kept checking on her through her supervisor.
A few days later, I received a text from her. She explained that she asked for my number from her fellow supervisor.
Since
then, Our rollercoaster relationship began. As we progressed, she
revealed that the reason she fell for me was due to two things I did
during their stay.
The
first was when I was presenting in front of them wearing my pink shirt.
She said she couldn’t help but smile and feel butterflies. She later
mentioned this in a letter she wrote two years later.
The second was when I noticed her shoelace was untied. Instead of just pointing it out, I knelt down and tied it for her.
By the way, her name was Juvy Rose Boctot.
And being with her is one of the best things that has ever happened in my life.
May our relationship stand the test of time.
After the party, everyone went home, and the next day was their
departure from Manila. I joined them for breakfast, managing to sit
besides her.
