The Library: A Love Story

Tales of my Father - Part 5

The week that passed had been stressful to Boy. The father of his girlfriend, a policeman, confronted him and demanded that he break up with her, or else, something bad will happen to him. He willingly obliged. But the girl was so fatalistic that she attempted to jump off at the 4th floor of the school building. She said that she’d rather die than live without him. The father relented though, and pleaded Boy to reconsider. But he was no longer interested in her. Though, he succeeded in convincing her not to end her life with no promise in return. He simply fell out of love for her.

For the first time after many months, he entered the school’s library. He heard his classmates brag about the new girl working at the library. He got curious. After the break-up, he was searching for a deeper meaning of love and a lasting relationship. There she saw a girl that he thought he can only see in his dreams. She had a fair white skin, long brown hair that glitters in the light, and an infectious smile that tells him to come in.

At that moment he was speechless. He felt something weird. Something like he’d been hit by Cupid’s arrows. “Who is this girl?” he thought. She’s a working student from the college department, while he's a graduating 4th year high school student

The girl in the library may not have noticed him. His dark, thin, 5’7” frame failed to steal her attention. She thought that he was just another fellow trying to lure her. There was this other guy who showed her his car keys, and kept asking for a date. But she flatly refused the braggart.

Now, Boy did what he does best: Talk his way to her. But she was not easily convinced though.

For many days he came to the library just to see her. And many times he was reprimanded by the Librarian due to his loud voice and laughter. He strongly believed in Amor Vincit Omnia. He knows that there is nothing in him that could buy her love. He came from a poor family. He supported himself by working full-time and studying part-time. She, he later knew, though with a Chinese maternal grandmother and a Spanish mestizo grandfather at both sides, did not come from an affluent family. There was no heaven and hell to bridge, nor oil and water to mix. It’s only a coffee and milk mixture due to the colors of their skin. He adored her, while she enjoys his sense of humor. But she told him that "if you're really interested in me, go visit me at home and ask permission from my Manong."

So one day, he decided to visit her home. He was also ready to tell her brother that he intended to marry her, because he knew deep within his heart that she is the one for him. In those days, courtship is not a lengthy process. And when you visit a girl in their home, it is a sign that you intend to marry her.

Her brother, a black belt in judo karate, and with a very muscular frame, did not scare him. The conversation went well with the guys. She was happy for his courage and his pure intentions. She decided that he is the man for her.

On December 21, 1974, at age 20, at the altar of marriage, Boy vowed to love her through thick and thin, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, now and forevermore.


Parts 1-4