When it’s all worth it

Halloween in Manila was spent counting cars that passed by Paseo de Roxas – the street overlooking the Club Floor of Mandarin Oriental.

It’s been a while since I spent the Halloween break here. Normally, I’d be in Hong Kong or out of town with Boyfriend.

Since All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day were not declared holidays – us Manila peeps had to be content with the usual 2-day weekend.

Boyfriend was also uber busy with the fluctuating stock market so I never even bothered making plans with him. It was a long shot anyway, but half of me was also wishfully thinking he could either come home or I could fly for a quick break in Hong Kong.

I just decided to stay in and continue my spring cleaning. It’s time for my LV bags to be cleaned and conditioned, too.

Friday night - I got to my apartment at almost 12am. I went online to check my mail and eBay account. Five minutes of watching One Tree Hill, I turned my DVD player off and decided to go to bed early.

Boyfriend texted that he had pasta for dinner, he was just watching TV and that he will go to bed soon.

I went to my room to continue surfing the Internet. I heard a faint knocking on the door and thought that it was my neighbor’s.

Who would come knocking on my door at past 12 anyway?

After several attempts, the knocking stopped.

My mobile phone rang. It was Boyfriend.

He was asking me if I was done with my dinner. I said I only ate a bowl of chocolate cereals because I was feeling lazy to prepare food.

He asked if I was still hungry and if I wanted to eat.

I said I can just go to bed and sleep it off.

He said I should eat… because there’s corned beef pan de sal waiting for me if I open my front door.

I hurriedly changed to more decent clothes and opened my door.

And there he was --- sitting on the flight of stairs – carrying a brown bag from Mandarin Deli.

He brought me corned beef pan de sal.

I cried in his arms that night.

I was deeply touched and moved by the gesture that I could not make sense of what was happening.

He said he never lied. He ate pasta – at the deli. He was watching TV – in our room at the Club Floor. And that he was just waiting for me to get to my apartment.

All this while I took my time to run errands that Friday night.

He said he didn’t want to disrupt my itinerary and that he didn’t want me to postpone going to Mom’s.

In moments like this, I am reminded how amazing he is and how both of us can be the great persons we would like to be – if we only try.

And in times like this, I feel justified that fighting for us – despite all the tears and the heart-wrenching pain that we both had to go through – was all worth it.

So whether it's just counting cars to pass time or getting drunk at Barcino's with my besties --- doesn't really matter to me.

I'm just really glad he came home.