My Miss Independent

"I love you, Anastasia..." The voice of a man is heard, slowly fading away. Nas woke up at the sound of her alarm. She sat feeling light-headed and still in a dream world. That dream again, she thought. This was the nth time she dreamt of this man she could not recognize. His face is covered with what seems like a cloud. Weirdly enough, she has dreamt of that same scenario maybe a hundred times already, enough for her to remember his voice. The dream started when she was young. She dreamt of a young Nas on top of a green, grassy hill surrounded by beautiful flowers. She was happily playing on her own. Her only companion was a tiny, blue butterfly. She went down the hill to get water from the river when she found a dying boy. She saved him, and from then on, they were inseparable. She felt happy being with the boy and couldn't imagine her life without him. She depended her happiness on the boy. After years of being together, the boy suddenly disappeared. She was left alone in the companion of her little blue butterfly. She was devastated but being the strong girl she was. She again found her own happiness and independence but feared seeing other people again. Years passed, Nas grew into a beautiful lady that kept herself hidden from the world. She is only comfortable being with her tiny, blue butterfly. One evening, a man came up her hill without her knowledge. Nas was surprised to see the man sleeping under a tree the next day. She was afraid and thought of scaring him away from the hill. On her own, Nas made efforts to shoo the man away but all failed. One afternoon, the man found her home while she was out getting food. When she came back the man was sleeping on her bed. She was so scared that she woke the man by hitting him with a broom and hurt him badly, he fell unconscious. Even though she is afraid of people, she is more scared of killing someone. She took care of the man until he is conscious. As time passed by, they built a wonderful relationship that led them to fall in love with each other. Little did she know that this is the young boy she had met years ago. Her dream always ends when they are on a boat holding each other, while the man is saying, I love you to her. Every now and then, she would dream of it repeatedly like it was real. She would feel butterflies in her stomach, and she seems weird the whole day whenever she has that dream. It feels like it is about to happen anytime soon. But it never did. Nas, as always, can't stop thinking of her dream. She is a person who strongly believes in signs. She knows that this dream was a sign from above, her destiny. But just like the Nas in her dream, she is scared of falling in love again and being loved. She is cynical when it comes to love. She believes that love is meant to fail always. After her failed relationships, she concluded that she would live her life single until the end of time – well, a single mom. Nas has a ten-year-old son named Marc. She had him when she was twenty-two. Marc was a product of one of her many failed relationships. But she never regrets having Marc. He was a blessing in disguise. The source of her strength and independence. Through Marc, she learned not to depend on other people and fight for her and her son. She prioritized him above all else. She used all her skills and abilities to ensure that her son would have a good life. Once in a blue moon, she daydreams of having her own family someday. She would think about her recurring dream and remember the man from the future. The unknown man. The man that she will only recognize when she hears his voice. But where is he? He is nowhere to be found. After years of waiting for "Mr. Dreamboy from the hill, she got tired. She is now convinced that he is just all that – a dream. She tried to forget about him and started being real. She dated men until she met the father of his son. She was lost and found herself depending her happiness on other people. She was always scared of losing people, and she did things that were not healthy. She gives her everything to the point that nothing is left for her. She became toxic to the people around her, most especially to herself. She got pregnant, and her whole world crumbled. Her dream of becoming a doctor and finishing her studies ended. After having Marc, her relationship with his father also went down the hill. She found red flag after red flag and decided to call it quits for her son's future. She was forced to forget her dreams and goals in life to ensure her son's future. For years, her only focus is working and supporting her son. Nas is a smart woman. She worked hard and became a successful career woman despite her lack of credentials. That is how she managed to live. Her work is rewarding. How she lives her life for her and her son is incredible. They have a quiet and fruitful life. But she still feels incomplete. She again started dating when her son grew up. But Nas only met men who she thought can accept her situation but turned out to be pretentious jerks. They only used her for money, or as a "trophy girlfriend," or sometimes just for s*x. They made her fall for them and then eventually showed their true colors. There was even a time where she got into a massive debt and trouble because of a man. She knew that she is not made for relationships. That relationships are her kryptonite. She decided to stop dating and is now determined to grow old alone. She focused once again on her goals and her ambitions for herself and her son. But that is also when her dreams about "Mr. Dreamboy from the hill" come back.