UNEXPECTED (COMPLETED)

We're here at Intramuros. I am celebrating my 21st birthday with my family and friends. This place is my preferred place to date someone. Especially at night, it feels so romantic to spend some time with that special someone. I wanna date my future girlfriend here. I'm the type of person who is dating to marry. Like, why would I date someone if I can't see myself spending the rest of my life with her? It's useless for me. Today, I'm 21. I still don't have a girlfriend. No girlfriend since birth because I have a goal that I'll have my first girlfriend when I turn 21. I focused first on my studies and also on my family. "Mom, can I have a girlfriend now?" I asked "I told you, it's your choice and you're now 21, so that's your goal, right?" "But I don't have someone right now" "Just wait for the perfect time, Ariel. You will meet her at an unexpected time. " "Just like your love story with dad?" "Yes" My mom and dad met unexpectedly. I remembered that mom told me that it was their family reunion and that dad was the photographer. I love their love story, so much. In that time, dad didn't only capture memories, he also captured my mom's heart. After the reunion, dad sent the photos to my mom's drive. While waiting for the photos to be sent, dad stared at mom's face. Mom noticed that the photographer was staring at her, so she looked back. Their eyes met. They both smiled at each other. It's not like an ordinary love story. After my mom received the photos, my dad gave his social media accounts. They were only 16 years old when they met their soulmate. They became friends on f*******: after the reunion. They started talking. As time went by, dad fell in love with mom. He confessed his feelings and at first he was rejected. Mom isn't ready yet to be in a relationship. But mom said that he had a chance since she had feelings for dad at that time. Then dad started to court mom. Dad went to mom's house and talked to mom's parents, asking for permission to court their only daughter. My grandmother approved him, while my strict grandfather gave him challenges to prove that he's really into mom. He takes all the challenges. The main goal here is to prove that he's willing to love mom for a lifetime. I remembered that my dad promised my grandpa that he would be the best man for mom and for their future kids. He will never hurt my mom. He will understand my mom, whatever happens. Lastly, he will protect mom at all costs. He's ready to sacrifice his life for mom. If ever there's a chance that they are in danger, dad will sacrifice his life for mom's safety. Dad has been dealing with grandpa for a year. Until mom turned 17, grandpa finally let dad court his daughter. That's one of the memories that my father will treasure. Dad courted mom for a year. It's my mom's 18th birthday when they become official. It was a surprise. He's my mom's 17th rose. When it was my dad's turn, he didn't give a rose to mom. He preferred a bouquet of roses for mom. They started to dance. While dancing, they stare at each other. They smile like they are the only people in the venue. Before they finally finished their dance, my mom hugged him. And whispered "We're now official. This is our first dance, my boyfriend". Dad stared at mom while mom was smiling. Before my dad gave my mom's hand to my grandpa, he cried. Then it's time for the final dance. Dad gave my mom's hand to my grandpa and grandpa said something unexpectedly. "Congratulations, you deserve my daughter. Please take care of her for me. Welcome to the family, Ariel. " The best feeling ever. The whole year, dad treated mom right. The way he treated my mom in the beginning never changed until now. Actually, their fear is that one of them or both of them will be included in one situation where someone needs to sacrifice his or her life. And their fear happened a year ago. They were on their way to the province when the accident happened. The driver lost control and the car fell off a cliff. As I remember when mom told me this, the first thing that dad did was hold my mom's hand and put his other hand on her head. They both felt scared, but still, dad did his best to calm mom. When the car stopped falling, dad was still holding mom's hand. Until the ambulance came. They were both unconscious when they arrived at the hospital. The driver passed away, while mom and dad are safe. They arrived at the emergency room and rested until they became conscious. The first one who became conscious was my mom. They are in different rooms. Mom stayed in the normal room with the patients while dad stayed in the recovery room. I don't know what really happened, because at that time I didn't exist yet. Mom stayed for 5 days while dad stayed in the recovery room for 1 week. But that's not easy for dad because after 1 week he needs to rest in one room in the hospital. My mom recovered and felt normal, so she decided to take care of my dad, who was still unconscious. She's ready to wait until my dad becomes stable. She talked to my dad even though she wasn't sure if he could hear what she was saying. "Love, why did you sacrifice yourself for me? Now look at your situation. This is a situation that I didn't expect to happen. Don't worry, love, even though you're not by my side during my recovery, I'll be here. I will be here through ups and downs, love. I can't wait to see you smile again. We're going to make more memories, love, please wake up. Thank you for comforting me, love. Thank you for letting me feel that I'm always safe whenever I'm with you. Thank you so much, love" That message touches my heart. He did what he promised. After 4 days, my dad finally became conscious. The first thing that my dad saw when he woke up was my mom's face. They are both happy to see each other recover slowly. A few days later, both of them were discharged. They let grandpa and grandma know what happened. They both take care of themselves after that accident. When they get home, they rest together. The next day, dad mentioned something to mom while they were eating. "Hey love, I heard you ranting about something to me when I was unconscious. You asked, "Why do I sacrifice myself for you, right?" My answer to that is that I promised that to your dad, love. I promised him that I would take care of you. In the beginning, I told you that I was ready to sacrifice myself for your safety. right. Don't worry, love, as long as I live I will not forsake you. You're my girlfriend, my home and my safe place. I also didn't expect that to happen. Thank you, love, for staying by my side. Sorry if I'm not by your side when you need me the most. Promise it will never happen again, love. I'm also here through ups and downs, love. You love seeing me smile, don't you? I love seeing you smile, love. That's the most precious thing that I will never get tired of staring at. Yes, love, as long as we live, we will never get tired of making memories together. " I want to have this kind of relationship. They are both standards when it comes to love.